My New Lifestyle

I’ve been processing this post for a couple days and I’m still not sure what to say with what’s been going on. This is good but also a lot to process for me. I’m a processor so it’s okay. :)

So in the past couple months I’ve been having my hormones tested to see where I’m at. I’ve known that I’ve been “off” and so took the steps to have it checked out. I have to say that everyone should have all their levels checked no matter who you are, especially if you are 35+ years old. I’ve been overdue for that and I’m glad I’ve done it. 

 

A friend suggested that I go to  Crossroads Healing Arts. I really didn’t want to see anyone who was going to give me any kind of medical prescription. I’m not one to go in that direction. I’ve seen too many people get even more messed up from all the side effects and it’s just not worth it to me. I would much rather go the natural way and not deal with other issues that can be added on by medication that should be “fixing” the problem. I’ve been very pleased with the people at Crossroads Healing Arts.

I wanted to know how I was doing in the thyroid area since there is a history of hypothyroidism in my family. I am pleased to say that the test results weren’t bad. It was just slightly off and all I need to do is take some iodine supplements for a few months and then see where I’m at. Nothing major.

My progesterone and estrogen looked pretty good too.

Then, I had my adrenal glands tested … The results for this test were not so good. After doing a lot of research online about the adrenal glands, these results did not surprise me at all. I’ve had too many of the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue that I couldn’t deny it. Seeing the test results only confirmed so much of what I'd read and felt.

Here are my results …

You can find information on Adrenal Fatigue here. 

So where do I go from here? I am taking adrenal supplements and DHEA tablets. Along with this I am changing my diet. In researching this, I learned that a gluten free diet is essential in the healing process of the adrenal glands. I will also need to cut out foods high in potassium. This means that I will no longer be using bananas in my green smoothies. I'll have to find another "filler" for my smoothies. Am I excited about this? A part of me is because I know it's a step in the right direction of healing my body but I'm not excited about the restrictions .. but it's okay.

As for my regular exercise plan, I'm not sure what the right thing is to do. As some of you know, I like to workout on a regular basis and usually it's an intense workout. I don't like long workouts so a short intense one works well for me. Even as I've been working out like this for years, I haven't seen the results that I'd like to. Seeing my test results explains so much in that area. I still have more research to do in this area so more on this topic in another post. I am open to input in this area!!

So, why are my adrenal test results looking this way? I believe the reason is stress, stress and more stress in my life, specifically over that past 8 years. Where is the stress coming from?

• July 11, 2004 ... my family was in a car accident that resulted in the death of my husband John right beside me. The scene of the accident was horrific to say the least! My kids no longer have a daddy on this earth. John Michael, my athletic, baseball All-Star son now has a Spinal Cord Injury at T12. He will not walk again and will need to learn how to live with paralysis. I, his mom, need to learn how to parent him and help him live with this. I also need to learn how to parent and help Ben and Bekah live and accept their big brother as a para.
• July-midSeptember 2004 ... I am living with my parents during the week and in Indy on weekends while my broken physical body heals (lots of broken bones) and John Michael is at Riley and at Methodist for rehab. I can't drive myself anywhere because of broken feet so I'm dependent on family and friends to help me care for myself and my kids. I can't allow myself to grieve much because my physical body can't handle it. Crazy as it sounds, it's true. It was physically extremely painful to cry so I didn't let myself cry much during the first 8 weeks.... way to painful!
• September 2004 ... John Michael comes home from rehab and we move back home to our house. This was oh so scary! We were forced to move into an entirely new life on our own. My niece lived with us to help out in many ways. I had to focus on financial issues, which was quite overwhelming at times.
• Fall 2004 ... I started dating Clint. I bought property to build a wheelchair accessible home for the kids and I and started building a few months later.
• May 2005 ... I got married to Clint and became a stepmom. As much as I love Clint and being married to him, I have to be honest in saying that being in a stepfamily has been extremely stressful!! Those of you who know what it's like to be in a stepfamily have some idea of what it's like and the challenges of it all. Through all this my kids and I were still grieving deeply the loss of John, my husband and their daddy; the loss of the use of Michael's legs; and life as it used to be. At times the tears didn't seem to want to stop.
• Spring of 2007 ... Clint resigned from Director of IT at Memorial Hospital and took a position as Associate Pastor at The Vineyard Church. This was not an easy transition for us! Financially it was a major adjustment for us. Going from a very comfortable income to a fraction of that income was huge. Worth it? Yes. Easy? No.
• Sept 2007-Oct 2008 ... My father in law and mother in law died unexpectedly and expectedly. These were huge losses for us!
• May 2005- 2012 ... The challenges of being in a stepfamily has taken so much emotional, physical, mental and spiritual energy. Even our kids will tell you that it hasn't been easy for this family to stay together and pull through many tough situations. It's been years of diligence, perseverance, commitment and building emotional and spiritual strength that has made us stronger as individuals and as a family. 

This is only a glimpse of what the past 8 years has been like for me as a wife and mom. In the midst of it all I somehow needed to care for myself and find time for friendships and family.

I remember times through the past few years saying to Clint, "I don't know who I am anymore... I'm not who I used to be." It's 12:30/lunchtime and I'm sooo tired. I just want to sleep. That is not who I used to be. I have never been one to take naps during the day and every day I feel like I need one, at weird times. Emotionally, I'm not able to handle stress very well, not who I used to be. Mentally, at times I feel like I'm losing my mind. I can't remember names that I should remember. My thinking is very foggy ... things that I should know, I don't anymore. I have a hard time retaining information or focusing on a conversation or someone speaking/teaching in a group setting. (Last year, I felt that I was to start writing my story to be published but I haven't been able to focus enough to even move onto the second chapter. My mind would go blank and I simply could not focus on what needed to be written. Needless to say, the book hasn't come very far.) Mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually I'm not who I want to be or who my family needs me to be.

So ... with all this said, I am needing to make some changes in my lifestyle. I am embarking on a new journey... 

Here's to healing and wholeness ...