Unraveling the Truth: Debunking a Common Misconception About Celiac Disease

Celiac isn't just a gluten sensitivity, celiac is a possibly dangerous autoimmune disorder. Let's take time to shed some light on some of the most common misconceptions about celiac. Today I'm going to talk a bit about one of the hugest misconceptions and debunk the myth by giving some actual information instead of confusing you even more. The more you know the better understanding you'll have about celiac. 

Misconception: Many people believe that celiac disease is just a mild gluten sensitivity and not a serious health condition.

A bit about Celiac

Celiac disease is anything but mild, intestinal damage, problems absorbing nutrients, fatigue, rashes, and neurological issues are all are a reality when one ingests gluten. A lot of issues above can cause even more issues down the road. If one's celiac is not properly managed by diet, there are long-term complications, things as osteoporosis, infertility, cancer, and even lactose intolerance. 

The Harsh Reality of Celiac Disease

I think the thing that most people know nothing about, and may actually not fully understand is that Celiac disease is actually an autoimmune disorder. When a celiac eats ingest some gluten, their villi can't absorb nutrients. Opening a Pandora's box of fun illnesses. Yes, you heard that right when someone ingests gluten, it's not just an allergy or intolerance, gluten can in fact cause someone's body to attack itself. The health problems and reduced quality of life aren't worth it. 

Let's dig deeper into the misconception

I'm not here to judge anyone for thinking that celiac is a mild intolerance or sensitivity. It's something that happens a lot. Both the confusion between celiac and other illnesses, the lack of awareness about gluten, and even the understanding of what gluten REALLY is and where it comes, come into play when we think about the misconception. Sadly the misunderstanding can be dangerous as the lack of knowledge leads to a possible delayed diagnosis and even having an adequate support system. Learning the name of the monster that makes you sick is a step forward when finding out how to defeat it.\

How Do We Correct the Misconception?

If you're looking for ideas on how to correct it. I have a few ideas on how to get this misconception put to rest after all. All of these should work together to get the job done.

Individuals with celiac talking about their condition with others

It's hard to put misconceptions to rest without actively talking about them. For those of us that have celiac, it's time to talk about our condition when it comes to friends, family colleagues or anyone who deals with our food. When educating others about the condition, use empathy and open the discussion as much as you can. People don't support hostility. 

Personal Stories
This suggestion goes out to all my creative folk, with or without a platform, it's time to talk about celiac. It's time to share our stories, share our symptoms. Personal stories about our challenges and learning how we navigate life will allow people to gain a deeper understanding of our condition. 

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If you don't have a platform, and want your story to be told. I'm more than willing to post anyone's celiac journey or anything anyone wants to talk about their life with celiac, within reason. It doesn't have to be a blog post, it can be Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or whatever platform you feel comfortable with. Send me a message and I'm more than willing to share your story with others.

Debunking With Science and Articles
When all else fails, there are websites and articles that can help explain why celiac is not just a mild illness. The link above from the Mayo Clinic is an example of a place that's credible but also explains exactly what celiac disease is and why it's dangerous. Doing your own homework and urging people to do their own research is sometimes all that it takes to get one's point across. 

Conclusion

Celiac is a serious health condition that requires compassion and understanding. By being able to dispel this misconception through education, sharing your experience, and even showing some scientific evidence, we create a more knowledgeable, society. Let us embrace empathy and work together to support others by spreading awareness, so that those with celiac can live without judgment and understanding!\

Navigating the Hemiplegic Migraine Maze: A Personal Journey

I am one of the lucky folk that experiences chronic hemiplegic migraines. A hemiplegic migraine is a migraine with or without pain, that causes weakness or paralysis on one side of the body along with stroke-like symptoms. 

After watching Momming with Migraines, and posting my post about the misconceptions of hemiplegic migraines, I knew it was time to talk a bit about my journey. Because it's time to show some of my vulnerable sides and explain what things are like, along with hoping to raise awareness and let others know they're not alone. 

I included a very personal video by Jen, from Momming with Migraines. Please note that her journey is her own journey and not everyone is going to have the same journey. 

Let's talk a little bit more about hemiplegic migraines

The rare beast known as the hemiplegic migraine, can either be familial (passed down in families) or sporadic (without genetic origin) Not all migraines are hemiplegic in nature. Most migraine aurae don't have symptoms like weakness, difficulty speaking, confusion, seizures, and passing out, unlike hemiplegic migraines. They can however cause classic migraine symptoms such as nausea, headache vertigo, and visual symptoms. And just like regular migraines they usually happen on one side of the body, which doctors call hemiplegia.  

My First and Second Migraine

I'm pretty sure I've had hemiplegic migraines for at least over 20 years, without having an actual name to give the symptoms I was having. Like the headaches, the numbness in my face, and the confusion. But giving a name to the symptoms that followed me came much later in my life. 

While it seems a bit blurry, I do remember bits and pieces of the moment about the day that it first realized it was serious. About 10 years ago, I was on my way home from a day with my bonus daughter and my husband. I remember having a weird dull headache, then out of nowhere I became confused and had what I could best describe as a memory loss moment, kind of. While I knew who my husband and bonus daughter were at the back of my mind, I couldn't correctly verbalize and connect the two together, so while I knew who they were I said that I didn't know.  While I don't remember the numbness or weakness I'm almost certain I had it then too. 

He decided it was best that he'd drop me off at the hospital, then go drop his daughter off with her mom so that I knew what was going on. 

All my tests came back as normal as they should. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, though I don't remember getting any kind of CT, MRI, or any brain scans at the time. So my doctor once she got the results, assumed it was either what she called a 'rare migraine', a possible seizure, or she had no clue, but gave me Lamictal to see if there were any changes. In fact, there was a ton of improvement, 

My second major hemiplegic migraine attack was a little over two years ago. I was busy writing something or watching a video online. Nothing too out of the ordinary, when I remember a headache coming out of the blue, with this headache, I remember my left side getting weak, numbness in my face, and was struggling to find the words to speak. Of course, prompting my husband to rush me to the hospital. 

At the hospital I was given a scan of my brain (I don't remember what kind) and a migraine cocktail, which is usually Benadryl, something for nausea, NSAIDS, and triptans (if one doesn't have hemiplegic migraines). It worked well, for the most part, causing me to stutter rather than just struggle with a choice of words. That was the day I was given the diagnosis of hemiplegic migraines. Which was confirmed by my more recent neurologist. 

Living With Hemiplegic Migraines

To say that it has no impact on my day-to-day life would be the exact opposite. Especially now that I'm pregnant, the choice of medications that my neurologist will allow me to take is basically nothing. Every day is a struggle, I do have a few guesses about what triggers my migraines, such as forgetting to eat a meal or panicking, but I'm not sure if I'm right. I do however know right before an aura happens and a migraine starts. Right before mine happen, I got what I describe as a glittery snowglobe effect. Imagine being in a snow globe with glitter, that's all I see. 

On the days when they do get bad, I get the order from my husband to relax as much as possible and not to be up overdoing myself. I will occasionally take Benadryl with a little bit of caffeine and take a nap when they start getting bad, which is a hit-and-miss type of thing.

Eventually, once my son is born, I do hope to find something that I can take that won't interfere with breastfeeding, and get back on something that can help. But until then, it's learning how to look for warning signs and relaxing as much as I can.  

The Social Impact

To openly talk about my hemiplegic migraines with strangers and loved ones hasn't been easy. It's not easy to admit to someone that my memory isn't too good,that I'm losing strength in my left side, that I'm having a bit of a headache and migraine-related nausea and dizziness, along with any of the other symptoms I have. It almost feels like I'm a broken record. I don't feel like it's becoming a part of who I am, and to be honest, I am not my migraines and don't like them to define me. 

Thank goodness, my mom, my husband, a few hemiplegic migraine groups on Facebook and my therapist are a great support team on days when my migraines feel suffocating. I do offer the suggestion, to have a support team to be there to remind you and support you of all of your migraine moments it truly does help and I have no clue where I'd be where I am without them.

Overcoming Obstacles

There are always going to be obstacles when it comes to chronic illnesses, no matter what part of the journey you are on. There are going to be days when your emotions are shattered, hemipelagic migraines are no different.  Personally, a lot of my emotional obstacles are knowing that my migraines are unpredictable and knowing I may not be able to talk properly for a few days. 

My tough days are part of the reason why this blog is here. I created a blog full of mindfulness activities, quotes, things to and stuff I'm learning to help myself and help others who have chronic illnesses, and people who need a bit of a push. In the next month, there will be more personal posts and posts outside of what has been posted the last month as well. But having a place for myself and others to look, at when it comes to self-care. All we need is a little positivity once in a while. 

Conclusion

Whether my journey with migraines is like someone else's journey these migraines are my own. I have my own challenges. Just because there are challenges, there's still hope for a better day, and there are other stories about people dealing with their migraines. 

For those of you who have migraines, hemipelagic or not, what's your journey like?

Thyroidectomy and Pregnancy: A Crash Course for Expectant Mothers

Last year, I had my neck cut open and my thyroid removed because I had trouble breathing and swallowing and my thyroid was swelling (in medical terms it's called goiter). Never did I expect to become pregnant after getting my thyroidectomy and never did I understand how much my pregnancy could be affected by the lack of thyroid.  For those mother's to be who have had a thyroidectomy or those who are curious, this post should answer a few questions!

What exactly is a thyroid?

If you haven't had yours removed yet, and you're a little confused about what a thyroid I have you covered. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, it's there to regulate hormones that regulate your metabolism, your temperature, your energy and your heart rate. It's hard to imagine such a small gland in your neck does so much work, doesn't it? And yes, when you're pregnant, it helps your baby's brain grow and develop, and it also helps your baby grow. If you're still a bit confused about the thyroid. I'm sharing one of my favorite places on YouTube for health-related stuff, The Institute of Human Anatomy. They're great at explaining things, and I'm almost certain they'll explain what thyroid does exactly and what one looks like. 

How Can a Thyroidectomy Affect Pregnancy Exactly?

If your thyroid is partially there from a partial thyroidectomy, not there at all after a total thyroidectomy, or not working properly, if your hormones aren't controlled properly, complications can happen. Things like high blood pressure, anemia, premature birth, miscarriage, and, low birth weight. Everything that one wouldn't want to happen during pregnancy. As long as your thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is low and you're taking your thyroid hormone medications as prescribed by your endocrinologist things should be smooth sailing, hopefully. 

What to expect and look out for during pregnancy after a thyroidectomy

As someone whose TSH has been a roller, I'm no stranger to the symptoms to look out for and what to expect after a thyroidectomy. For a bit of background here the normal TSH levels for a person are 0.27-4.2 u[iU]/mL at the moment mine is 8.86 u[iU]/mL, but have been way higher than that. March it was 30, last month it was 28 u[iU]/mL. As you can see, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least. 

If your thyroid isn't regulated, you may be more tired than normal pregnancy fatigue, weight changes, mood swings, you may be sensitivity to the cold, muscle aches, and even trouble concentrating. If any of the symptoms above, should be familiar, let both your endocrinologist and your OBGYN or midwife know you're having symptoms. 



But if you're not feeling symptoms, you're still going to get your TSH tested, at regular intervals or in my case monthly if one test is a bit off, to ensure that your TSH is right where it needs to be. Provide tips for managing pregnancy after a thyroidectomy, including diet and exercise recommendations. 

Conclusion

I know it's easier said than done, but don't panic too much if your TSH is a bit higher, just listen to your doctor's orders, know what to look out for and try to remain as stress-free as possible. Your pregnancy is too short to worry a lot about your thyroid hormones. Stay happy and stay healthy. 

Clearing Up 5 Common Misconceptions About Hemiplegic Migraines

As someone who deals with a rare migraine type known as a hemiplegic migraine, one that mimics a stroke and can cause seizures. While what I have is rare and occurs in only about 0.01% of the world's population, it has become a slurry of misconceptions. With the slurry of misconceptions; people can be misdiagnosed, and have outsiders even more confused than they were before they heard of the term.

Misconception: Hemiplegic migraines are just severe headaches
Migraines in general are not just a headache, they're usually a combination of symptoms. In fact, not all migraines are painful, sometimes people can have what is called silent migraines (painless migraines), it all depends on the person.

Some of the classic symptoms are numbness or weakness on one side of your body, vertigo, nausea and vomiting, and even seizures. For a full list, I compiled some of the common hemiplegic migraine symptoms in a cute little chart, for you to save, or to better acquaint yourself with. 

Misconception: Hemiplegic migraines are not serious

If someone has hemiplegic migraines there are left untreated, or undiagnosed, it can pose many problems such as memory loss, coma and an increased chance of a stroke later in life, especially if someone with hemiplegic migraines has what is known as familial hemiplegic migraines (migraines passed through families). If you think you have hemiplegic migraines or are experiencing any of the symptoms of one for the first time, please go to your nearest ER and contact your primary care doctor. 

Misconception: Hemiplegic migraines can be cured
Sadly like most conditions, there is no cure for hemiplegic migraines, just medications to keep the symptoms and migraines away. Because one medication works for one person, doesn't mean it works for the next person. Some kinds of medications that a doctor may prescribe for hemiplegic migraines may be, anti-seizure medications, beta-blockers, and strong NSAIDs. 

Misconception: Hemiplegic migraines only affect adults
They can happen at any age. Just recently Tori Spelling was in the news talking about how her daughter who is 14 has hemiplegic migraines. 

Misconception: Hemiplegic migraines always involve paralysis.
Because migraine is a series of symptoms, they may not cause the same exact symptoms each time. Sometimes mine can just be pins and needles, others it can be weakness or it can be full-on left body paralysis. If the symptoms are new and alarming it's best to err on the side of caution and seek medical attention. 

Hemiplegic migraines are a severe condition, that can happen to anyone, regardless of age. Just because it's a rare condition doesn't mean that you or a loved one doesn't have it. Getting a correct diagnosis is crucial. If you are someone who's been recently diagnosed or are no stranger to the diagnosis, I want you to know you are not alone. You can talk to me about your migraines, share your story to add to a blog post, or I can provide you with a Facebook group or two to help you feel connected with others.