I have been on Armour Thyroid for about 8 months now, and about 4 months or so, I decided to go gluten free. It has been a difficult change, but well worth it. Things are vastly impoving for me. Now I should be totally honest and say that I didn't go whole hog, 100% gluten free. I really couldn't afford to buy all new cookware, bakeware and appliances. I know that I have read that to be truly gluten free, you have to use separate toasters, strainers, pots, pans, utensils..... I didn't do that. Everything that I have eaten though has been gluten free. I found some really good things to eat, and some really awful things. The bread was the biggest hurdle, until I discovered Canyon Bakehouse. Their bread is amazing and the closest thing to conventional bread I have been able to find. Udi's bread tasted horrible to me. You HAVE to toast it to even make it edible. I love peanut butter, and it just was never satisfying on Udi's bread. For pasta, Barilla recently came out with a new gluten free line, which to me is just as good as the conventional pasta. The only thing that irks me is that you don't get a full pound of pasta, only 12 ounces. The price is usually $2.69 for the gluten free in comparison to the $1.25 for conventional. So it costs a lot more. I just found the gluten free penne at BJ's for 3/$5.99, so I get it there, I hope that when it goes on sale at Stop and Shop, I will pick up a good deal of the other variations of pasta.
The good news with going gluten free is how I feel. I used to have excruciating joint pain. Plantar fasciitis so bad that I could barely step out of bed in the morning. Literally, every joint on my body was sore and slightly swollen. It's all gone! I feel normal! I feel like I did before this whole Hashi's nightmare. The brain fog is gone! I can concentrate better. The short temperedness has abated! The best of all, I have lost almost 20 pounds! I have not lost any weight in over 10 years. I have gained 100 pounds over the past 10 years. This is the first time I have actually lost anything. I feel like something is finally working.
I have made a few mistakes along the way. I went to the Cheesecake Factory, and I couldn't resist the Spicy Cashew Chicken... I had to have it, it's my favorite. I was paying for it by the tme we got home. My hands were tingling, everything started to ache and it continued for about 2-3 days. I realized that a selenium supplement that I was taking before I went gluten free, then I lapsed taking, when I started to take it again, I noticed on the second day, that it had wheat in it. I managed to go to the Vitamn Shoppe and find some gluten free selenium. I was also making conventional pancakes for the kids and I accidentally licked the batter off of my hand. I paid for that with really bad joint pain too.
Going out to eat has been less than fun, it's kind of more of a pain in the ass than a special treat. There is one restaurant nearby that has an extensive gluten free menu, so I tend to go there alot. Working at the hospital isn't good, the cafeteria doesn't have anything on offer as far as gluten free, unless I have a salad.
It's getting better though. Between the armour and gluten free, I am going in the right direction.
