This morning, I was down to 54 kilos. That's still a BMI of 19.6, but I can't understand why I'm losing weight.

My ribs hurt. Especially on the lower left side, but also on the back, and this morning when I went swimming, I had a bad twinge on the upper right. It's kind of achey, not sharp. More like muscle aches.

Got this response re: Hyperglycemia from the Yahoo! list:

 

Referred to this site from the Yahoo! list. Guess they're good for something after all. (Although the referral was in response to someone else's query, not mine.)

 

 

Found this one on my own. Hasn't been updated in a while, but contains a huge list of potentially helpful links on thyroid issues.

 

I have an appointment with a nutritionist on November 6th. I want to get a diet plan that will help me to maintain my weight (not lose any more weight), discourage the development of diabetes, and reduce the amount of protein from animal sources. I don't want to go Vegan, but I don't like eating meat much and would like to cut it out altogether. May need to stay on iron supplements permanently. I also don't like eating cheese and eggs all the time, I find them fatty. Protein substitutes like Cornaturn and Quorn are expensive. Legumes may be a viable option. Had a delicious dhal dish today.

 

I have an appointment with a thyroid specialist on November 7th. They want to do an ultrasound scan to determine the exact size, shape, and position of the thyroid. Both to absolutely rule out a tumor, and as a control for later developments, in case enlargement or nodules were to occur.

 

I've joined a Yahoo!Groups Thyroid mailing list. So far, they haven't been very helpful. I asked a question about hyperglycemia and Hashimoto's, and one person responded:

 

That sounds an awful lot like hypoglycemia to me. Think she was confused. No one else responded. I also asked a question about soy products, and asked for a source for the claim that soy products were bad for Hashimoto's, but only got this response:

 

 

Well, that could be anything. The girl, Amber, could have an allergy. This is by no means proof that the soy products exacerbated her Hashimoto's, or interfered with the absorption of her medication. And no reference to any published studies or authoritative sources.

 

 

Interactions of soy products and thyroid medication:

 

http://www.soymilkquick.com/thyroiddisease.asp

 

Excerpts: Many foods contain goitrogens, compounds that interfere with thyroid function (and in extreme cases can cause an enlarged thyroid, called a goiter). Along with soyfoods, millet, cruciferous vegetables and other foods contain goitrogens. Generally, these foods cause problems only in areas where iodine intake is low since this mineral is important for thyroid function. The effects of iodine deficiency can be made worse if the diet is high in goitrogens.

 

Maybe you have an existing medical condition and you're concerned about your soy consumption. Or perhaps, you've heard rumours about the effects of soy on your thyroid. Well, from the detailed research we've tracked down, you don't have to worry about eating whole soyfoods each day -- although some on medication for their thyroid have been recommended to avoid the soy at the same time as taking their medication.

 

Soy and some other dietary supplements can interfere with the absorption and action of thyroid medications. However, they do not damage the thyroid in and of itself. (Yes, I realize that site is published by the soy industry. That doesn't necessarily mean that what they say isn't true.)

 

Other sites say that soy does damage the thyroid. Soy contains isoflavones, which are chemically similar to hormones and can worsen an existing thyroid problem. See for example here:

 

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm

Shortly before Easter, I went to the doctor for something minor; I don't even remember what, probably a cold or something. As it had been a long time since my last blood sugar test and I had a history of gestational diabetes, the doctor suggested checking my long-term blood glucose (HbA1c). The results showed 5.9 mM (106 mg/dl), which is on the high end of normal (up to 6.0 is considered normal). At the same time, the doctor suggested that as I am getting close to 40, I come in for a full check-up. In the meantime, I should try to cut out sweets in order to bring my blood glucose levels down, but that there was no need for immediate treatment or followups.

 

(Four months later...)

 

I returned for the full check-up and a round of fasting blood tests. This time, the HbA1c was 6.4, clearly abnormal. I was shocked! I had cut out every conceivable sweet, read labels to avoid hidden sugars, continued my exercise routine and maintained my weight. Clearly, there was something wrong. I should return in two weeks for the results of the rest of the tests. I asked at this point to be referred to a nutritionist, but the doctor said that wasn't necessary. I argued that obviously, I had been doing something wrong with the diet, but she wanted to await the results of the rest of the tests. Unhappy, but unable to insist, I left and re-thought my menu.

 

I have to say that during those months, I was compensating the sugars with starchy foods. I didn't monitor my total carbohydrate intake. I ate as much bread, pasta, muesli, and potatoes as I felt like. I snacked on foods such as potato chips, crackers, and dry fruits. Now, I did this on purpose, figuring that a normal (i.e. non-diabetic) person would be able to eat normal amounts of these foods and not show abnormally elevated blood glucose levels. I am 166 cm (65 inches) and at that point was around 58 kilos (127 pounds). So I was by no means overweight, and was certainly not overeating. The results of the blood test showed, to me, that I was unable to handle an unregulated carbohydrate intake, and that was really a blow to me. I was much too young to be developing Type 2 diabetes! I asked for a prescription for blood glucose test strips for my home blood glucose monitor (which I still had from my pregnancy, 7 years earlier). The doctor did not want to give one to me, saying that it wasn't necessary and would only make me nervous. I was beginning not to like this doctor! This time, I insisted, and she grudgingly wrote out the prescription.

 

So I went back home and dug out my information on the Diabetic Exchange Diet, put new batteries into my blood glucose monitor, and started counting carbs. I calculated that I should use a 2000-calorie-a-day diet, which sounded really high to me, but it's based on 16 calories per pound of body weight, which is what insulin-dependent diabetics are recommended to eat. I found the following 1900-calorie-a-day diet: