Overdue Update and Starting Over...Whole30 Style

Phew. I'm glad to be back. And boy, do I have a lot to say!

Let's just say that this post has been a long time coming. My last entry in here was October of last year. It should go without saying that a LOT has happened since then. So... I'll stop babbling and get to it!

My Health

If you recall from the last few posts I made, or have been following me on FB, you know that the medical drama that started in October 2013 still hasn't completely subsided.

Quick recap: In October, I had been seeing my primary care doctor because I was having unexplained, non-severe chest pain. Went through a battery of tests (CT scans, abdominal ultrasound, holter monitor, stress test, EKG, cardiac ultrasound...) all to find that my heart is perfectly healthy and there's no real reason or cause for my chest pains. In my last entry, I mentioned my hypothesis that they were being caused by the Metformin; I mentioned this to my doc and although it's not a known side effect, she was perfectly happy taking me off of it. The chest pains went away. They've come and go a few times since then but I've more accurately pinpointed the cause to anxiety. I tend to have them on days that I'm really wound up/worried about something. The problem was, way back then, that I would be worked up about the chest pains and panicking about them, so I'd get more pains. Once I got the all clear that I really am not dying of a heart tumor (hint: you can't actually get one of those), the anxiety subsided and so did the pain. So, that was that.

However, around the time that that all came to pass, I went to Pennsylvania to visit family and go to Colorfest in Thurmont, Maryland. I came home, and the next day felt pretty awful, dizzy, and just...not right. It stuck around several days and I decided to go back to the doctor. Long story short, I got shuttled around from doctor to doctor, including two Urgent Care doctors, my PCP, a sleep doctor, an ENT, and a rheumatologist. I had tons of bloodwork and tests, took a buttload of antibiotics, and nothing really worked. PCP tried to order a head CT to rule out anything crazy (even though I didn't have any symptoms that presented like something like that) but insurance wouldn't approve it.

In the process, I found out (in January) that I have sleep apnea. I've kept that under wraps until, well, NOW, because I'm actually pretty embarrassed by it. To me, it is a further mark of my failure to stay healthy and I didn't really want anyone to know. But... well... I guess it had to come out eventually. I've been using a CPAP machine at night since February and though I was under the assumption that it would help with my sleepiness, it has not. I still use it, but the sleepiness is still a huge battle. Still no diagnosis for the dizziness.

Through this whole mess, I was also diagnosed with a few allergies, including a couple of trees, some weeds, dust, and both dogs and cats. All of them were very minor allergies though and I a) have not been taking allergy shots or anything for them and b) have not given up my four-legged friends. I don't have reactions that are worth noting so I don't see the point. Still no diagnosis for the dizziness.

ENT noticed a whole buncha junk in my sinuses but there really wasn't any discussion about doing anything about it just yet.

Then, I was sent to the rheumatologist because my ENT thought that my dizziness might be an inner ear disorder because I also have tinnitis (ringing in the ears). My hearing tested fine, though, so he was (and still pretty much is, stumped). The rheumatologist, however, ran a metric ton of bloodwork and couldn't find anything that would indicate any real kind of autoimmune disorder such as this inner ear disorder. While I was visiting her though we did get to talking about some of my joint pains, and how I hadn't mentioned them to any other doctor because, well, I just assumed that they were weight-related, so the obvious answer was going to be to lose weight. DUH, TRYING. Anyway, in that bloodwork that the rheum ran, my inflammation markers were elevated, which indicated that there was SOMETHING going on that could explain the joint pain other than my weight.

However, I don't have enough symptoms of any one rheumatological disorder (like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc.) to be diagnosed with one, so the diagnosis is going with right now is "Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease". Essentially, this means exactly what I just said -- I don't have enough to be diagnosed with one, but I have enough to be diagnosed with something. I may gain more symptoms and eventually have a diagnosis of something else; I may never get more symptoms and stay diagnosed with UCTD.

She started me on a medication that is meant to reduce inflammation and it seems to be working because after 2 months, one of my inflammation markers hasn't moved much (but hasn't gone up) and the other one has gone from really high to being at the top range of normal for my age. So... we're sticking with it for now.

The dizziness still comes and goes, but is mostly gone, thankfully. My hypothesis is that it's sinus related because it's worst when I am having problems breathing through my nose, or when the weather is particularly bad, or just overall have a ton of sinus pressure. The good news is that Claritin-D usually clears up my sinuses pretty well and relieves the dizziness; the bad news is that it also disrupts my sleep (even if I take it first thing in the morning) and I wake up like every 20 minutes feeling like I'm having an anxiety attack. So... I use a saline nasal spray and sleep at like a 45 degree angle to the bed.

So... that's about it for the update on my health. Now for what you all REALLY came for...

Starting Over, Whole30 Style

Most of you probably saw the status I posted last week about how Derek and I would be starting the Whole30 in an attempt to get ourselves closer to healthy.

I totally recommend checking out the website for Whole30 to learn more about, but the general idea is that you cut out the foods that cause inflammation, weight gain, intestinal problems, etc. So, for 30 days, no grains, no legumes, no soy, no dairy, no sugars (real or artificial). The goal is to "reset" your system and flush out all the junk by focusing on proteins, veggies, and (healthy) fats. Also, since you're resetting your system, you also reset the way you view food; the ways and reasons you eat and what, if anything, you're doing wrong. (Hint: I'm doing a lot wrong.) It's not a diet by any means; it's the kickstart to a lifestyle. That sounds so cliche but that's really the best way to describe it. Once the Whole30 is over, you can slowly add back the foods that you've eliminated, one by one, to see if you can find which ones trigger the ill effects. For some people it's all grains, for some it's just corn, for some it's dairy, etc. Derek and I plan to switch to a Paleo diet after the Whole30, which is similar but not quite as strict. If you're unfamiliar with that, the gist of Paleo is that you eat the way cavemen eat. Limited/no processed foods, no dairy, etc.

So... why am I doing this? I have a few good reasons:

1) I am very overweight. I have a LOT of weight to lose and it has been VERY hard to lose it (and very easy to gain it) due to my PCOS. (That's a real thing. I didn't make it up.) I'm not comfortable sharing numbers yet because I'm so ashamed, but suffice it to say that I've GAINED more weight than is reasonable even considering my crappy diet. The Whole30 isn't designed as a weight loss program, but participants do typically lose a not-insignificant amount of weight. Any little bit will help me. Also, Whole30 has a track record of helping women with PCOS to overcome the barriers to weight loss by eliminating the foods that causes our insulin resistance (read: carbs/grains) and having us rely on the foods that work well for us (proteins and veggies).

2) I feel like shit, y'all. I don't get around very well right now -- I'm constantly achy and tired; my joints pop and twist and make noises that no human body parts should make under duress. Derek and I moved to a beautiful neighborhood and have talked about taking walks and being more active but I just do not have it in me. I try. I really want to do it, I want to move more... but it's like someone is telling me to run a marathon with a Mack truck tied to my back. I used to think that this was solely me being lazy and unmotivated but the visits to the rheumatologist have confirmed that it's not just me, and it's not just my weight. Sure, losing weight will help, but the inflammation is not caused by my weight. As of right now we don't know WHAT it's caused by, but there's a pretty good chance it's caused by what I eat. On top of that,  Again, Whole30 eliminates the foods that cause this inflammation and fatigue. With any luck, I should feel better and have more energy by the end.

3) I still have my health, mostly. Other than the two things above....I'm healthy. All my bloodwork is normal. My kidneys and liver work, my blood pressure and blood sugar are good. Let's call a spade a spade here: I am really, REALLY fucking lucky. I have done terrible things to my body for decades now and somehow it has not caught up with me yet. But I am not getting younger, y'all. I am nearly 31 years old. My dad died at 35 of a heart attack. Granted, his heart attack was attributed to his alcoholism, not his weight/diet, but still. It is not lost on me that when my dad was my age, he had FOUR years left. I didn't even fucking finish COLLEGE in four years; I sure as hell don't want just that long to finish my LIFE. I got more shit to do and things to be and most importantly, I need more years with Derek. I promised him forever; forever isn't supposed to be before the end of the decade. I'm not going to be this lucky forever so I REALLY need to get my butt in gear. RIGHT NOW. Or like, yesterday, actually. But I digress.

Anyway, that explains what I'm up to... stay tuned. For the next 30 days while I tackle this Whole30 journey with Derek, I'm going to attempt to post a blog entry every day detailing my progress and how I'm feeling. Day 1 is TODAY so that one will be coming up! (Don't worry -- THOSE entries shouldn't be quite as long and boring. :)

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