About a year ago I started a blog that was going to address ways to lose weight when you have a Hypothyroid disorder, like Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (which I suffer from). For those that do not know what those are you can find out more in these links: Hashimoto's Disease & Hypothyroidism. Basically, hypothyroidism causes all your body's metabolic functions to be slower and inefficient. Losing weight has become very difficult, gaining weight very easy, my energy levels have decreased, and getting going in the morning is nearly impossible, just to address a few of the symptoms I was dealing with.
Well, before I could get myself moving forward on the blog I was diagnosed with something called Fibromyalgia. This disorder has some of the same symptoms of hypothroidism but also includes widespread muscular pain and fatigue... it kind of reminds me of having the flu, without a fever, 24/7. Apparently, this was caused by trauma to the nerves in my spine from when I injured my back and continued to fight through the pain while being an Infantryman and deploying to Afghanistan.
Not too long after that diagnosis I started having problems with my kidneys, as well. Though, I have not been given an actual diagnosis on this, probably, because blood tests aren't showing the same levels of negative results that my urinalysis' are.
So at this point over the course of 2 years I have been diagnosed with:
Herniated Disc L4/L5 - Requiring Nerve Root Disc Decompression Surgery
Spondylolisthesis L5/S1, L3/L4, L2/L3 aka. slipped discs - Just deal with it because a fusion has a low success rate
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Medications for life
Fibromyalgia - Medications
Kidney's - Medications and monitor
Combat Anxiety Disorder/PTSD - Medications and Counseling
When the Hashimoto's was found I was in Afghanistan and my TSH was at dangerous levels. I was MEDIVAC'd out of theater and to Germany where they decided to send me to Ft. Bragg rather than back to Colorado because my wife, Kristina, would be closer. This was a blessing and I was so excited to get to start my life with a woman that I loved more than anything. We were newlyweds that hadn't lived together yet in our 10 months of marriage. So, we were faced with not only the challenge of being newlyweds, learning each others habits and adjusting to the married lifestyle. But, we were also faced with the test of dealing with my illness and injuries. It has been just over two years since I returned home and my health issues have caused problems in all areas of my life. This has become one of the most demanding battles of my life.
I am writing this blog as a sort of journal that will help me with stress management and self-exploration. I hope to get my thoughts out and hopefully learn where I have gone wrong and where I can improve as a person. I'd also like to include different techniques that I learn to fight the health problems and weight issues that I face on a daily basis. If you know me, you know that I used to be very passionate about fitness and was a very active person. So, I will also include posts that talk about fitness and nutrition. I welcome any comments and advice, no matter what opinion you might have.
Your lifestyle - how you live, eat, emote, and think - determines your health. To prevent disease, you may have to change how you live.” -Brian Carter
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