Biggest Loser

I am soooooooo excited because Biggest Loser is starting their new season. I love this show more than any other reality tv show. I mean seriously, what show gives you as much blood, sweat, spandex, and vomit as this one does?

Remember last years winner....Tara Costa? She is still looking great and sticking to her love of exercising and is using it to help others by hosting runs and other events. Tara is going to be blogging about her experiences and how she sees things going on this new season of BL. You can read her blog here:

Tara Blogs @ People

If I thought there was a chance my thyroid would actually kick and start working again, thereby giving me at least a fighting chance to lose weight, I think I'd actually like going on that show. But only if I could have Bob as my trainer. Jillian would make me cry.

Let's Try This Again

A few months ago I started a blog to help keep me motivated regarding my weight loss. Little did I know at that time, what challenges would be coming down the road.

Now I know all those challenges, which I recently wrote about regarding my thyroid & hormone issues, plus other things. Weight loss isn't my goal right now. Getting healthy is. Weight loss from what I've been told may not even happen for a while...if ever. At least until we get things headed in the right direction.

Each day I log in to the dashboard here at Blogger, I see the weight loss blog and it haunts me. I feel guilty that I haven't added to it, but there's been nothing to add. And now that I know I won't be able to add to it for a while, I just don't need the guilt, ya know?

So I deleted that blog. The guilt is gone.

My NP I'm seeing wants me to keep a journal of what we do and how I'm feeling, but I don't want to do that here. This blog is about more important things like useless facts and trivia. It can't be bothered with serious things like test results, health and well being. So, you guessed it....I've started a 2nd blog. I figured my mom & dad would at least probably want to know how the treatments are going. :)

Here's the address: http://climbingamountaintobetterhealth.blogspot.com/

You're welcome to follow it. Just don't expect anything exciting, unless you find how many times I napped today exciting. If anyone reads it and has experienced any of what I'm going through, I would LOVE your input! I will also be adding links to sites or blogs that I feel are helpful in this journey as well.

Hope to see you on the mountain!

My Test Results

I met with the Nurse Practioner again yesterday to discuss all my test results. I had urine tests, saliva tests & 9 vials of blood tests to go over. I was there for 3 hours and walked out frustrated (by medical doctors that I had begged for help and was ignored) and overwhelmed. But, I now have the answers I have been searching for, whether I like them or not.

In a nutshell, here's what the test results show I have or is "wrong" with me (sit down and grab something to drink...it's a long list - ha):

Peri-menopausal
Hashimoto’s Disease {Hypothyroidism}
Vitamin B6 & B12 deficient (bordering critical stage)
Vitamin D deficient (VERY critical stage)
SAD (goes along with the Vit D deficiency)
Overly estrogen dominant
Way too low progesterone
Overly low cortisol in the mornings
Sex hormone is basically non-functioning (no comment -ha)
Insulin Resistant (which = very low metabolism)
Adrenal Fatigue
PCOS

Other than all that, I'm in great shape. LOL

I was given the "honor" of breaking 2 records in her office. #1 Having the most test results to come back in the moderate/severe category of any one person, and #2 Having the lowest Vitamin D reading they had ever seen before.

I'm on numerous all natural supplements and a thyroid medication, and I'm to follow the Insulin Resistant Eating plan. For the SAD I tried to get her to require we go south each winter, but she would only suggest a lamp. :P

I cried several times during the appt due to the frustration that I have spent the past few years trying to get doctors to help me who either said "eat less, exercise more" or my personal favorite "your thyroid is fine" (when I KNEW it wasn't).

I asked her if she thought that once we got all this regulated, would I have a chance to lose weight again. Here's her response:

"I'm going to be honest with you Dena. You have a going on. I am going to work hard to try to get you feeling better for starters. This is not normal, and what you are feeling is not normal and no matter what any doctor has told you in the past, you do not have to live like this or live with feeling like this. Can I get you to a point where you will lose weight? I believe so. Will we be able to get you into a normal weight range? I don't know. As much as you have going on, it's going to be how well your body responds to treatment. Most people do great, but there are some who don't respond well. We won't know until we get going with you. However, I am optimistic."

My fingers are crossed.

My Lab Tests

I had a friend call me this past weekend and ask "So whatever happened with you and that lady you saw other than the foot bath fiasco?"

Oh, did I forget to fill you in on that? Sorry. I bet you've been sitting on the edge of your seats, right? Well, anyhow...here's the run-down, the down-low, & the low-down on what Ms. C feels is the issue with me. Well, medically anyhow, we won't even get into the whole psychological part.

In case you don't remember why I was going to see Ms. C, here's a brief update:

In Jan 2005 I decided to lose my leftover baby weight, which seemed appropriate since my baby was getting closer to being a teenager. I lost some and then added in exercise and lost some more. Joined a gym and lost some more. Then it all stopped. I worked out (hard) with a trainer for over 1 year and didn't lose another ounce. I was working out for 3 hours a day, 6 days a week and got nuthin'. Doctors were no help as they all just said "Well losing weight is a lot of work". I KNEW that! As soon as I stopped my 3 hr work-outs, the weight started to come back on. I was beyond frustrated and found other symptoms arising, including severe fatigue (some days its all I can do to get out of bed), horrible headaches & body aches, etc. My sister mentioned someone she knew who went to Ms. C who deals with womens hormonal issues among other things, and uses all natural remedies to help with them. So as a last ditch effort to find someone who would help me, I set up an appointment.

Before seeing Ms. C I had a 10 page questionaire to fill-out. It seriously asked E.V.E.R.Y.T.H. I.N.G. I found myself blushing when I was sitting alone at the dining room table filling it out.

After my footbath, Ms. C took me to her office and we talked, and we talked, and we talked. We were in there for over an hour. She asked me questions about everything I had filled out on those forms and she went into great detail about every one of them. Going into such detail regarding my sex life with a stranger is just well, awkward, and I'm sure she noticed me squirming in my seat. LOL

Once we got all done she said "Well it's obvious to me, as should be to others that you have some serious hormonal imbalances and...brace yourself , but your also peri-menopausal. I laughed, because I already figured that part. She told me that every symptom I listed suggests hormones that are beyond messed up, and the first clue for doctors should have been all the fertility issues and other female issues I've had since in my 20's.

She started explaining that when you have imbalance "A" you get the following symptoms. When you have imbalance "B" you these symptoms, and so on. I sat there nodding my head thinking "Oh my gosh - that's ME! that's ME! So I'm not making these things up! They aren't all in my head!"

It felt so good to have someone listen to me.
It felt so good to have someone say they were going to do what they could to help me.
and mostly... It felt so good to have someone believe me.

She said "If you're working out that hard day after day and not losing anything, that tells you somethings not working right." I told her that's what I've been trying to tell my doctors and she shook her head and said "And they wonder why people are losing faith in the medical establishment?"

So, for starters she said that while she can tell I have parts of me that aren't functioning properly and most likely vitamin/mineral deficiences, we need to pinpoint exactly what those things are, and how severly they are deficient. That means tests...lots and lots of tests.

Urine test - I have to restrict my fluid intake to just 24 ounces in a 24 hour period, because they wanted the urine very concentrated. I'm doing this test tomorrow, and considering I drink 4 times that much in a day, it is going to be a looooong day.

Blood tests - I had 9 tubes of blood taken out. NINE! When I saw the lab tech setting all those tubes up, I was thinking I may need a transfusion after I have my own blood removed. LOL

Saliva test - This one grossed me out, not going to lie. I can't stand people spitting (like when you see them spitting on the ground), yuck! For this you have a small tube you have to spit saliva into, and you have to get it 3/4 full. Not only that, you have 4 tubes and you do them throughout the day. Nasty. I was so glad to have that one done.

I go back in a couple of weeks and will hear the results of all my tests. While I'm nervous to hear what all could possibly be wrong, I'm also excited to know that maybe, just maybe we've finally rounded the corner and heading down the path to good health.

Vision Board

Way back when I first started on the road to getting healthy (2005) I joined an online forum that I am actually a co-host of today. It's a great place for women only and we offer each other support, comfort, ideas and the occasional booty kick when necessary.

One of the best ideas I found on there was called the Vision Board. You take pictures or words from the internet or magazines or wherever you can find them and glue them to a board. The board can be whatever size you want, but it must contain pictures/words that motivate you and encourage you to reach your goals.

Here's my vision board that I made. It sits in my office where I can see it every day.



On my board I have many different things as you can see. I have motivational quotes such as "Nothing is impossible" and "Keep Your Eye On The Prize". I have uplifting quotes such as "Triumph is just umph added to Try" and "Your Worth It". And I have pictures of somethings I work towards such as hubby and I want to back to the Bahamas again someday so I have pictures of white sandy beaches, and I also think it would be fun to take a trip to Vegas to renew our vows, so I have a picture of a Vegas sign.

It doesn't matter what you put on your board. Everyones is different. The most important part is that you put it where you see it every . single . day.

This works not only for weight loss, but just living a healthier lifestyle, business goals, and any goals you have in mind. Children can even make them. It's a great visual for those who are even too young to read. I've also heard of Sunday School and Bible School classes using them.

If you made a vision board, what would you put on it?