How I Almost Lost My Thyroid and My Home. A Wake Up Call
The past year has held some real struggles in it that I haven't written much about yet.
I've shared with you all about our son's eczema and food allergies, and his autism (Asperger's), and our struggles with candida.
We've made it through those, thankfully, but more was to come.
More than I could have imagined.
I'll go into more details in the near future, hopefully, but for now, I'll share a little bit about what happened and some of what is on my heart about health.
My Thyroid Scare
One year ago, I had symptoms of iodine deficiency and ended up seeing a local herbalist who gave me tinctures to remedy the situation.
About 3 weeks later I had a very frightening moment.
I was picking blueberries and touched my thyroid by accident and felt lumps. And it was sore.
I was seized by fear about what was happening to my body -- after doing so much to heal my gut and adrenal fatigue. Why this?!!?
The trip to the doctor's office was NOT reassuring. My doctor looked alarmed and sent me for an ultrasound and blood work twice.
The result? The nodules eventually resolved, but they wouldn't treat me and sent me with my scary labs to an endocrinologist.
My numbers looked like Graves' Disease they said and I knew what that meant - possible zapping of my thyroid. Not pretty.
Like I said, I will tell you more later, but this all put me on a path that I never thought I would be on.
One of learning about thyroid, autoimmune disease, metabolism, hypothyroid, Hashimoto's, Graves' Disease, hormones, and more.
I still have my thyroid, but I feel like I've been through boot camp for autoimmune and gut healing.
How Mold Almost Took Our Home - and My Wake Up Call
Remember Andrea Fabry's post on black mold in her home?
Well, wouldn't you know it - just 3 days after her post was published, I found mold in our basement.
And so began one of the most frightening summers of my life.
I'll be writing a series with many more details about this later, but here is the gist.
I was down in our basement office that day and thought I smelled something "musty". I'm like a mold detective - if there's mold somewhere, I can smell it.
I'm that sensitive.
Anyhow, we'd had a little bit of water on the carpet in that room so my husband pulled the carpet out and ditched it - just to make sure we had no ongoing health effects from it.
But on this day I saw some suspicious brown spots near the wall where the carpet had been removed.
I was convinced it was mold.
Over the next few days and weeks my reaction to the mold increased. I had sneezing and an itchy nose, puffy eyes and eventually a sore throat that finally got so bad it felt like I had needles pricking the lining of my throat.
Eventually it all ended in our having to evacuate our home due to the severity of my reaction.
We were out of our home for 3 1/2 weeks while we got things cleaned up and made sure it was safe to move back in.
The whole story is very complex, but suffice it to say there wasn't much mold. Some, but not tons.
My reaction, however, was horrible. At one point I had a HUGE hive under my left eye and ended up covered with hives even after evacuating.
What I've Learned - and My Wake Up Call
I can't begin to tell you all here everything that I have learned from thyroid to autoimmune diseases, to gut healing, to mold removal, mold testing, and waterproofing. We are still in the midst of all of it but I am feeling so much better. So much!
On the one hand, I am incredibly frustrated at all that I had to deal with, but on the other hand, I am thankful.
Thankful for the experience that can now be used as a way to alert others to the problems that surround thyroid health, and mold issues. And more so, of the importance of living a toxin-free, healthy from the inside out life.
I have to admit, I was extremely frustrated to see how fragile I still am / was despite all of the changes I have made to my diet (going sugar-free and gluten-free), and I am realizing that there is more that I need to do to work on my immune system - and some of it I have already begun (I'll write about it soon).
But moreso I am realizing 3 things:
1. I have a WHOLE lot more to learn
and
2. I could have been a lot worse off if I hadn't done what I had done already.
3. I have a renewed passion to share the whole food / healthy living / non-toxic message with more people.
Do you see it too?
Autoimmune Diseases, Allergies, Autism, Cancer -- they are all on the rise.
My allergist's office is packed every week and everywhere I turn someone is getting diagnosed with celiac disease, another autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's, or cancer. It's simply frightening.
I'm not saying we should run around with our head in our hands, but let's do something about this.
Let's arm ourselves with the information we need to be healthy, to raise healthier families, and let's do what we can to make our world less toxic.
It may just be our little corner of the world, but if every household makes a change, we can make a huge difference.
What Can We Do?
1. Reduce Toxins (see this publication for some ways that toxins affect your thyroid and here are some easy ways to reduce toxins from your life, and here are some ways to help your body handle the toxins.
2. Eat Healthier
3. Get in Shape (I personally use T Tapp for my exercise routine)
4. Arm Ourselves with Natural Remedies like essential oils, this ear infection remedy, and this wart remedy.
What step is next for YOU in your healthy living journey?
So many sad stories on this thread of comments! I started becoming chemically sensitive within the past six months and just ordered a mold test kit you linked to. Praying for answers! Not that I want to move, I LOVE our new house, but I think it might be making me sick as I feel better when I'm outside of it. =(
THANK YOU for fighting for us!
Hi there. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. Mold is a huge problem. Trying to find more answers here too b/c you can't escape it completely no matter where you go. I hope you can get out if you need to.
Hi! I'm new to your blog and wondered if you might have any suggestions for me. In 2010 I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer, 9 months after giving birth to my one and only child. I had my thyroid and several lymph nodes removed. I had a radioiodine treatment the following February of 200 millicuries. In 2016 the cancer came back in my lymph nodes, they were removed. I still have thyroglobulin in my blood and they don't know why, it's only made by thyroid cells. I am tired, overweight, and scared it will come back. I don't know what to eat and what NOT to eat. ANy suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank You!
Hello Michele,
Welcome!
I can't medically advise but this article seems to say that a recurrence of thyroglobulin in the blood after a thyroidectomy means that the cancer has returned, but I don't know what that means. I would recommend seeing a good functional doctor. https://www.thyroid.org/patient-thyroid-information/ct-for-patients/vol-6-issue-8/vol-6-issue-8-p-8-9/
There are a lot of things you can do to optimize your health but again that's outside of the scope of what I can do on this blog. I just said a prayer for you. I have a healthy living community on Facebook now--https://www.facebook.com/groups/171490083677560/ We would love to have you :).
I have mold really bad in my house that has been here for about two years my husband does not want to take care of it and i know it is not good for my health it is really sad that my husband cares more about spend money on dumb stuff and does not care about fix the mold cause he really thinks it is ok ..Really wish he would just wake up and fix all the mold in the house .Cause my health is getting bad
So sorry!! Have him read this post. It's a big deal: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/black-mold-symptoms-mold-exposure-symptoms/ Praying for you right now.
Something that will help you greatly in the meantime is a high power HEPA filter. Something you can take with you into each room, but especially keep it by where you sleep. Maybe your husband will compromise and do this until he can remediate.
The only thing is that it would almost for sure need to be disposed of after use, correct--due to contamination. Thanks.
Not at all. You buy a cleanable one and clean it outside preferably with a HEPA vac and gloves. You want to get a decent one that moves a good amount of air. They can be bought around $150.
Isn't there more than one filter in there that the air would pass through? This happened to us when we had mold in our home and we had to toss the filter b/c it cost less to just buy a new one. At least that's how I remember it and I have talked w/ other experts who said the same thing.
Reading your story makes me all the more convinced that my house is making me sick. I married and moved into my current home 3 years ago. I was already gluten sensitive, so I was no stranger to bouts of illness, but as long as I was careful, I lived an active, productive life. Moving to Florida changed all that. Within a month of moving into my husbands 1930's home, I was confined to the bed most of the time, more sick than I'd ever been before. Initially, we assumed that somehow, some way, I was being "glutened", and stepped up the precautionary measures. I only grew sicker. By my 3rd month here, I was extremely ill, unable to function most of the time. We went to see a holistic practitioner, who told us that all of my "systems" were very stressed.......my immune system was kaput, as was my thyroid and adrenals. I also had candida. I took about 90 pills a day for the next 6 months trying to rebuild my immune system and regain my health. Went on an NDT for my thyroid. I was later diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, multiple food allergies, so on and so on. Fast forward 3 years.......just learned today that, despite being on thyroid medication for the last 2 1/2 years and levels being "normal", I now have a mass on either side of my thyroid, in addition to the one found and biopsied two years ago, which is on the posterior side of my thyroid. Dr says that even if the nuclear scan and biopsies show the masses to be benign, she still recommends removal, but I truly believe being out of this house will give me my health back. I believe these "growths" will go away if my immune system can just get a break! I'm so glad you were able to make these discoveries and you're on the road to recovery!
You are so blessed that your husband got onboard and took the mold issue seriously. Unfortunately, this was my husbands grandmothers home, and he's lived here so many years, it's hard for him to leave, or even acknowledge that the home he loves is killing me. Meantime, we all continue to get sicker.
The information you've provided here on your blog confirms what I've believed all along...........it's the mold!!
Thank you!
Ugh. I am so sorry for all you are going through!
So you don't think there is any way to get out? My friend has a link to get good mold tests that aren't a fortune. She makes nothing from the sale - it's just educational. https://www.momsaware.org/online-store/513-ermi-mold-test.html
She has a few posts on my site as well. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/black-mold-symptoms-mold-exposure-symptoms/
Thank you.........No, so far every argument I've presented has been shot down. He just doesn't take it seriously. Doesn't think mold is responsible for his, my or my sons illnesses........Husband has had severe headaches and sinus issues, as well as fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and now joint pain and swelling for YEARS. He blames it on his work schedule and work environment. Son has headaches, can't think or concentrate, low energy, dizziness, loss of appetite, and seizures.......he started losing weight when we got here 3 years ago, lost his energy along with all the weight, and started having seizures last year. He's been under the care of a cardiologist and neurologist but the only diagnosis we've received so far is neurocardiogenic syncope. No one has suggested testing him for mold toxicity. My husband went with me to yesterday's appointment and heard all that my Dr had to say. I am praying that, and reading him the information I found here, will convince him that it IS the house making us all so sick. This is no way to live!
Thanks so much for the links! I'm going to check them out now!
Oh I am so so sorry. Yes, mold can be really dangerous even without symptoms. $150 is nothing much to pay to find out the truth. I hope it helps you get on the road towards wellness. I have so many friends who have been affected by mold. It's very serious. Please do keep me in the loop if you can.
Yes, $150 is a very small price, considering what we have to lose if we do nothing.
Hubby has promised to do some "investigating" today. That's kinda scary! Especially after reading your friends story. Making things worse by stirring it up would not be a good thing!
They sure went through their own personal hell. It had to be so hard leaving everything behind, but thank God, they're on their way to recovering!
And oh my, her son had seizures too. 🙁 I hate mold!!
Yes, I would recommend the test and not the "investigating".
Did he read their story?
Thankfully, he's been sidetracked from his "investigating!" He's working on another project with his brother! 😉
He didn't read it, but I told him about it. His main focus was the money it took to do all that they did, and that they must have been financially able to walk away from everything. WE are not. Ugh!! Frustrating that the money aspect was what impacted him the most.
Hi Shelly. My understanding is that they lost everything. I remember on the radio network where Andrea's husband works (she does too, occasionally) that they had people sending them donations and gift cards to help out. I know how stressful this is. Your health is more important than the money. Keep remembering that. I am praying for you right now.
Sometimes the money doesn't turn out to be a horrible problem.
Yes, I am a firm believer in that God can and will make a way. If He did it for Andrea and her family, He will do it for us. I know that, even before I knew there was an issue, He already had it all worked out. The scripture says that "All things work together for good to them that love Him and are the called according to His purpose." That's us. 🙂
I didn't find my way here by accident, I was God-led, so I know He has His hand on my family!
Thanks so much for your prayers!
Yes, I hear you. It's so hard. When we had water come in our basement at our new (to us) house, I was petrified about what it might mean for us. All I can do is trust God now. And work on my health.
I am so glad you found me. I am praying. Please do stay in touch!!
I surely will!
God bless you, Adrienne. Praying for you and your family as well, that He will safeguard your health and protect your home.
Thank you so much!!!!
Hello again, Adrienne!
Just wanted to come back and post an update! So thankful to announce that I am cancer FREE and the scan revealed a mostly healthy thyroid!!! Had to be a God thing!!! ???
Thank you for your prayers!!
So wonderful, Shelly! I am so glad to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! I hope that all of the other things are going better as well.
Okay, I bought the bundle from you. I was supposed to get a free bundle for doing the #newnormal challenge, but never heard anything, and I didn't want to lose out! And I couldn't think of any other blogger I wanted to buy the bundle from, so I bought from you. Besides, you give such good, clear info, that I want to continue to support your site as much as I can. Maybe someday I can do more.
No way! You are so kind! Do you need me to look into getting your free bundle for you? They have a customer service email. You've really blessed me :)!
Hi Adrienne,
Thanks for writing about all the challenges to modern health, that many of us are now or will probably soon be experiencing. I'd like to recommend a book that I've found helpful, from the person who I am currently a client of in dealing with my personal journey, Dr. Ana Manayan of Immune Matrix. She goes into great detail in the book about how so many of these seemingly low-level conditions that are out there can affect our overall health, especially in regards to chronic fatigue and autoimmune issues, and what can be done about them. And how they are all interrelated, so a person needs to take a wider holistic approach to things to deal with everything that is going on. I think you and many of your readers would be interested in the read, at least. The book is called "Escaping Your Low Energy Trap", and is available on Amazon, in both Kindle and hard copy formats.
Best wishes for your ongoing journey, both you and your family, and thank you for putting the website out there. I much appreciate having the info, especially about the worthy companies out there selling excellent products, such as Just Almonds and Tropical Traditions (which I recommend to all my friends). So, thanks again.
Regards,
Mike
Thank you so much - checking it out now.
Hi Adrienne, I am wondering if you ever read Breaking The Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall? It tells about intestinal health through diet and also the connection to autism. The book is about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and how it helps people with IBS, Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Cystic Fibrosis and Autism. I'm sure you have researched well, but this book has helped me so very much and I just wanted to pass this along (in case you haven't heard of it). It is really worth checking out. I really enjoy your blog.
Thanks.
Laura Tompkins
(Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore)
HI there. I have read that. Thank you so much for thinking about me and I haven't looked at it in awhile but I suspect I am just about following this to a T as I am off grains and other things. I am getting to the bottom of things and have more to share - thanks again!!!
Hi-- so sorry to hear about your ordeal with your thyroid--no doubt all the challenges are related. A mystery to be unraveled! The past few weeks, I have been able to participate with Dr. Rita Loscalzo, who is among the wisest people I know when it comes to understanding the thyroid. In fact, just in time for you, my dear, is the Hashimotos Institute that's coming up all of next week, with the world's leading experts sharing their expertise. You HAVE to be part of it! One of my favorite teachers, Andrea Nakayama, is one of the experts, and I am looking forward to hearing from her again! Please check out the Hashi Institute!
Thanks, Karen. I appreciate your kinds thoughts and recommendation. I did need to remove your link to the summit as I am promoting it as well. I am very much looking forward to it. See you there! 🙂
Hello--I'm usually a bit shy with commenting, but after reading your post I felt I had to share. First, I'm sorry to hear about how you are feeling. I can certainly relate to some degree. Timing is interesting with this because I actually just went through very similar scenario however, one day my body shut down and I ended up in the hospital for several days with hyperthyroid. This came on suddenly too. One month prior, my blood test results (especially thyroid) were perfectly balanced.
- After a round-about of traditional Drs, Chinese Drs and wellness Drs. I was completed confused. Blood results were off the chart high with all the Drs amazed I was still able function somewhat with some normalcy.
Drs wanted to remove the thyroid and prepping me for this procedure which I really didn't want. The gland itself was actually okay, but the antibodies were attacking it astonishingly high levels.
I was placed on a hyperthyroid Rx from the traditional Dr. and a wellness MD which I took and it helped.
- I serendipitously met a wellness Dr that specialized in thyroid at a party. So, I gave him a try since his approach was different. Here is what happened:
1. The thryoid was under duress due to a bacterial kidney infection (I was told most commonly due to meat consumption--which I eat very little of by the way) thus also placing the liver under duress and the body out of balance especially the thyroid. These imbalances do show in the bloodwork but the traditional Drs did not correlate the connection.
2. Remove toothpaste containing soda bicarbonate from the routine. It neutralizes the mouth acids that prevent good absorption (note: this is my limited understanding). Trader Joe's has a Fennel toothpaste that is good.
3. Apple cider vinegar in the water or taken in a small capful to help the ph of the body each day.
4. Various good quality vitamins and minerals.
- After 2 weeks of doing just this small routine, energy was gaining strength and my bloodwork results improved dramatically. I'm actually off the thyroid Rx (to the Drs surprise by the way) and talk of thyroid removal has not been brought up again. Note: I've had thyroid issues on and off for years--but the gland itself was good.
Check to see if you have any liver spots too. I do and these spots are beginning to fade now too.
- Stress reduction also has a lot to do with healing the body as well as getting good sleep.
Everyone's situation is different of course due to their physiology and lifestyle but perhaps some of this can offer some additional help. Good luck to you and I certainly hope you feel better very soon!
Sending you all the very best.
Thanks for commenting. Sorry for the delay - I'm playing catchup here.
1. I am very intrigued about the infection but not surprised. Any stressor can hurt the thyroid and adrenals.
2. I am puzzled about this b/c so many dentists say that baking soda is good to use to prevent cavities. Very odd....
3. I think that ACV is good for so many things - I was using it and should go back - thanks for the inspiration!
4. I am taking good supplements.
I am actually doing quite well now but have more work to do. I will share the whole story soon. I do have a stressful week coming up but hoping it will be positive. I do not know about liver spots but I am doing some good liver support so I hope not.
blessings!!
Thank you so much and hope to see you around again soon.
I am very interested in your Healthy Living Bundle. I have dial-up internet, and cannot download large files. Could you tell me the size (meaning MBs) of the files? If they are too large for me to download, is there a hard copy version available? I realize the cost would be greater, and would be happy to pay it. Thank you.
I will find out for you. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Hi Mary Beth. Here is the response from customer service. Please let me know if I can help in any other way - thanks!
I just found out there might be one more option so please let me know if that doesn't work for you. 🙂
I must say that I know very little about the effects of mold and even less about thyroid health. Having said that, somewhere down deep I can't help but feel that the mold & thyroid problems are somehow connected. Especially, since your reaction to the mold was so intense. Each of our bodies react differently to different things. I just hope that your getting rid of the mold also means no more thyroid trouble. I know the time frame doesn't line up great, but maybe your thyroid knew there was mold before you did.
I think there are some related issues. I will be writing about them as I can. Thanks so much - I look forward to sharing more.
This is one more step we can take. We can become advocates and activists, speaking out against those things that poison us, send petitions to our representatives to help effect change. I have been an activist/advocate now for 6 years; I have seen a huge number of key issues go positive/pass simply through the press of a button to send a petition in favor (these are all petitions designed with We the People in mind, not the multinational corporation). Share news on social media, and alert others to any and all things detrimental to human health. When we spread the truth, others hear and learn and wake up to what's going on. But if people don't know, they can't change and grow. Thank you for your blogs. You are informing and empowering people with knowledge.
You are so right. Thank you for your encouragement!