Am I a Dough girl?

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the connection between thyroid disorders and gluten.  I think it has been coming to my mind because lately I have been feeling like the dough girl.    A dough girl is basically the same as the Pillsbury dough boy, but in my case since I am a girl I will call it dough girl.  Sometimes, I get this feeling like my stomach has dough in it, or that it is expanding with every little bite of 'bad carbs" I eat.  Unfortunately,  because I am not a cartoon, I don't think it's very attractive, and I am sure others don't find my bulging stomach very attractive either lol!    
    I have talked about this before in previous blogs, sometimes wishing I had given my self a chance to try a gluten free diet before having my surgery to see if perhaps my thyroid would shrink to normal levels.    I remember someone telling me, try it or you might regret it.  I thought me regret it,nah  I will defeat this.  Well guess what, sometimes I have a slight regret and this week has been one of those weeks for me. 


 I have noticed this dough girl feeling in the past, but I think even more so now that I have been having so many issues with my stomach and I have been trying to figure out what my triggers are.   Some of my triggers I know, and some I know and choose to pretend there is nothing wrong, and some I am not sure.     For example, I love cheese I mean not love it's more like LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   However, cheese is not exactly the healthiest thing, not to mention  I think somewhere deep deep down I know that it does a number on my stomach but I refuse to believe that such a glorious thing could make my stomach angry. After all everything taste better with cheese!!!!    Lately, though I have been trying to cut back on cheese, and have noticed that after I ate a flour tortilla, ouch, after I ate a piece of wheat bread indigestion,  spaghetti well I have always attributed the sauce to giving me indigestion but could it be the pasta??   Today, I ate pancakes and along came to dough girl sensation.     I don't know if it's in my head, or is it possible that perhaps I do have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance.  I mean after all both Celiac and Hashimotos are autoimmune disorders and I have read that they can be linked.      I am not sure that I have celic because I don't always get reactions or maybe I do and just attribute to other things, or maybe it is the other things.   

So with all that, what question popped into my head.. Is  indigestion a sign of gluten intolerance/sensitivity?  Well guess what it is.        As a matter of fact, I picked up a book today called the Wheat Belly cookbook http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/  , and low and behold what did I magically turn to.......................... the page about gluten and how it affects people with and without Celiac (acid reflux, heartburn, gas,....). It also mentioned what I have read time and time again wheat and Hashimoto's, amongst other disease and it's worsening of these diseases.   If that wasn't enough as if in bold print, the word inflammation sticks out to me.  Inflammation, my dough girl feeling, hmm  so maybe there is something to this madness.    Maybe I am not crazy, or maybe I am either way I will be going to the gastro soon and I have decided that even if he tells me that I am not gluten sensitive or intolerance I am still going to cut back.   Basically because from what I have read it seems lots of people get false negatives and still suffer.  Now of course, this doesn't mean I am going to run out and buy every single gluten free thing out there because some of those things are very healthy either,  I think it just means that I need to be more diligent and see if I too can get rid of my dough girl feeling or wheat belly, or whatever it is you want to call it.       Now of course, I also realize that this has also become a "fad" diet for some,  but it does raise my curiosity.  


In case you are curious here are some symptoms of gluten intolerance/sensitivity and more information.  I happened to come across this website and it seems like it has some good information. if you scroll down it talks about the symptoms.   Unfortunately, I think what makes it confusing is that so many symptoms overlap so it's always hard to know.     

http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/gluten-sensitivity-intolerance-self-test/

Here are some other websites that may be helpful
http://www.gluten.net/default.aspx
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/symptoms-of-gluten-sensitivity-and-celiac-disease.html
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain

Prediabetes Scare...

You know how people say sometimes something has to scare you into bettering yourself, well that is exactly what happened to me.     Last Friday, I went to my endocrinologist for my routine thyroid blood work.   As always this makes me nervous for some reason, I guess because  it just takes me back to that place long long ago when I was first diagnosed, and then the surgery, and then recently the parathyroid stuff.   Luckily,  the doctor's office I go to emails you the results from the previous visit, so I always go in there knowing if something is up.  

Well this time they threw me for a major loop!!! Typically, the doctor sees you, goes over what blood test he is running , then they take you to the lab and your done.   Previously, my endocrinologist had informed me that he would be monitoring my A1C levels since thyroid medications can increase your chances of diabetes, not to mention I do have a family member with Diabetes so that increases my chances even more.     In case you are unfamiliar with A1C it is a blood test that is run that measures your blood sugar over a 6-12 week period and gives an average.    The fact that he runs this test, scares me but it also makes me "glad" to know that if something is up they would catch it!

Anyway, this  time they wanted to take me back to the lab to run my blood work before I got to see the doctor.     I went into panic mode, because I know they usually only do this with people who have diabetes that way the doctor will have the results when he sees you.    I immediately freaked and said, why are you bringing me back here, I don't have diabetes, he always sees me first.   The nurse said well,  are you sure ,  I said "Yes, I reviewed my previous blood work and A1C was fine, another nurse walks over and says "So you aren't diabetic?"    Again, in a panic I said no, then she said well go back and sit down and then I heard a whispering ..."It says prediabetic on the chart."   I said no I am not prediabetic either he has never told me that.     Eventually, I went back again so they could go over my medications and stuff, went back to waiting room and then the nurse came out,  they want you to do your blood work before, the chart says prediabetes..   Again, I hit the panic button,   "NO"  I told her my blood work doesn't say that.  The nurse said, "The doctor just wants to run the test, he wants to monitor you"  So off I went.     The remainder of my wait I sat on edge, on the verge of tears thinking why didn't I exercise more, eat healthier,  I don't need any more problems.     Luckily I was put to ease once I actually spoke to my doctor and he said everything was fine.   He reminded me that one time it came out on the high side of normal and out of concern he wanted to monitor me.  I felt like jumping up and screaming,  YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE .  
It was this whole experience that brought me to the realization,  it is time to be very serious.  I escaped this time but what about next time or in the years to come, so with that I called a friend and we decided enough is enough!    I went out and bought a book by Dr. Furman,  I have posted about him before he has another book called "Eat to Live" and he recently came out with a book called "The end of Diabetes",  no I don't have diabetes but I am going to read this book front to back as a preventative measure,  while I will admit his "Eat to Live" plan is a good one, it can be hard to follow as it's focus is mainly on fruits and vegetables, but I think there are some good things that can be take from it. 
So with all this being said,  I am off to go exercise!