Since January, my husband and I have been losing weight and eating more healthy. We've gotten of the wagon a little but we've found our way back in the last few weeks. The biggest part of this was learning a few things about our health... More particularly, my health. I was told today that I am showing insulin resistance and hypothyroidism.
Insuline resistance is a pre-diabetic condition that is reversible with weight loss and diet management. We're already making steps to correct this issue, so I'm not too worried about this. According to my doctor, losing more weight and getting in a more healthy range could bring back my periods and give me better chances at conceiving a child within the next two years.
The hypothyroidism is a much bigger issue... in a sense. Because my thyroid hormone levels are so low it could be the cause of my missed periods. To prevent this problem, I'm being put on a thyroid medication to help increase my thyroid levels and hopefully get my metabolism back on track. We are thinking that I have probably had low thyroid levels for years. This could be true given the steady decrease in regularity in my periods since high school and my ever-decreasing metabolism. It also would explain my heavy weight gain.
All in all it comes down to two things: losing weight and eating right. Oh wait... I guess it also comes down to me taking a pill for the rest of my life.... Like my father, I don't want to be chained to the pharmacy and doctor's office for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I will be. It won't even matter if I lose weight or eat right. I'll have to deal with this for the rest of my life.
Things I'm thankful or?? Well, despite all of the "bad" news, I'm happy that we caught my insulin resistance before I found out I was diabetic. It gives me a chance to turn it around and not be diabetic at any point in my life. It also saves me from a lot of potential complications, in terms of my thyroid, with cancer and infertility. While I might still have some trouble conceiving naturally, I know that it is possible for me to conceive with treatment. This is two years down the road, so I'm not worried about that chapter of life yet.
It's time now to just get healthy and stay healthy.
I'll be updating more in the future on my summer reading assignments from the OB/GYN that caught my hypothyroidism and insulin resistance: South Beach Diet and The Zone.
Being healthy is one thing. Staying healthy is another. Thanks for all of your support.
