April of 2019 changed our lives forever…
What was supposed to be a normal day where we ran errands and had fun as a family turned into a nightmare. It finally happened… the previous two years of me bashfully asking doctors a question or mentioning symptoms I was having finally exploded.
At the worst part of my illness, we had to resort to a wheelchair because I could no longer make it from the car to appointments. My body was failing me at only 33 when I had boldly proclaimed I was going to have the “year of my life”… “life at 33…and free”. But there I was, a prisoner in my own body. And as doctors passed me off to the next place or suggested I was suddenly anxious and needing anxiety meds, I began to see a side of healthcare I didn’t like. I was telling them what was happening (well, Tim was telling them because I could hardly talk) but the more we tried to explain, the more we were ignored. Many would happily write a prescription for whatever ailment they decided needed a pain pill or more testing but my body rapidly declined and was screaming for help.
It was a series of bad days that turned to weeks all while one particular nurse practitioner saw me a few times. She would come to be the one (along with an ultrasound technician) who got me sent to the ER for lots of fluids (to which I will always be grateful and can’t think of what would have happened had we gone another day).
I had a case of re-activated Epstein Barr virus along with being diagnosed with multiple auto-immune diseases and gluten intolerance. BAM! There it was… proof that I was in fact, not losing my mind and that we could at least begin to try and piece together the mess of medical records, experiences, and chaos. Flipping through my charts of test results felt surreal. How did the women who had once had a baby delivered and left the hospital in 24 hours to make dinner for 12 people that night, followed by another baby right after only a year apart, suddenly fall apart and break?
But the truth was, it wasn’t all absolutely sudden. There were multiple times I could feel something was NOT right with MY body but I “let it go” because I was a new Mom, then a tired Mom, then a busy Mom. Time and time again, a doctor would see me and say, “welcome to life… just breathe”!
I KNEW BY JUNE OF 2019 THAT MY LIFE WOULD FOREVER INCLUDE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF MORE CAPACITY THAN BEFORE. My love of oils, non-toxic cleaners, and going sober were all already a big part of my life but THIS took it all to ANOTHER level.
THIS BLOG IS A COLLECTION OF ALL THE BITS AND PIECES OF MY LIFE (YOU CAN FIND MORE ON THAT HERE) BUT THIS SECTION, IN PARTICULAR, IS FOR THE new Mom, who becomes the tired Mom, to the busy Mom. It is for EVERY PERSON who is having to walk through a “mystery illness” and who has experienced the feeling of being unheard.
Between this blog and social media, my vision is for you all to hold hands beside me and share your stories. When I began to share mine and meet others walking the same road I was amazed, over and over, at the similarities we all shared.
My body has had massive healing and transformation and will have even more healing to come. HOLD TIGHT, my friend, and have Faith that God has given you a body capable of healing and capable of great things. You are still here! Don’t give up!
Love y’all so much!
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