Welcome my friend!
But, let’s talk about the health struggle bus… it’s noisy, it’s crowded, and it’s always a bumpy ride. And who just bought a new bus pass? YOU.
I see you over there struggling with your health. You’re chronically sleepless, and even when you do sleep, you don’t feel restored. You’re bone-tired, in constant pain, brain-fogged, and anxious, and worse – you’re not even sure what’s causing all of this physical, mental, and emotional chaos.
You probably feel completely disconnected from your body these days too. Your digestion is all over the map, another mystery rash just cropped up, you aren’t fitting into your clothes, and it’s like you don’t even recognize yourself anymore or trust that you’ll ever really figure out what’s going on.
But, you’re no backseat driver, and you’ve been doing your research. This is where I bet you’ve discovered the world of autoimmune disease, and by now you’ve started connecting the dots.
- You’ve probably gone to see your doctor to discuss what you’ve found and how you’re feeling, only to have a “take this and call me in the morning” response because they really aren’t sure what it is either.
- Or they may order tests (costing YOU money), only by the end, they’re really no closer to a diagnosis, but they think you *may* have an autoimmune disease.
- Then you’re started on a cornucopia of medications that makes you feel even worse and causes additional side effects.
Am I getting close?
Well, that’s because I know what it’s like firsthand to struggle with the feeling of body-betrayal, the dismissive practitioners, followed by the speculation, but not confirmation, that I had an autoimmune disease — but which one?! There are over 100 of them!
And, when I say I know all about struggle… I know it all too well.
It all started in 2012… I was awakened in the middle of the night with a pain in my left arm that felt like someone had placed it in a clamp, which escalated to my hand then my other arm and hand and lasted a few months.
I became so chronically exhausted during that time that there were many days I couldn’t even do my hair or makeup because of the pain and swelling in my hands. Heck, I couldn’t even dress myself, much less drive to work!
As a mother of three at the time, I was focused on raising my kids, so I didn’t really pay attention to my symptoms in the beginning, and I certainly wasn’t connecting the dots.
But, I also blamed myself for being a “bad mother” because I couldn’t be fully present. I even thought at one point, when the depression started kicking in, that I just wasn’t cut out to be a mother.
My self-worth and sense of value were plummeting. I sunk completely into depression and just became numb.
I felt misunderstood, unsupported, and alone.
I eventually just detached from family, friends, and coworkers. It wasn’t until ‘The Whole 30’ book came into my life, accidentally on purpose, that I would be enlightened in so many ways – and this was way before any officially unofficial diagnosis was in!
I discovered that what was happening to me was due to a few key things that were actually in my control – and, it started with something I loved… F-F-F-Food!!
I’d always had digestive issues my whole life, yet I never connected it to INFLAMMATION. So, I took charge of my own health, and went ‘all in’. (Go big or home the f*ck home, am I right?)
I modified my diet and felt transformed in the first 30 days.
(No joke.)
Hopelessness was replaced by optimism that I hadn’t felt in years. My pain and swelling were gone. My energy came soaring back – vitality! I even shed some excess weight that I had been carrying, and my body composition actually changed. (Hey there muscle tone, where ya been all these years?!)
Well, being human and all, I was doing a lot of yo-yo’ing while I tried to figure out how to incorporate what I needed to do into my life as I was doing it alone without the help of someone to guide me… eventually I slid back into my old ways of eating and the symptoms started rearing their ugly head here and there until finally, I had a full-blown flare-up.
I was lucky enough to get into a specialist while I was inflamed (versus having to wait weeks and by then be “fine” again). At last, I received the answer I had been seeking as to what was causing these painful, debilitating symptoms – Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Relief turned to fear, worry, and sadness as my first thoughts were the impending doom of a life of pill-popping for pain, deformed joints, and chronic fatigue.
Then, the warrior in me spoke up and said,
“F*ck that. It doesn’t have to be this way.
You know how to do this!”
“I realized that I didn’t have to be superwoman all the damn time, and that I would have to learn to live with being perfectly imperfect.”
Funny thing… as I became more educated about autoimmune disease, the more brightly my fire burned! My eyes were now wide open as to what has been (and still is) clearly going on in our nation — with our health priorities, food subsidies, food marketing, Big Pharma, etc. I knew right then that I needed to find a platform that enabled me to amplify my voice in guiding and supporting other women who are wearing the same shoes that I had been.
And share with them that…
- We didn’t have to go on crazy meds just to band-aid the symptoms (and create other, sometimes worse ones).
- We shouldn’t ignore the sources that create an all-too-common chronic inflammation on a systemic level.
- Taking back our health is NOT impossible (like we somehow were led to believe – thanks Big Pharma).
- Healing the symptoms of autoimmune disease IS possible, no matter what you’ve been told.
Our bodies speak to us… we just have to learn how to listen.
This is why I became an Integrative & Holistic Health Coach, and WHY I feel compelled to help other professional women and busy working mamas — who are also struggling with chronic illness and autoimmune disorders.
It is my mission to share the truth with you, and guide and support you in finding YOUR path back to better health… with plenty of compassion, but just a little tough love thrown in for good measure, as needed!