
As a child, I was fairly healthy. I had the chicken pox, a cold here and there but nothing much to write about. Growing up, we ate well. My mom, aunts and grandmothers were all great cooks and as I got older, my mom spent more and more time cultivating her garden. I would reap the benefits of her harvests in her daily meals. Then I graduated high school and went off to college.
In preparation for my big move, we went shopping at a big box store for everything I would need for
my life away from home. Since I would not necessarily have access to a stove, we purchased plenty of microwaveable foods – mac & cheese, ravioli, ramen noodles – you know, the good stuff! The cafeteria option for Freshmen at my alma mater left me with 2 exciting choices for hot food – cheeseburgers or grilled cheese sandwiches. So that was the entirety of my diet!! Occasionally an older student would treat us to other campus dining options which meant access to pizza, chicken fingers or wings and French fries. To drink it was always fruit juice, soda, or extra-sweetened coffee drinks to keep me awake. No water. And I couldn’t figure out why I was getting sick!
I was suffering from an unknown condition that would flare up unpredictably. These flare ups could put me out of commission, anywhere from a few hours to a few days; and sometimes they would occur multiple times a month. My family and I spent thousands of dollars in hospital bills, specialist visits and procedures. The flare ups continued for years, and I developed anxiety not knowing if I could ever have a normal life. I started to feel like I couldn’t depend on myself because I couldn’t trust my body to be well. Over the years, I missed countless family events, social gatherings, work meetings and trips, and ultimately my own wedding reception! Being laid up in a hospital bed instead of celebrating my long-awaited nuptials with my family and friends was the final straw.
I knew I needed to do something different, but what? I had been to numerous specialists, tried all types of medications to treat the various symptoms and outcomes of the flares, but I was still stuck. I started to wonder ‘what was causing all of these issues in the first place?’ With all of the doctors, I had been treating the symptoms but we never identified the root cause. The path to healing myself forced me to look inward. I had to dismiss some of my previously held notions about medicine. I had to return to the lessons I learned tending my mother's garden. And this is how my wellness journey began; I had to learn how to assess and address the root cause of my ailments and how to align my daily habits in a way that allows me, to perform optimally, mind, body and spirit. I developed a team of health specialists from both holistic and clinical realms who were able to help me get to the root cause of all of these symptoms. Finally, I had a diagnosis! But, Endometriosis, what the heck is that? I learned everything that I could about 'my Endo'. I returned to eating more foods from the garden, and I started drinking more water. I changed my daily habits to decrease my stress and increase my quality of life. Along the way, I became a health coach so that I could help others heal and find balance like I did.
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