Okay, I need to explain a few things before I get too far down this blog road.
I have Autoimmune Diseases: Celiac Disease and Hashimoto’s Disease. I have autoimmune reactions to ingesting gluten (Celiac), and my body produces antibodies that attack my thyroid gland (Hashimoto’s).
So, why you ask, is this relevant to a discussion about bras, hourglass figures, finding clothes, etc.? Because Autoimmune diseases affect your whole body – that includes your brain, by the way…
Over time, Autoimmune Disease has caused me to gain weight (fat and fluid), develop some premature grey hairs, change my personality, struggle with infertility, live in daily pain, change the daily choices I make – such as what I eat, influence my fitness routine (can’t work out, must work out), and break out in a life-altering rash. There’s more, but since hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s) messes with your memory, I can’t recall the others right now.
That was a joke, people.
So why do I mention my medical issues now? Well, after many years of being on thyroid hormone supplementation – it appears we’re finally going in the right direction with prescription and dosage.
I have lost 5 pounds and several inches in a week. And it is water/fluid. And this changes how clothes and bras fit.
To summarize how things have changed, most of the inches are coming off my abdomen, upper chest around my collar bones, neck, and face. So far my widest points (which are defined by bone, heavy muscle and large fat deposits) are not smaller: my shoulders, hips, and breasts.
Why not just tell you that I lost weight and I look different, and clothes fit differently? I’ve noticed women often discuss how age, pregnancy and childbirth affect our fashion choices – but we really don’t discuss how illness and recovery can do the same. And I think it’s time. Most of us experience some period of illness or discomfort at some stage of our lives, and it alters our bodies and psyches. Our health influences who we are.
May is Celiac Awareness Month, by the way. If you would like to learn more about Celiac Disease the Celiac Disease Foundation has great resources. Other favorites of mine are the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center and the Center for Celiac Research & Treatment. If you are an AI patient or think you may have autoimmune symptoms, or are a family member of an Autoimmune patient you’d probably enjoy browsing one of my new favorite sites – AutoimmuneMom.com.
Have any of you had an illness or discomfort affect your fashion choices? How did you cope with the changes?
