I’ve been working closely with a naturopath for 2 years now trying to uncover the root cause of Hashimoto’s, which is an autoimmune thyroid disorder. I wrote the back story of my experience here in case you want to hear the full scoop!

We’ve tested for food sensitivities, cortisol imbalances, mold & heavy metals poisoning, Lyme disease, lingering viruses/antibodies and gut health. Lyme disease was the big finding that we treated last year along with some other protocols for heavy metal detoxing, hormone regulation and some lingering antibody inflammation from past infections like strep and EBV.

What’s shocking to me is that my thyroid antibody marker for Hashimoto’s (TPO) has not changed at all. So that means we’ve not been able to get the attack on the thyroid to stop. Which is keeping me very curious given all of the protocols we’ve done. 

Since it’s been almost 20 years that I’ve been living with Hashimoto’s, I am realistic about that fact that I will likely need to take thyroid replacement medication for the rest of my life but I’m committed to finding the root cause of the attack to stop the destruction. So the journey lives on!

Blood sugar sensitivities are prevalent with Hashimoto’s so keeping it stable is a big element to managing symptoms like brain fog, joint pain and fatigue. High blood sugar levels are associated with inflammation which is basically what autoimmune diseases already are causing too much of. Izabella Wentz is my go-to source for all things Hashimoto’s knowledge and she has a good article here on the importance of blood sugar stability.

I’d always wanted to try out a continuous blood glucose monitor so after a friend told me about her experience wearing one I was sold! I love a good experiment. I decided to do the 3 month package with Nutrisense. The cost was $300 a month and while I did learn a lot, I felt that I collected enough data within 2 months. Just noting that here because if you are on a budget, you can do a one month commitment for $399 and I think that would give you enough information around your unique blood sugar patterns.

Every month they send you a box with a new monitor in it. I was weary about installing the needle into my arm but honestly the application didn’t hurt at all! It’s basically a stamp that takes less than a second. If you get it too close to a muscle it can be sore for a day or two, which did happen to me once. I reached out to their customer support when it happened and they were so helpful! The reason you wear it on the back of your arm is because there’s a good amount of skin back there. It’s also pretty easy to remove at the end of the 14 days without it hurting and leaving a mark. You switch arms with every new monitor.

It takes about 24 hours for a new sensor to warm up and collect information on the app. Also, on day two they recommend you calibrate it’s readings with an at home glucose kit every time you change it. I did that with an at home finger prick kit I already had from Walgreen’s. 

I loved using the Nutrisense app, it was so easy to use. Every couple hours, I’d scan the sensor in my arm with the camera lens on my phone and it would update on the app and show me a daily graph of my glucose curves which was interesting to watch as each day unfolded with food and movement. It also has a tab on it that informs you of your 7, 14 and 30 day averages. The app is so rich in resources too, they have a whole section dedicated to teaching you the fundamental science behind glucose. 

My favorite part of the app experience was tracking my meals and movement.  After you enter in your meal it will give your meal a score based on the glucose variability you experience. Basically that is the curve for how quickly your sugar comes down after a spike. I found things like eggs and fruit at breakfast was a 99 score while a beef tamale at lunch was a 77. 

During my 3 month experience wearing a Nutrisense CGM, what I learned is that overall, my blood sugar is pretty stable. I’m active during the week which I think helps minimize insulin resistance a lot. I either do pilates, yoga, bike ride, hike or walk every day of the week, except maybe 1 or 2 days of pure rest depending on the week. 

One of the perks of Nutrisense is that you have access to a free call with a health coach mid way through your experience. You may be eligible for more sessions too if your insurance will cover it, they will check for you.

The health coach helped analyze my data to see that I am sensitive to eating carbs in the middle of the day. She said it’s probably because I experience more stress in the middle of my work day. She recommended I do something breathing exercises before eating my lunch to help reduce glucose spikes.

Since learning this about myself, I focus on eating a big salad for lunch with fat and protein. I’ve always been a big salad for lunch gal but I’d often sneak in a few chips. I’ve since been more mindful of that habit after having this experience! When I do eat carbs, like oats or sweet potatoes, I eat them at breakfast or dinner and typically seem to process them fine. 

Some people are more sensitive to the order in which they eat their carbs at a meal but that was not the case for me. For instance taking a bite of protein before pasta could help some people. Moving after a meal is always recommended too. 

Couple other things I noticed during my experience was that my glucose would spike when I went for a run. I learned from the app that this is normal since your body needs to pull glucose from your reserve system to perform.

Also the amount of food and carbs I ate at one time definitely impacted my spikes. One night I took myself out for dinner and ate a burger, fries and had an Aperol spritz at the bar. Then I went to a show and had some sour patch kids. That may have been the biggest glucose spike I noticed while wearing the monitor! Moderation is key to managing insulin resistance. 

Some people experience hyperglycemia, which means blood sugar dips really low quickly after a meal, especially when they drink alcohol, but I didn’t notice that at all. I also don’t drink regularly, at most 3 drinks a week max.  

Overall, the experience wearing the Nutrisense monitor wasn’t life changing but I am more aware of the amount and timing that I eat carbs. Also, during the journey of wearing the monitor, I read the book Good Energy and learned so much about the importance of our food choices in generating clean energy for our bodies to run all of the miraculous processes that they do for us on! Love the author’s perspective on health coming from within. Here’s a good podcast she was on too!

Now that I can check blood sugar imbalances off my list of potential root causes, I’m down to thinking that that my Hashimoto’s attack is either caused by the lingering strep & EBV antibodies or potentially there is still Lyme attacking my system. It may even been rooted in deep personality patterns which I’m exploring somatically with my therapist. Gabor Maté, who is a renowned for his work around how mental health impacts our physical bodies, says that people who suppress their own needs, repress their anger and have a high duty of responsibility are more prone to disease. I’m a pretty sensitive soul so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a mix of all of the above taking a toll on my body. 

Anyways, more to comes as I keep chipping away at the mystery!