Naps, Vitamins and Supplements, Oh My!

Honestly, this post could have a million different titles. Here are a few other options:

"Why my purse sounds like a medicine cabinet" 

"Why my friends come to me for health advice"

"Why I'm called the Nap Queen"

As my best friend pointed out, this entire post could easily be the story of my life. I've been trying out supplements for what seems like forever to try and find the exact right mix to bring me back to feeling like me again. Balance isn't only an essential part of who I am as a Libra, (yes, I love reading about my sign) but I physically need it as a human being. (We all do, but I like to think that I especially do.)  My body goes out of whack on the regular and I often need to track it and pay close attention to why it feels off to figure out how to feel like myself again. It's a whole process, ordeal, but it's my life and so it goes.

Getting in tune with your body isn't easy. This blog post is definitely not a solution or an "I finally figured it out" lesson to share with my blog readers. I'm still a work-in-progress. My original method for dealing with this was begging my endocrinologist for more blood tests, but they didn't give me enough information. Plus, usually by the time I got the appointment, I was feeling somewhat better and my levels showed zero difference. (Still wondering if there are/were other tests they could try.)

One of my most chronic thyroid related ailments: fatigue and the need to sleep. I've always been a good sleeper. I've slept through hurricanes, movies, cross country drives, flights, a concert, (a particularly expensive nap!) you name it. There's a different type of sleep that Hashimotos' fighters deal with though, and there is an unquenchable need for it. It's frustrating, frightening and feels like it's all you can do. Sometimes you need to give into it and not feel guilty about it. Sometimes it's more about sleeping when your body craves it and pushing to make time for it. Obviously you can't nap all the time and shouldn't nap at work. (Unless you somehow have a job that allows napping! If that's true, drop me a comment, because I'm super curious about what that would be!) But if you think you need more sleep than you are getting each night, you should make the time for it. Grab a cozy blanket (like my awesome mermaid one!) and give your body what it needs!

Besides the obvious and necessary need to sleep a bit more frequently from time to time, I've found quite a few supplements that help me to feel more like me when my levels are out of whack or my stomach is staging a revolt against my body.

Here's my daily list of medicines:

Prescribed:
Synthroid
Rifaxin (for two weeks) Prescribed to get rid of my SIBO, which is now gone. Hopefully.
Hyoscayamine

Doctor Recommended:
IB Guard/Peppermint Oil Pills

Additional:
Probiotics
Vitamin D, B, C, Multi
Papaya enzyme

Hyoscayamine

My gastro prescribed this one to me for my (soon to be formerly, thank God) extreme stomach distention. It's an under the tongue dissolvable medicine to help relieve bloating. It was a game changer for me in between taking the peppermint pills. It works and it's amazing when I'm bloated to the point of painful distention. I tend to take it in between the peppermint pills. It definitely works and I'm thankful for this suggestion. Go to the gastro, people! He/She can change your perspective about what you think will be a part of your daily life!

Probiotics

 I started taking these every day, a few times a day, once every two days, once a week, I've lost count of how many different ways I've taken probiotics. Hopefully a future post will contain more substantive proof about whether or not these pills improve my day to day life. The only thing I can say is that when I have a meal that I know could potentially mess with my sensitive stomach, I take a probiotic to make sure it will go through my system. The ones that seemed better than others were these two brands. I'm also open to trying more, so let me know if you've tried one that you love!

Papaya Enzyme

My husband, Mr. Iron Stomach, is the one who got me into papaya pills. He took them in college when he didn't trust the hospital-esque college cafeteria food. These ended up saving me when I became dependent on Tums. My mom had a kidney stone in the past which she attributed to the calcium buildup from her popping Tums like candy. I do not know if this theory is medically sound, but it definitely scared me away from taking Tums on the reg. Papaya pills taste great and soothe my stomach before it's angry at me. I always bring these to restaurants and my friends often ask me for them after eating some questionable menu choices.

IB Guard/Peppermint Pills

My gastro recommended IB Guard for my IBS and man, does it work. It definitely helps to settle my stomach, but it's pricey. I picked up these Vitamin World Peppermint Oil Pills out of curiosity to check to see if they would have the same effect. After using these for a little longer, I believe they do work. I just need to pop two, instead of one IBGuard and success! All I can promise is that I can't leave the house without having some form of peppermint ready in my bag to settle my stomach after pretty much any meal. This includes peppermint candies, but the peppermint pills are definitely a healthier option. Along with Hyoscayamine and the papaya pills, these are also always in my bag 24.7, just in case.

Vitamin C, D, B and Multi

I notice that when I get hit with a particularly bad lethargic spell, taking Vitamin B will help bring back my energy levels the next day. (It's not Super Mario getting a bouncing star energy boost, but it's still something.)

Gummy bear loving Husband and I often pick up the chewable version of Vitamin C and Multivitamins, which helps to switch up how many pills I have to pop each day. (Also, I take all of my vitamins at night since I take my Synthroid alone in the morning to ensure it works!)

I have to take Vitamin D pills because I'm deficient, (aren't we all?!) but I often forget. I try to take them at night with the other vitamins, or with Vitamin B when I'm exhausted.

I constantly preach about taking vitamins to my friends, and taking these on a more consistent basis is one of my own personal goals for this (school) year. Stay tuned!

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That's my (current) list, folks. I'm sure there will be a part two to this post one day when I inevitably switch things up and have new recommendations, but these have been my rock solid choices for a quite a while now.

If I missed something life-saving/changing, definitely let me know! I'd love to try something new that can heal/save my poor, poor stomach, or my tired, tired, half a thyroid functioning body. (I'm okay, you guys, I promise!)

Talk soon!

-KB