Appointment with the endo doc- done!
She gave me the expected info.
Take medication or obliterate my thyroid :).
I really don't love the idea of flopping to a hypothyroid state-
FOREVER.
taking synthetic hormones FOREVER-
so a low does of meds is what I have.
I told her that I changed my diet and felt like it really helped.
She said that diet can't help Grave's Disease.
Of course.
I'm not saying that it definitely can-
but that it definitely CAN'T seems extreme.
She then told me all the other things that could be wrong with me.
That was fun.
Apparently Grave's can cause low bone density.
(all endocrine system disorders can)
So she ordered a bone density scan-
worried about the stress fracture I had last year.
(source)
I have to get more blood work done-
just to check for a few other things the Doc is worried about.
The good news is- I am coming back!
I should be back to normal with in a few weeks.
I have ran TWICE this week.
It felt good and can't wait until it feels GREAT again.
One more thing.
My doctor told me what a lot of doctors tell people:
Running causes BONE LOSS.
She didn't come out and say it-
but I felt like she was saying running is BAD.
Has your doctor told you that?
Do you believe this is true?
As a runner, do you take extra calcium to prevent this?
I have always taken calcium just because-
especially now because I don't eat much dairy anymore.
I don't plan on NOT running-
so cross your fingers for me and my bone density!
I was once told that for my thyroid disease I would have to take hormones FOREVER and be in a state of disease FOREVER, but luckily I looked to other sources. Did they look into WHY you have Grave's disease? Or, did they tell you it just "happened" to you? If I know one thing, I know that our bodies are designed (by you know who) to last for-ev-er, so they don't just poop out for no reason. Because really, that underlying cause is going to continue and potentially harm other elements of your body if left unchecked. Moral of the story, I went to see several different doctors specializing in several different things and guess what? Completely normal thyroid blood tests. I would try to dig for some answers and other alternatives. If we have a tired muscle and instead of doing special exercises and stretches we just resign to crutches our whole life, that muscle will only get weaker and will never work. I'm just sayin...
ReplyDeleteI meant to say I had completely normal thyroid tests after taking other doctors' advice on how to fix the underlying cause. Not that the blood test was magically different at a different office.
ReplyDeleteAaaannnddd...while I'm here, I've been told the opposite, that running actually increases bone density over time. That is a whole other issue I have an opinion on. We were A) not meant to run on concrete and B) not meant to run in shoes (meaning a heel strike basically). But you can see that study here: http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/3RunningBeforeTheModernShoe.html , done by our friends at Harvard themselves.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's important to be aware of calcium intake, but like Melissa, I've read that running (and weight training) can help build bone density. I hope your tests surprise her with good results!
ReplyDelete