I've been in the health, nutrition and fitness industry for nearly two decades, but even so, I was not immune from sickness. My own health took a strange turn in 2011 with chronic vertigo. By the summer 2012, I had my top right rib removed due to a blood clot, and two months later, I realized my body hadn't been healing; instead, it was breaking down in more ways than I could comprehend.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Mayo Clinic opened its doors to me in early 2013, but after a plethora of tests, I had more questions than answers. Mayo diagnosed me with Raynaud's disease, Hashimoto's, Dry Eye Syndrome, but no explanation for the swelling/tightness in my right arm, the popping noises in my sinus cavity, or the searing pain a few inches to the right of my navel. The biggest blow was when they informed me that I had one of the "worst and rarest" forms of vasculitis--the deterioration of the blood vessels.
The irony was that I didn't have any symptoms of vasculitis. So I spent the next couple of years trying to figure out how I tested false-positive. In the meantime, I did test positive for Lyme Disease by a naturopath in May, 2015 (by then, I wasn't absorbing any vitamins or minerals). This in itself was perplexing because I vividly remember having two leeches on me as a child, but never once have I ever had a tick on me. However, I spend a great deal of time in Northern Wisconsin so it wasn't impossible.
By September, 2015, I sent Mayo the research as to why I was testing false-positive for vasculitis. That same month, at my last appointment at Mayo, they confirmed I was testing false-positive for vasculitis because of the Hashimoto's.
At first, I tried only all-natural ways to heal Lyme disease, but when that didn't work, it was time to take a more aggressive approach. I caved and agreed to antibiotics--something I hadn't taken in two decades.
The protocol my doctor put me on in December, 2015 was an extensive regimen of multiple antibiotics. After two weeks, I had blurry vision every evening and by the third week, I stopped taking them since they exacerbated all my symptoms.
By January 2016, I couldn't read or write while my short-term memory was nearly nonexistent. My mental and physical states were incomprehensible, while my emotional and spiritual selves had deflated entirely. I spiraled down a dark hole that I never intended to enter, but my resilience prospered on that long, dim path, and I finally found the light at the end of the tunnel.
I began juicing, removing specific foods, and consuming supplements tailored to my needs. Not only did I see significant improvements within a month of these changes, but I also reversed every single symptom over the next year.
Here it is, June 2022 and I am back to doing everything I love to do--including running or hiking five miles every day. I am mindful of what goes into my mouth and the foods that are my nemesis. Hippocrates was spot-on when he said food is medicine...but what most people don't realize is that foods either heal us--or poison us slowly.
Until you are sick--truly sick--with a chronic illness, can you comprehend the brevity of what being healthy truly means. When dealing with chronic illness, it's impossible to go about everyday life like you used to, but once you get your health back, you never take it for granted. I decided to create an online course to reach people that I wouldn't usually cross paths with since I've been able to help so many in my local area.
It's been quite the undertaking working on this course, but it's essential to get it out to those who need it. Suffering from chronic illness is hard enough--not getting the right answers flattens you. We all deserve to live our healthiest and happiest lives and am blessed to bring this knowledge to others.
Click HERE to read my free guide on HOW TO HEAL FROM LYME DISEASE.