New Year, Same Me! The Latest in my Health Journey
I’ve been quiet on here over the last few months. The fall and entire holiday season was a whirlwind and now we are in 2025. What in the world! LOL. I thought it was time for a little health update to share where we are as of now (January 2025).
I’ve been working with my doctor for about a year and a half now (starting in October 2023) and she is literally a gift from God. As most of you know, I originally went to her because of my chronic UTIs and now have total relief from that (for pretty much the last year). This is a literal miracle. I never thought I’d see the day that my body was relieved from that pain. So so grateful.
The other chronic issue that seems to be real persistent is my chronic back/neck/shoulder pain. This has been diagnosed over the years as all sorts of things (fibromyalgia, various autoimmune conditions, etc). The reality is, it doesn’t really matter to me what label we put on it. It seems that my immune system is essentially attacking my connective tissue and it hurts. Alllll day, everyday. We’ve had glimmers of hope in the last few months, with more mobility, more movement, and less pain, but it hasn’t completely resolved. More recently, we re-ran some tests and bloodwork to try to understand the root cause better. As you might remember from a year ago, I was on a protocol to rid my body of parasites and molds which we have done. I’m now on to the phase of detoxing multiple types of heavy metals in my system and will continue on this over the next few months. The bloodwork also revealed very high cortisol levels so I’m really trying to focus this year on managing my stress and getting my cortisol levels back into balance. It makes sense, but sometimes I don’t realize the toll that stress takes on my body. It’s time to really spend some time focused on that area too.
Dealing with chronic and invisible illness is no joke. I’m pretty good at powering through, staying productive, making things happen, etc. There are good days where I feel a sense of relief and more mobility but there are also days I just want to crawl in my bed and never come out. As I’m writing this, it happens to be one of those days that has just been really mentally hard to get through because of the constant pain in my back.
Through this whole journey, I am so grateful for so many people who continue to support me. Taking care of myself has become a full-time job — the supplement routine, the daily exercise, the yoga, the sauna, the water intake, the taking care of my stress, the physical therapy, the massages, the chiropractor, etc. It is something I pretty much have to be thinking about all the time. I’m so grateful for friends and family who have been with me every step of the way and have listened to my endless ranting about my issues and current protocols, etc. I’m also so grateful for the few healthcare practitioners who have been SO helpful and committed to getting to the bottom of these issues. Throughout the many years of this pain, there have been doctors who have not been super helpful and there are some who have not given up on getting answers. It feels so healing to be in the presence of healthcare providers who are right by your side as you continue to search for answers. I’ve come so far, but it feels like the fight continues on.
I’ve loved these lyrics by Brandon Lake lately — “You’re in it with me. You’re working through me, fighting for me. God is not against me.” I feel so held by a God who I know is with me every step of the way. I know it and I feel it through all of the people who have been put in my path to support me through this season.
Grateful for healing, growth and change. Sending love to all of you who continue to stay in the fight for your health, especially when it is unseen.
