Updates on My Health Journey
If you’ve been following along since the beginning, you might remember that about a year ago, I shared a post about some of the chronic health issues that I’ve been battling for the last few years. A year later, and the battle continues, but I’ve made some progress and gotten some new answers over the last few months that I wanted to share. If you read that original post, you’ll know that I have chronic bladder and UTI issues that have been going on for the last 5 years or so. I also got diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a year and a half ago. My body feels like it is in constant pain and my joints, muscles and tendons pretty much feel like they are on fire 24/7. This past fall, I got connected with a new functional medicine doctor through a friend of mine. I’ll pause here and say that one beautiful reason to share your story about your pain with others is that you never know who might be able to help or have a resource for you. In September, I shared some of what I was going through with a friend and she got me connected with this doctor who I otherwise would not have found. Long story short, after a series of testing, it was confirmed that I have two parasites and toxic mold in my body. If this is shocking information for you, what I’ve learned is that a lot of us have these things (we just don’t know about them and most doctors in this country will not do this level of testing to find out - don’t get me started about our healthcare system!). I’ll also acknowledge here that this is a very personal and vulnerable thing to share, but I believe so deeply in the power of sharing your truth to allow other people permission to say what is true for them. If the idea of this grosses you out, please feel free to skip over it. I’m going to spare you the extreme detail about what it means to get a parasite out of your body LOL, but over the last two months, I’ve been on a treatment plan to deal with the parasites and then we will tackle the mold issue next. Apologies to my friends and family who are not spared from the parasite details :) When all is said and done, I’m looking at a 4-6 month timeline to deal with both of these issues and then we will address any lingering problems that are still coming up. The doctor that I’m working with is amazing, but it also has revealed just how messed up our healthcare system is. Most of the doctors who have been able to help me don’t take insurance and it pains me that so many people don’t have access to this type of care.
I have had some moments of hope in the last few months in terms of my levels of pain. It’s certainly not gone, but I keep holding onto those glimmers of hope every time it feels like my neck is loosening a bit or I don’t wake up in a bladder flare-up. My doctor keeps reminding me that my body didn’t get into this state overnight, and it’s going to take some time to deal with some of the underlying causes of my symptoms and get my body to reset itself. But I’m committed. I take about 20 supplements per day, I’m exercising regularly, drinking 100oz+ of water per day, eating things that make me feel good, in my sauna often, Epsom salt baths multiple times per week, regular chiropractic and massage care, yoga and stretching daily, using heat and ice to treat the pain, regular use of essential oils, therapy and spiritual direction monthly, talking to God about this stuff every hour, and beginning some myofascial release/unwinding work now too. I’m literally doing all of the things and it usually feels like a full-time job. It’s scary to know how much money I’ve spent just on my healthcare this year. But every penny is worth it if one day I might feel a little better.
Part of the reason I share all of this in such a detailed way is to give people permission to talk about the things that are hurting them, especially the things that we all can’t see. On the surface, I mostly look like I have it all together. I would consider myself to be relatively competent, maintain deep friendships, I’m involved at my church, exercise daily, etc. On the outside, you might never know the kind of pain that lives in my body. And sharing this isn’t for pity or sympathy, but I just know how important it is to never judge someone for what they might be going through under the surface. I also share specifically for people who are battling chronic illness. I certainly don’t have all of the answers yet. I don’t know if I ever will. But I am fiercely committed to learning about what is happening, trying all of the things until something works, and being open about it. I want people to learn from my story, I want to learn from others, and I want people to know that they aren’t in this chronic illness battle alone. If my story can help open any possibilities for someone else, I feel like my work here on this Earth has been purposeful.
I also want to acknowledge so many friends and loved ones who have supported me through all of this craziness daily. So much of what I’ve experienced and learned about is because of some of my friends who have been brave enough to share their chronic illness journeys with me and offer me some possibilities. All of that matters so much. Battling invisible pain can be so isolating. I’m never going to stop sharing and staying connected to others in all of this. I know healing is possible and I’m trusting God’s plan for me through it all.
