Where to Begin
It took years of being physically sick and the beginnings of mental illness to finally take a step back and think about making changes to my lifestyle. Sometimes we don’t want to admit that there is something deeper that is causing our body and mind to start fighting against us. I know that I fought it for a long time and still do sometimes. I think many times we don’t want to recognize it out of fear for what others might say or think about us. And sometimes out of fear for the disruption it will bring to our lives…which is really just laziness and a negative attitude to make those changes. (See post about Embracing Change)
About 7 years ago I started having some serious health issues. I struggled with a lot of stomach and sinus issues for years. After a lot of tests, medications, changes in diets, and various workout bootcamps, I was exhausted. I was still not feeling 100% and having more and more issues arise. After years of seeing many doctors specialized in modern medicine, I finally decided it was time to try something new. I found an MD who focused on functional medicine and we were finally able to get down to find some answers. Those answers, while initially very daunting, were the first step to making the right lifestyle changes.
What I knew:
Fatigue
Nausea/Vomiting
Difficulty losing weight
Keratosis pilaris (KP) - skin condition that causes patches of red rough-feeling bumps to appear on the skin
Sinusitus
IBS/Bloating
Acid Reflux
Difficulty sleeping
Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
The diagnosis:
Leaky Gut - the junctions of my intestinal walls had become loose which is now allowing harmful substances such as bacteria, toxins and undigested food particles to pass through into my bloodstream.
Cause - Too many doses of antibiotics over the years destroying the good bacteria and stress
Change - Adding probiotics, cleaner eating, less stress (job change) and more physical activity
Food Sensitivities/Intolerance - can cause reactions in the digestive system such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and nausea. Additionally, there can be skin reactions.
Cause - Leaky gut; functional gut disorder
Change - Eliminating gluten, dairy, eggs and other foods that I tested positive for in a food allergy blood test. Using KP Duty cream for the KP that is a reaction to dairy. Digestive enzymes as needed. Management of anxiety and stress.
Vitamin Deficiencies - Vitamin D, B12, Iron, and many more
Cause - due to taking strong acid reflux medications for 5+ years my body stopped absorbing vitamins.
Change - A few months or so of vitamins via IV and injections. Continued treatment through a multi-vitamin patch for my skin to absorb the vitamins and liquid vitamin drops.
Thyroid disorder (T-3) - thyroid creates hormones and controls how your body uses energy and your body’s sensitivity to other hormones
Cause - PCOS and hereditary
Change - aggressive medication treatment to regulate
Functional Gut Disorder - disorders of gut–brain interaction
Cause - Anxiety and stress
Change - Meditation, essential oils, cleaner eating, stress management (See post Control Your Mind)
As you can see, they were relatively easy fixes but required some discipline and time. Nothing is going to happen over night and it definitely will not happen if you aren’t dedicated to make the changes. While it has been a time consuming and semi-$$ process, it has been well worth it. I still have episodes of nausea/vomitting that are random but compared to where my health was before I cannot complain. I have seen some significant progress in the last 5 months when I became firm in my intentions. I definitely would never have been able to feel better had I continued on the path of prescription drugs and ignorance. I won’t lie, part of my journey began with recognizing that the stress from my job was a huge factor and a change needed to be made. But overall, with the addition of supplements, removal of strong prescription medications, increased physical activity and learning to control my mind, changing my job would not have made as big of a difference.
For anyone else who has felt these struggles and isreally having a hard time finding some answers with their health these are some suggestions I would make:
Quotes from Gutsy Health’s podcast - Mind and Body|Heal Trauma Heal Life
Make a food journal to log what you’ve eaten and how you feel each meal (there are a lot of planners and fitness journals that you can find that will help with this). This will give you a starting point to determine what foods might be causing you to have certain symptoms and further allow you to better communicate with your medical providers.
I would also reflect on what other factors might be attributing to how your gut is reacting. In doing this process, I have been able to recognize that it’s not necessarily what I am eating, but many times how I am feeling that trigger episodes for me.
Ask your doctor to do a food allergy blood test or find an at home test kit
Are your medical providers really looking at the underlying cause of your symptoms or are they just treating them one at a time? Maybe consider if you are really getting the best care you need.
Note: I still see all of my original medical providers/specialists on an annual basis.
Read books/blogs/listen to podcasts about nutrition, health and wellness. Look out for my post coming soon with resources that I use.
Disclaimer: I am by no means a healthcare professional and obviously this is my experience and what works for me. Everyone’s body and treatments will be different.
It is not always easy to share what you’ve been through or what you may be dealing with. But there are definitely people out there who may be able to shed some light and help provide valuable tips or resources. That is all I am hoping to achieve.
