A student of autoimmune disease, of life.
Your outlook determines your outcome - One of my personal mottos. I've learned enough to back that up along a 15 year journey.
I don't see this as a fault, as a downfall, as a way to give up. I lived the patient/victim journey for 8 years, before I knew better.
My diagnosis - Crohn's disease - inflammatory bo
Back in 2002, I became a very sick preteen, I tried to ignore it and went about my life as usual. My first trial method of not letting the symptoms control me.
Fast forward to 2010, this was affecting my job and my education. I was determined to do it all. My guts reached their breaking point. Emergency surgery to remove some of my intestines and I had to re-think.
Career goal up until that point - Veterinarian
Part of my recovery and rethinking process involved being fed up with the symptoms, and turning to the crazy internet for new health care answers.
I let my doctors have it their way for 7 years. Now I know that seeing a specialist for 5 minutes at a time twice a year was bs. We need more time.... complex issue..... where does the time come from....... why are there doctors who are sick and stubborn about self care too.... anyway.
I almost died the weekend of my surgery. The ER failed me. My doc had me seen on a different day. I was dying from an infection and he almost sent me home, except for a MRI at my family's repeated request, then... results... doctor panic... and emergency surgery.....
In the end, the hospital saved my life in that emergency.... but back in 2002... it might have all been prevented. Yes, I am a believer that our medical system needs an overhaul.
However, after the crazy internet answers, including a strict diet called SCD by Elaine Gotschall, my health transformed within a year.
My doc weaned me off my medicine. By that point in 2011, it was such a relief. My method was working. A miracle? or Biology? Through my successful internet studies, I also learned how dangerous some of my past meds have been, and also had great anxiety about continuing them..
Since then I've used crazy internet answers as needed to break other common infections like UTI's and women's yeast infections... on the rare occasion.
I get blood work done by NPs annually and the all clear. I stick to my diet, and stay symptom free. Sometimes cheats and minor related setbacks happen... but the point is a healthy diet changed my life!!
80% of chronic disease can be controlled by lifestyle and diet. Why is it so hard to be healthy? Why is everyone so defensive about bad habits? Why can't we quit a poisonous food supply? Why do we serve the companies who would sabotage our health for profits? Why can't we use our own thinking skills to make decisions with our medical providers? Why is it discouraged? Even two different doctors don't often agree on treatments... I could go on but these questions keep coming up for me.
Let's rewind... My first career choice - veterinarian medicine.... didn't make sense for me anymore.
And then it began... My passion became human health... then health coaching, then personal training, then grad school!
I want to share all I've learned, how I manage a healthy diet and how I quit the poison, how I save money and eat naturally, how I restored my digestion, my ups and downs, my most helpful resources, whatever I can do to make a healthy lifestyle attainable.
Is your diagnosis or symptoms a problem or a challenge to rise above?
Will you give up or give life 110%?
Will you learn to take care of this one body or give in to all your weaknesses?
Is self care a positive, a chance to be a friend to your body, or is it inconvenient and ridiculous?
Self reflection time.
I hope this has allowed you to get to know me and I hope future posts are helpful. I appreciate feedback, questions, and requests.
Alyssa