feeling kind of sick

[berrykat]

the trouble is I don't have health insurance right now. My hair is thinning and dry and tangles easlily,I am tired a lot and don't seem to have much energy unless I drink a lot of diet caffinated soda. i am taking a multi vitamin and right now working on weaning my daughter. It seems like I have this trouble when I eat a lot of soy. I am thinking of going soy-free and seeing what happens. Just drinking rice milks and using beans and seitan as protien sources. I don't want to go back to meat eating :(.

[berrykat]

anyone else experience this? Or have those symptoms?

[FreshTart]

Really sounds like iron, B12, or zinc...or any combination. What are you eating dear? If you're weaning, that means you've been breastfeeding right?

As a side note, I think it's pathetic that people need to worry about insurance when they are ill. Absolutely pathetic.

[SeaSiren]

Same thing happened to me after the birth of my daughter. My hair become dry and was falling out and I was tired. Went to doc to get something for my hair, turns out I was severly hypo-thyroid. I was told it can be something that lies dormant until your body is severly stressed (i.e. birth of a baby). You shoud get your levels checked. Call your local health center, they should have a sliding payment scale for you (sometimes it's free). If it is thyroid, it can be very dangerous to continue like that.

[FreshTart]

And, if that doesn't work, lie to get help.

[zoebird]

if you want to go soy free, no problem. i live without soy. i lived without soy as a vegan. it's no problem, really.

[zoebird]

also, somehwere i put up a list of info about natural hypothyroid stuff. . .and a book title and author.

and, soy does affect the thyroid, particularly for some people, so it's ok to forgo it. it's also ok to use it theraputicly if that's what you need (eg, some people use soy to help alleviate menstrual cramps.

[zoebird]

and actually, you don't have to worry about insurance. health clinics often take people for free or will set up a payment plan that is reasonable for you (and can't charge interest in the US). similarly, an emergency room has to take you.

[berrykat]

my hubby is looking for a better job right now. I can get the kids on state funded health insurance temporarily. The promised salary my hubby was supposed to get to help defer the cost of insurance didn't happen.

[berrykat]

I'm not ill just feeling yucky the thinning hair really bugs me though and the fatigue. When we get insurance again I'm going to see a doc. and get blood work done but for now I think I will skip the soy and keep up with the vitamins and eat more iron rich foods. I need more greens . Kale and maybe some collards. greens are yummy in stirfrys anyway. Thanks for the ideas. It nice to be able to discuss these things with my fellow veggies oh and freshtart the veg-friendly omni :)

[CountessKerouac]

Buy a B-12 supplement that has more than the required RDI. Mine has about 4,000% RDI per pill and I take one each day. Eat CHICK PEAS...they are loaded with iron. Eat a CAN or two. Iron is so important to hair health especially if you are lactating. If your hair is thinning/dry, try getting a trim and buying some leave in conditioner that is enhanced with protein and amino acids. Also, I would consider going almost whole-foods for a while when you leave out the soy. Make sure you get plenty of calcium from rice milk and leafy greens though. Maybe consider taking your multi-vitamin twice a day for a while, too. What about asking the emergency room for blood work or going to a free clinic?

I know many people disagree with this, but amino acid supplementation could be helpful. They also sell multi-vitamins specially designed for "hair, nails, and teeth".

I had this problem with my hair. It was FALLING OUT. I went out and got a hair cut, bought some strengthening conditioner, and invested in a hair vitamin plus flaxseeds and BEANS and voila, my hair is now gorgeous, strong, vibrant, and healthy! :nana:

[beth]

After I had my daughter, my hair was coming out in handfuls. I was really tired too. I think it was probably due to my diet, though. I wasn't eating very healthy at all, and I was breastfeeding. After I started eating healthier I noticed a huge improvement. So while I'm sure it was due to some sort of deficiency, I have no idea which one. Sorry, no help. Good luck, though, and I'm sorry you're going through this. It's no fun. :hug:

[IamJen]

How old is your baby, bk? Most states have special programs for new moms, where they can get some healthcare on the cheap (not just post-natal, but general stuff). I think the cutoff age is usually around a year though.

[zoebird]

i do't think anyone believes me about health clinics and emergency rooms.

[IamJen]

Well, in theory you're supposed to be able to receive health care. But in practice, there are some hitches. You're only required to receive urgent/emergency care. In the op's case, they could say that she doesn't meet that requirement (at least at an emergency room).

If she/hubby are fairly low-income, then an clinic with a sliding scale is a good idea. If they're doing pretty well financially and just don't have insurance yet, then the clinic prices aren't going to be much lower than anywhere else.

If it is a thyroid problem the diagnosis itself shouldn't be too expensive - just the cost of an exam and a blood test. However, a prescription could be very costly. And don't even get me started on pre-existing conditions clauses....:(

ER/clinics are options, but it's not just as easy as walking in and saying "hi, I'm here" :)