No More Veganism

This has been a very eventful week regarding my health.

HYPOTHYROIDISM
The tempest began with a visit to my favorite endocrinologist who told me my thyroid has more or less failed and therefore prescribed a daily dose of thyroid hormone to take orally every morning. We guessed on the dosage, she said she could start me super low (.25) but was pretty sure I'd eventually need more (.5 or .75). I told her she might as well give me the bigger dose already (bigger relatively, some people take up to 3mg I think) and so I've started on .5mg of Levothyroxine every morning. As she suspected taking this pill had pretty visible affects in my energy and mood. I found myself able to survive a whole day of rehearsals and shows without the usual moodiness, at least for the first day or two. By the third day, however, I found myself feeling a bit dodgy again. I'd find myself getting lightheaded whenever I stood up too fast, my muscles felt achy just from climbing stairs, I felt weak and then late at night I started feeling very nauseous, which is a sign of...

ADDISON'S DISEASE
My endocrinologist warned me that taking the thyroid pill, though necessary, may speed up the progression of the Addison's disease which has been present in each of the blood tests I've done over the last several months. Up until now, however, my adrenal function has remained fairly normal considering the insane amount of antibodies present in my blood. But inexplicable nausea (especially considering my blood sugar was fine) was a big red flag for me. She said if I experienced any such symptoms to immediately take an oral hydrocortisone pill. I did, and almost immediately my nausea went away and my energy returned in force (along with an abundantly good mood I left somewhere in last September).

 (did you know that when you have both Hashimoto Thyroiditis and Addison's disease it's called Schmidt syndrome?)

What does this have to do with veganism???

Well, to quote wikipedia:

"To form cortisol, the adrenal gland requires cholesterol."  

Cholesterol comes from animal products. My adrenal gland isn't dead, it's just not working very well, and I'm not helping it by starving it to death.

"You need to start eating meat again."
"Okay."

So my 40 or so days of veganism has come to an end. I've had fish thrice, yogurt twice, and a half a chicken since the appointment (the chicken made me a bit ill). I won't forget what I learned though... although I may save it for another post.

The past few days:

April 10, 2012 - First day of Thyroid pills
9:30 -> 142 Way to f***ing high! Took 2P and 2N w/cereal 140c, chips 10c, banana 27c. Took thyroid pill at 1:00. At 3:00 had Larabar 26c.
4:34 -> 108 Had apple then went on 2 mile run (knee hurt) then took 4P w/ CHIPOTLE burrito bowl 110c.
6:54 -> 112 This is good! It means the Prandin is still doing something despite my C-Peptite being at an all time low of .48 during my most recent blood test. At 8:30 had grapefruit 25c and peanuts 5c.
10:55 -> 66 Took 1P and 2N w/greens 18c, squash 30c, salad 30c, yams 90c and Juice 24c.
3:42 -> 186 Poor planning of my meal, I drank the juice because I felt low because the yams hadn't finished cooking yet. Took 5L.

April 11, 2012
11:06 -> 100 Better. Took 2P and 1N w/cereal 140c, pb toast 19c.
4:52 -> 63 Took 4P w/ Black Eyed Peas and kale 180c, then apple 18c, kiwi 10c, pumpkin seeds and peanuts 8c. At 9:30 had apple 18c.
12:25 -> 63 Took 3N w/salad 30c, squash 40c, yams 60c, carrots 30c, potato 40c and just about exploded from a stupid amount of starchy foods.
4:00 -> 140 Took 5L.

April 12, 2012 - First day of Hydrocortizone
10:37 -> 95 Took 2P and 1N w/cereal 140c, apple 18c. At 2:30 had Larabar 331c and grapefruit 24c.
5:17 -> 70 Took 3P w/brussels sprouts 18c, rice 40c, fish, apple 18c, peanuts and pumpkin seeds 10c, apple 18c and kiwi 20c.
12:15 -> 89 Feel weak and nauseous, took a hydrocortizone and 2N w/dumplings 100c, b sprouts 25c and salad 20c.
5:45 -> 102 (don't judge me) Took 5L w/carrot 8c.

April 13, 2012
12:35 -> 98 Good, consistent. One more # like this and I'll go up to 6L at night. Took 2P w/cereal 130c, then apple 18c then kiwi 10c.
4:55 -> 72 Took 1P w/PUR-BIRD 1/2 chicken 5c and roasted cauliflower 15c, pb and banana 58c and two homemade gluten free bacon bourbon chocolate chip cookies 37c.
12:25 -> 89 Took 1P and 1N w/ indian veg 20c, quinoa 60c and kale 6c.
2:25 -> 114 Pretty dang good, had a carrot 8c and took 5L.

Day 115

Blood Work: Part 4

I got my blood results today. This is the fourth time I've had blood work done. The first time was with my initial visit to the doctor. The second time only a few weeks later. The third was six weeks after that, and the fourth (most recent) was last week, three months from my initial diagnosis. There's no point in building suspense, I have to take the numbers and the results as a quarterly check in, to see how I'm doing. As always seems to be the case there was some good news and some bad news. The good news was good, the bad news... well, you'll see. (I'm recording these from memory, when I get a copy of the blood work I'll copy edit to make sure all numbers are accurate.)

GOOD NEWS:
Hemoglobin A1C: 6.1% This is amazing news. If I can maintain this number for life it is unlikely that I'll ever experience diabetic complications. Other than a freak high or low, complications are the biggest fear/concern (or should be) of all diabetics. A 6.1% A1C means that my average blood sugar level is about a 126.

Total Cholesterol: 126 Also amazing news. Cholesterol levels are a great indicator of heart and artery health. Even a level of 150, though well below the acceptable level as stated by the American Heart Association of 210, has been shown to increase your chance of heart disease. When I first got tested I was a 170, which is a good number for an American, but a bad number for a diabetic who is determined to live a long healthy life. A 126 on the other hand is amazing! I have to attribute this to my new dietary choices.

BAD NEWS:
C-Peptide: .53 This number will continue to fluctuate, a symptom of type 1.5 diabetes, and one of the biggest challenges I'll face in the next few months/years. The number indicates how much insulin my own body is producing. As this number increases so does my natural insulin production making my blood sugar more stable. As this number goes down (.5 is low) I'll be prone to higher and higher blood sugar levels. In response to this number my doctor put the responsibility of treatment in my hands. In her own words she reminded me that I knew how the Lantus and Novolog and Prandin worked, and to search for a balance with any combination I felt appropriate.

TH: Low. I forget the actual number, but this represents the hormone produced by the Thyroid. Mine is hardly producing at all. I am now the proud new recipient of hypothyroidism (more on that later). She's going to give me two weeks and then have me repeat this blood test. If the results stay the same or get worse I'll have yet another pill...to take daily...for the rest of my life.

So the good news is after a mere 3 months, the things that are in my power to control have been controlled. I've virtually disease proofed myself against a host of complications, and proved to myself that I'm smart enough, willful enough and strong enough to do that.

The bad news is that for the unforeseen future I'm shooting at a moving target when it comes to blood sugar regulation. I'll have to be flexible and alert. And the next few weeks may be rough. Hypothyroidism can cause sluggishness, fatigue, depression, etc. I fear a weekend trip to the Hamptons is only a temporary fix.

Dailies:

11:30 -> 138 That's the highest fasting level I've had since February 4th, not a great sign. Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. Walked several miles.
2:44 -> 123 That's better, I guess I'm still producing some insulin. Took 3 Prandin with black eyed peas 100c, apple 30c, clementine 9c, grapefruit 26c, lentils 20c. At 6:00 had bagel with pb & banana 55c
6:50 -> 117 Woah! Awesome, that right after having a bagel too! Had a piece of bread with hummus 20c. Performing as Joey. At 8:30 I had a cupcake 12c, pumpkin seeds 6c, and bread with jam 16c. At 12:00 I had a shot of tequila and a Larabar 26c.
1:54 -> 105 Great! Took 2 Prandin with salad 30c and brussel sprouts with cabbage 30c. If I'm above 150 before bed I'll take 2 units of Lantus with a little snack.
3:21 -> 104 Wow! Looks like the Prandin is still working today. I'll have an orange 20c and some blueberries 16c and go to bed.

Day 91

What I'm Reading

I was scourging the internet for ideas tonight. Should I write about the positive affects of Vitamin D and open with a story of how glorious and sunny a day it was and how I played frisbee for 2 hours on my dinner break? Should I write about the overdone theme of going back to a simpler, less industrial, less modern time and use my recent viewing of 180 degrees south? I could just do an expose of my experience at Quest diagnostics getting blood drawn by a heavily tattooed probably 300+ pound black woman who claimed she could "smell" the diabetes on me *shudder*.

One topic invariably led to the next and an hour later, filled to capacity with new knowledge, I've decided to show you what I've been reading rather than summarize it.

Vitamin D: This stuff is important, give you a full head of hair, strong bones and possibly a whole host of other benefits.

Vegan Journalist: Tries out veganism as a stunt and likes it too much to go back.

Vegan in Andalucia: I feel like she cheated. You can't go to Andalucia to write about being vegan and spend all your time in grocery stores and your kitchen. I'm probably going to contact magazines in the future an pitch a similar idea but in more exotic locations.

Mike Tyson: Says Veganism has taken away some of the crazy.

Bill Clinton: Another recent vegan convert.

Vegan Recipes: I found the information on this site very compelling. Plus it's the closest I've gotten to food porn since turning vegan.

Vegan Bodybuilding: I'm sorry, I think after 26 years I may have finally found my calling.


Dailies:

10:59 -> 110 Took 3 Prandin with cereal 110c, pb banana 50c, apple 20c.
1:44 -> 127 Too low to start Joey, especially considering I took more medication than usual. Had a grapefruit 24c, larabar 26c during the first act, hummus and snap peas 5 c and an apple 20c during intermission.
4:53 -> 72 Took 2 Prandin with dinner: lentil soup with rice 125c, salad 35c, grapefruit 22c, apple sauce 10c, fake coffee with protein powder 10c (and not very tasty).
11:55 -> 74 Took 2 Prandin with cabbage stew 100c (cabbage, fennel, fava beans, portobello mushrooms, jalepenos, kale, sunflower seeds, sauce). Felt high an hour later but then it seemed like I started dropping. Maybe it takes longer for the medication to work at night. Either way, it looks like 7 pills per day is a more accurate dose.
2:27 -> 129 Yihaaa! I do love myself a reasonable post-meal late-night number! I'm actually going to go and finish the stew because odds are the food is digested but the pill is still working its slow magic.

Gratitudes:
1. Triple Threat Brownies.
2. Mix Tapes (or cds).
3. Roasted Dandelion Tea.
4. Beautiful, beautiful women!

Day 85

Recipe: Red Cabbage

Hey guys,

I was experimenting in the kitchen a bit and ended up totally falling in love with the outcome. I'll probably end up making this at least every other week if not more often, it's just that dang good.

Red Cabbage recipe

20oz of Butternut squash cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1/2 a head of cabbage, sliced thinly, as if making sauerkraut
16 oz of water
heaping tablespoon of miso
heaping tablespoon of tahini
heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
sunflower seeds to taste

So the preparation is super simple. I started with a 3-inch deep saute pan on high medium high heat and filled it with the water. As the water started boiling I threw in the butternut squash on the bottom. I let that cook for a few minutes and then added all of the cabbage and put a lid on the pot. After about 5 minutes on medium high heat the cabbage should have reduced in size to about half. At this point you want to add the miso, tahini, garlic and vinegar, stir them all in thoroughly and reduce the heat to a simmer. This would be a good time to add water if you want the outcome to be thinner and closer to a soup, or thicker to be served as a side dish. Add the sunflower seeds, I sprinkle them pretty liberally, remove from heat and serve.
This should probably serve a bunch of people, but I've eaten an entire pot myself before. There are roughly 100 carbohydrates in this dish.

This dish is so good, I am literally sad right now typing out this blog and knowing that I've already finished all of the leftovers from the last time I made it.

And now to bed with fingers crossed that my body is working as well as possible tomorrow when I get blood work done.

Dailies x 2:

March 12, 2012
12:31 -> 113 Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c, ran about 3 miles with 5 hill sprints, 3 of which were "Cardiac Hill."Had a grapefruit 25c and 2 kiwis 20c. At about 6:00 had an apple 20c.
7:10 -> 73 Had maybe 170c worth of Whole Foods hot bar food. At midnight had a Larabar 26c.
1:04 -> 95 Took 2 Prandin with rice 46c, beans 35c, cabbage stew 15c, salad 20c.
3:28 -> 162 Hmm... A bit high for my liking. Is this a sign that I'm creeping back up? Should I go back on the insulin?

March 13, 2012
12:20 -> 125 Not good. This is the highest fasting number I've had in awhile. Maybe it's time to go back on basal insulin. Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c (substituted chia seeds for yogurt), rowed 2x5000m at about 2:00.00 (slow) then had apple 20c.
3:46 -> 93 Took 2 Prandin w/ salad 30c, rice 63c, lentil soup 90c = 189c. At 8:30 (intermission) had a grapefruit 25c, peanuts and snap peas 8c.
11:11 -> 55 Nice to see the Prandin still works. Could be time of day or the affects of the workout that brought me low despite a lot of carbs. Had a kiwi 10c then took 2 Prandin with 2 yams 110c, fennel 15c and carrots 10c = 145c
1:19 -> 265 Woah, what the heck? I even reckon I overestimated the yams, and a 210 point jump? And I'm still a bit hungry. I'm going to need to start taking a larger dose at night I think. I'll chug some vinegar water and see if I can't salvage a decent number for my blood work tomorrow.

Those numbers won't do. The keen reader will see that my calorie intake was a bit on the low side and yet my evening number was super high. No, that won't do. Tomorrow I'll try taking 3 Prandin with my afternoon meal, eating more, and then eating less with 2 Prandin in the evening.

Days 83 & 84

Becoming Vegan

If you read my blog diligently and have a savant like brain for picking up on details and patterns then this may come as no surprise to you. Last week I decided to cut meat and dairy out from my diet. I read some compelling literature on the subject after which I decided I owed it to myself to give it a try and see how it affected my body.

I waited a week to announce this new dietary plan publicly because I wanted to give my body a chance to adapt and I also wanted to see for myself if it was something I could do. Both of those stories now have an ending. Just a few days after cutting out meat and dairy from my diet I had enough daily lows to cut out insulin injections completely. I've posted thrice on the subject but it still boggles my mind. I am NOT taking any insulin and haven't for four days now. As for the question of my ability to be vegan I've found it easier than I thought.

If you are the type of person who becomes anxious or worried at this news can I ask you to focus your energies on researching the subject before expressing your concerns to me. I am a person who has done quite a bit of research over the years on nutrition, who takes care of himself, who knows how to cook, and who REALLY likes food. I am no bird-like girl turning vegan to lose weight. I'm becoming vegan so that my body becomes ultimately efficient, so that I reach my maximum physical potential. I want to get bigger and stronger, but I want to do that while eating loads of beans and legumes, leafy greens, vegetables, fruit and hearty whole grains and all metabolized by my own insulin! If you think I'm at risk of being nutrient deficient in one capacity or another check out the short hand of what I eat (included at the bottom of every post) and see if it's missing. If it is, feel free to inquire and I'll do my best to explain how/where I get this or that nutrient. And if it turns out that I AM deficient, I'll happily make adjustments to correct it.

Dailies:

11:40 -> 113 Took 2 Prandin with Cereal 110c, 2 apples 30c, 2 oranges 17c, a larabar 24c and a bit of chocolate 5c.
5:32 -> 70 Took 2 Prandin with dinner from the Whole Foods hot bar: mung beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, kale, spinach, seaweed salad, cabbage salad, wild rice, okra, approximately 110c, apple 25c, snap peas and pb 6c, cookie 10c, toast 10c, hummus 5c.
9:21 -> 103 I checked here because I really guessed the carbs of my dinner and didn't want to find myself low while on stage. 103's alright, but since the pills work slowly I played it safe and had another Larabar (my go to for raising my glucose) 31c.
11:26 -> 61 Good thing I had the Larabar. Took 2 Prandin with black beans 67c, quinoa 40c, chorizo 13c, kale 4c, apples 30c, orange 9c, shot of fernet branca.
2:56 -> 111 I'm tempted to go to bed, but really I'd feel safer if this number were a little higher. Had some AMAZING cabbage and squash 15c, I'll post the recipe later, and apple sauce 10c.

Gratitudes:
1. Free tickets to the Moma.
2. Gluten free and vegan foods that still feel "naughty".
3. Fellowship with a friend on their B-day.

Day 80

China Study Review: Part 2

The China Study is nothing if not a vegan manifesto. The list of evidence is compelling. The science is sound. A whole foods plant based diet is the best way to prevent a whole host of diseases including cancers, coronary heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, Alhzeimer's disease, etc.

Don't compare what you read in The China Study to what you hear on the news. The China Study is the primary source. This is the book written by the project manager of the biggest most comprehensive study on nutrition ever conducted. A $5 million dollar study examining the dietary traditions of villages across China over decades and the correlation to disease.

Really and truly, the author repeatedly throws some light on fad diets, science of convenience, and agenda based policy and reveals them all for what they are. I've obviously been influenced. If you can find this book in a library, check it out, it is shocking.






And with that I move onto my next book: A Fighter's Heart

Dailies:

11:33 -> 71 Noticing a trend? This is the fifth day in a row I've woken up under 100. Took 2 Prandin with V cereal 110c. At 12:45 had a banana 27c. At 1:30 had two apples 40c.
2:49 -> 86 Pre Joey number. Not high enough. Had a pb sandwich 25c. Did 1st act then had a Larabar 26c. That's a total carb count of 216c for 2 pills.
7:22 -> 74 Wow, impressive how low that is. Took 2 Prandin with beans 67c, chorizo 13c, quinoa 30c, brussels sprouts 20c, chips 20c, blueberries 20c, yam 60c, squash w/ tahini 4c. 234c for 2 pills.
10:03 -> 244 Dang it, I let my appetite get the best of me. If 216 carbs over 8 hours kept me stable with two pills, what made me think that 234 carbs would balance out 2 pills in one sitting. I'm an idiot.
1:00 -> 208 At least I'm heading down (I hope I didn't peak higher between these two numbers, though I probably did). It will be very curious to see what number I wake up at.

Gratitudes:
1. Medical insurance sent me a check, paltry but helpful.
2. My sis arrived in town.
3. Despite some shoulder irritation I completed a very enjoyable performance of Joey.

Day 75