In September I got the blood results back concluding that I have Hashimoto’s disease. This is my update:) To recap: I was tired all the time. I slept way way too much. Going to bed at 10pm waking up at 7am – needing a nap from 9am until at least 11 am and then remaining tired through out the day. (**Note my elderly dog would habitually get me up at least one time a night to go out. This has since been remedied) I had been to my regular physician on a regular basis since my concussion of spring 2011. He tested my blood all the time. My iron and vitamin D were consistently low. I was put on vitamins. My thyroid levels were always borderline too low. He was always “watching the numbers”. Finally after not seeing any improvement from the vitamins he put me on my first Thyroid medication in 2013. I really don’t think it did much so he added on a second thyroid medication. Apparently T3 and T4- the synthetic thyroid standard medication. I still don’t think it did anything. I was still sleeping and tired all the time. My friend read my posts and recommended that I see her new agey medical place that helped her with some latent viruses after the birth of her second child. I went. I took the blood tests. He determined that I had Hashimoto’s disease. The plan was to change my diet completely, IMMEDIATELY and put me on this “new agey Potaba” to cure or make the Hashimoto’s better, I don’t remember. The diet was extreme and it really took me at least a month for my body to get used to it. The detoxing from all the gluten and sugar was not fun. I don’t know if I recommend cutting all of the things I did all at the same time. I read in a great book “Eat right for your blood type” that you should only cut out one at a time. These are the things I was told NOT to eat: No, Soy, No Gluten, No wheat, No sugar including anything sugar related including Agave (no cane, no organic cane, no corn syrup, no rice syrup) oh.. and no rice (turns right into sugar so apparently my rice crisps and blue berries each morning and brown rice for luck was a no no), No yeast, No Dairy (except butter and eggs), No grains at all, no vinegar, no tomatoes, no potatoes, NO ALCOHOL. These ingredients are in EVERYTHING. I went up and down the aisles of Vons, Albertsons, even Whole Foods…. I could eat NOTHING that was preprepared. It was horrible, frustrating, and kicked in my OCD. It took me months to get down a food schedule I liked. It was horrible leaving the house as I had to bring food with me. There was NOTHING I could get at any fast food place and after I detoxed and was on this strict diet if I did try to eat something I wasn’t supposed to I would be sick in bed for 3 days. I even went to gluten free grocery stores, but everything gluten free has rice, corn… (no corn either), or sugar in it….. EVERYTHING!!!
So…. I went on the diet and I took the potaba. I went back in for a blood test in January 2014. My Hashimoto numbers doubled…. Hence the potaba didn’t work. Fine… I tried it. I had a consultation and the dude left the Hashimoto’s to the wind and said I had chronic mono and I should go on a Hydrogen peroxide intervenes drip. Ten sessions at $150 each. My red flag went up. What happened to the Hashimoto’s? The numbers doubled. The monocyte number was the same as the first test. Why wasn’t it addressed then? I left deflated and frustrated. I vowed to just take a break from all medical related shit and not stress out about this. I sleep when I sleep. I was also going to start adding some things back in my diet occasionally. So what happened? I went to my regular doctor last week, April 2nd. I brought in all my blood results. He admits I do have Hashimoto’s, but again he insists it is the same treatment for low thyroid that he has me on. I roll my eyes and move on. He asks about my energy and sleep…. hmmmm I think….. You know I stopped Gluten and Sugar and all that other stuff. I will occasionally add something back in very small increments like rice with my sushi, but I think the diet helped a lot…. like I am sleeping way less and I have more energy through out the day. HIs response included that’s great, but I don’t think the no gluten does much…. but whatever. The point is I figured out what is right for me. I am glad I tried different things. I’m not 100%, but who is. Here is an example of the things I eat.
Breakfast: puffed millet cereal with Chia seeds, Almond milk (unsweetened) and blue berries (sometimes I cheat and use some crispy rice:)
2nd Breakfast: (everyday) Gluten free flour and buckwheat floor blueberry pancakes using almond milk, eggs,baking powder, sometimes pure cocoa powder and sometimes I put in some coconut sugar…. ooohh most of the times I just leave it out
I was doing kale and spinach and carrot and strawberry, and blue berry and anything healthy I had smoothies everyday. I am kind of taking a break.
I’ve added tomatoes back in my diet so I found some organic soups I can eat.
I actually found ICECREAM I can eat! It is the So delicious brand with no added sugar. It uses all coconut stuff and is sweetened with monk fruit juice. It is wonderful.
I was eating quinoa EVERY SINGLE day. with veggies and olive oil. We are on a break…..
I love cooked millet with butter… I am turning into a bird. (I used to feed it to my birds as a kid)
Ill cook chicken.
I made a gluten free pizza. I was ok having some cheese. Doing this I had to eat rice as it is in the pizza flour.
I like steak.
I eat a lot of salads (no dressing or olive oil only).
I eat about a pound of berries a day. Im not kidding either.
Ill eat a burger without the bun.
I found some quinoa pasta I like.
In the end…. Its gotten easier. I don’t stress anymore. I feel better. I am less tired. I am much less bloated. I feel leaner…. so yeah me:)
Vanessa Bednar 
Have you been tested for thyroid nodules?
Are you taking selenium ?
I havent. I’ll ask my doctor. Thanks:)