A little while back I shared about my story with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis as well as Part 1 of this reoccuring series on Losing Weight with Hashimoto’s.
My struggle to lose weight, infertility, out of whack emotions, and cold intolerance helped my dr at the time diagnose my issue and got me on the right track with my medicine.
That wasn’t the cure all that I had hoped it would be. I realized that if I really wanted to lose fat and gain muscle I had to accept the fact that this was an issue and I needed to work hard to fix it. I started running and trying different “diets” and lost a few pounds here and there over several years. I still felt like I was having issues when symptoms would flare up again. My doctor kept saying my test results were “normal” but I never researched it beyond that. It turns out that I was barely on the normal scale of TSH levels, getting sometimes into the 4’s and 6’s. I decided that I needed to find a different doctor.
After doing tons of research we found Dr Grawey of Integrated Family Health. She was very straight forward, which I felt like I needed. She told me immediately my levels were too high and I needed to have my meds re-evaluated. She listened to my concerns and addressed them all. She made me feel like a person, not just number. I love that she was so excited to share other, more natural, ways I could lessen my symptoms without upping the meds.
I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to have a good relationship with your health care team when you have an ongoing health issue. I didn’t once feel put down by Dr Grawey, which I have heard happens often to overweight people who have thyroid issues. So many people are just too afraid of being told they are just looking for an excuse for why they are overweight so they don’t seek the help they really need. If you don’t like your Doctor… find a new one! If you can’t talk openly with your Doctor… Find a new one! I have been lucky to find a doctor who believes in medicine as well as more natural ways of managing health. Some people choose to go the route of using a Naturopath. We had a great twitter chat last night with Dr Brooke, a certified naturopath that specializes in PCOS, thyroid issues, fat loss and fertility. She has lots of great information on her site about fat loss and hormone issues. She knows her stuff!
You have to realize that it is YOUR health and while finding the right doctor might be frustrating and hard and even scary… I promise that having a Doctor that you feel like is on your side will make the journey that much easier. Your doctors are there to help you, but you first have to want to help yourself.
How do you feel about your Doctor? Do you feel like having the right health team makes a difference?
imperfectly courtney 
Great post. I really enjoyed the chat last night too. I have been seeing an ND for a year after no MD could help me for my stomach problems. I sort of thought we were making some progress but now after a year I think not much has changed. So I’ve been trying paleo for 12 days now and already feel like this is the only step in the right direction I’ve ever taken for my problem. IIreallylikeliked my
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Agreed! the next post in the series is going to focus on diet. I’m a fan of Paleo!
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It great you found some health professionals you can count on. Keep kicking butt and rocking it out.
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Thanks Chris!
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So happy to read more about your journey! It really was a great chat last night! It is so great when you find a doctor who you just click with! You should never accept answers you disagree with from a doctor!
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So true. That chat was just what I needed for sure! Sometimes I still struggle with the mental part of it all, just getting discouraged at how hard I have to work. But its paying off! I bought smaller pants today!!
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I didn’t want last night’s chat to end! You definitely need that “click” feeling with a doctor. I hate when they some just act like it’s a job and aren’t truly passionate about it. You are dealing with people’s lives here! lol, anyway- I swear by my ND. He is amazing and knows myself better than I do.
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Right! Some Drs barely make eye contact. I mean HELLLLO, I’m a person!
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After spending over 4 years beating my head against the wall, I finally asked to be sent to an Endocrinologist. He changed me from Synthroid to Armour about 8 weeks ago, and I’m seeing improvements FINALLY! I was working my butt off in the gym (CrossFit) and my eating had improved by leaps and bounds (somewhat Paleo, but not 100%), but the weight would not come off, I had no energy, and I felt like my brain was wrapped in cotton. All of that has been changing since starting the Armour!
My family doctor gave me 3 months to start losing (because he thought I was lying) or he was going to put me on Ally/Alli (sp?). Ummmm, no I don’t think so. I am now down 8 lbs. My levels were just done and they had to increase my dosage, so I expect to feel even better in a couple weeks. Finding a doctor that will LISTEN is vital. If the doctor wants to treat the piece of paper that says your labs are fine and you don’t feel fine, find another doctor!
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I’m going to have to read up about Armour, never heard of it. I’m not 100% Paleo, I would be crazy if I was. I still try to stay away from most grains, I feel like that makes the biggest difference. I would NOT want to take Alli. I’ve had friends take it and lets just say it gets messy. It is stopping your body from digesting fat and it has to come out somewhere (TMI, I know) Finding a Dr who will listen and not tell you that you are just looking for an excuse for being overweight is SO important.
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so interesting. I work for an oculoplastic surgeon and we see a lot of Grave’s Disease patients – which is another autoimmune disease closely linked to thyroid problems. Since I’ve been reading “It Starts With Food” by the Whole9 people, I always want to ask if they’ve thought about changing their diets (to a cleaner, more Paleo-esqe). But I figure that’s out of line… so i never do.
can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Paleo!
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Grave’s is basically the opposite of what I have. I don’t what the procedure is at your job, but I would mention it because I have had success with it. I have noticed huge differences since paleo, but i’ll write more about that in the next post of the series (enter suspenseful music)
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Thanks so much for sharing! I think we often forget that we have to advocate for ourselves, as well as following a doctor’s advice. I’ve gone through some crazy rounds with doctor’s diagnosing my son and learned this lesson in a serious way!
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Very interesting!! Many times we do neglect consulting doctors. Truly said that having a Doctor that you feel like is on your side will make the journey much easier.
Tribulus
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