I am currently 40 years old. I am blessed with an AMAZING husband and 2 incredible sons (6 and 2). I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2007, Hashimotos in 2015 and Sarcoidosis in 2019. Doctors have also mentioned Sjogren’s in my list of conditions, though I do not experience symptoms of this disease. I’m here to talk about this journey I am on of healing autoimmune disease naturally.
I have a hard time taking prescription medications for my diagnoses and an even more difficult time labeling myself as “sick” or as having any of these ailments. But, for the sake of this blog and to relate to others that are currently experiencing one or more similar situations, I will label myself (more on all that later).
In 2007, when I was diagnosed with RA, I listened to the docs. I believed that I was given a life sentence of achy joints and taking crazy meds to lessen the pain. I believed that I was stuck taking Methotrexate for life and I would be getting my liver and kidneys checked every 6 months or so to ensure the medication wasn’t afflicting those organs. I did what they said, but never felt right about it. To lessen joint pain, I was compromising the health of other vital organs in this body and I wasn’t sure that this made sense. Somewhere within me, I felt that there had to be another way. Nevertheless, I continued.
After about 6 months or so of taking Methotrexate and dealing with flu-like symptoms the day after each round, I had my first appointment to get my organs checked. I felt freaked out again. My liver and heart could be totally compromised (as I then understood it) just to lessen my joint pain… this still felt very wrong. The way I dealt with things back then was to ignore them. I wasn’t one to research or find my own way, I just made a decision of what I was going to do and go forward, with my head in the sand. That said, I stopped the medication. I stopped seeing a Rheumatologist. I stopped talking about my RA. I stopped it all. I put my head deep into that cozy and safe sand and I forged on in life. I affirmed that I was stronger than this pain and I didn’t need medication or help.
I went without meds and completely ignored any pain I felt and the diagnosis for about 2 years. In early 2010 the pain got pretty bad. I couldn’t deny it any longer. I saw a new Rheumatologist and was told that if I hadn’t come in right then, I would’ve been in a wheelchair within 5 years. This new doc was also a lot more thorough. He explained to me that RA can affect your lungs and your heart and that it can be a whole lot more than “just achy joints” as I put it. Freaked out by this statement, I went back on Methotrexate.
At that time, I asked my doctor if I could eat differently to change how this disease was affecting my body. I knew, in my heart, that there had to be a different way. My doctor answered me with an all-knowing, “no, there’s no scientific proof that foods help with this. Some people claim that cutting things like meat or sugar out helps them, but there are no medical studies. You have to be on medication.”
So, off I went again, with an unsettled heart, achy joints and some nasty meds in hand. At this point in my life, I didn’t trust myself enough to listen to what I now know is my very strong intuition. Something in me was screaming that there was another way. However, the world around me told me that I wasn’t as smart as the doctors and I didn’t have time to look into, so just do what they say and that’s that.
I took the Methotrexate for a while. It dulled the pain a few months, and then the aches returned stronger than before. Disheartened, I returned to my Rheumy and we talked about biologics, such as Humira. Again, without doing the research on my own about this medication, I jumped on in. I even signed up to be part of a medical study. Beginning in early 2012, this study tested the effects of taking Methotrexate combined with Humira. The blind portion of the study was that I didn’t know if I was on a high dose or a low dose of the Methotrexate. The Humira dose was the same for everyone. I visited the medical office periodically and they studied my joints, took ultrasound images of my joints and got paid $90 per month. Not a bad deal. Free meds and a bit of extra cash. And admittedly, my joints felt better than they had in a while.
I despised the weekly injections and each time I did one my skin would get very inflamed and itchy for about two days. During this time, my mom got very ill. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given a short time to live. It was a really hard time, but I stuck to the study and the meds. As I was injecting myself one day (and whining about it), my mom kindly mentioned that she wished she had something to give herself to make her feel better. Feeling like an asshole, I realized that she was right. This medication is a blessing. It’s preventing me from getting deformed joints and it’s keeping me out of a wheelchair. I continued on.
In 2013 and after a very bumpy year (losing my mom and fighting my own disease), my husband and I decided to start our family. For me, this meant cleansing my body of these medications. I stopped all medication and prayed that I’d be one of the lucky ones that would go into remission during pregnancy. I had no such luck in the first trimester. I hit a point where I could not move a wrist at all and worried about my future with a child. How would I ever lift and care for a sweet baby when my wrist won’t even allow me to move a pen to write my name. I took one round of steroids during this time which also made me worry for my sweet baby. I prayed that this pain would exit my body. Finally, I caught a break. Within the second trimester, I entered remission. I didn’t feel any pain from this point through about one year after my son’s birth.
At this point, I desperately searched for a natural way to deal with my RA. I was listening to myself a bit better and refusing to go back to the medication. Even with the echo of my mother’s words about wishing she’d had something to help her, I couldn’t get the list of side effects out of my head. Most biologics have a laundry list of side effects. If you’ve ever seen a commercial for one, you know what I’m talking about. It almost seems like a sketch from Saturday Night Live… the list goes on and on and on. It truly feels like it has to be a joke. But, it’s not. One of these many side effects is a “heightened risk of cancers…”.
See, my father also passed from cancer years and years ago. Being that I’ve lost both of my parents to this vicious disease, I just couldn’t (and can’t) do it. I couldn’t see the benefit of me raising my own risk of cancer. I had enough risk. I started that thinking then and I continue to believe that now. I love my children and I want to be there for them beyond when my parents were able to be there for me. I want to meet my grandkids. I want to play with my grandkids. Let me change that wording…. I will play with my grandkids.
Anyway, in early 2015 I started seeing a Naturopath. This is when I got diagnosed with Hashimotos. For this, I did begin the medication Levothyroxine. I still take that medication. Its side effects are few and it’s important to keep your thyroid levels stable. As I enter this part of my journey, I hope to cure this disease and wean from the medication as well.
Around this time, I stumbled upon a program created by a gentleman that suffered from RA. I did this program. It was a serious elimination diet. I stopped eating and drinking everything but water, lettuce, and onions. I slowly reintroduced foods into my life and it seemed like it’d be 20 years before I was back to eating all the things. It was tough but, it seemed to be working.
Then, enter more real life. My sisters dad died and I did a lot of traveling to help her with details surrounding that. Traveling and being on a super strict diet is not easy. Shortly after that, my stepdad was killed in a terrible accident. Life. is. crazy. ammiright? (disclaimer: I’m not telling this story for sympathy or “I’m sorries”. I promise. I’m telling it because it is my life. And, I think that being real and honest helps us relate as humans.)
So, this diet lasted for about a month and a half and it just fell away. From that time until now I’ve gone to different doctors, I’ve dabbled with cutting out dairy and gluten, I’ve been told again how serious my disease is, I’ve continued to stay off medication for my RA. From about 2015 through mid-2018, I was surviving life. I was doing ALL the things so that I didn’t have to fully face anything. It’s been a problem. A really big problem that I’m ready to stop. In this time, I had my second wonderful son, I worked a lot and I kept ignoring.
Here’s the thing. I know that doctors know what they’re talking about, but I also know what my body is doing and how it feels. Right now, I feel better than I ever have. I work out an average of 4 days per week and my body is capable of anything. Yes, there is pain. Some mornings are really scary. I’ve had mornings that I truly worry about being confined to a wheelchair. That is before I take a few steps and say, “HELL NO” and remember that I WILL NOT GIVE UP. There are times that I worry that this RA is doing real damage to my body. It is for this reason that it’s time to take this seriously. I’m ready to face each and every thing that life has to hand me. No more ignoring. No more, “I’m too busy to deal with it”. No more, “I’ll do that soon” or “I’ll do that when….. insert anything”.
Since about June of 2018, I’ve been on a journey of discovering how our minds and how we talk to ourselves and how our subconscious beliefs create our reality. It’s been amazing and enlightening. I’ve woken up to so many aspects of life. This portion of my journey is where this blog comes from.
I am currently on day 9 of the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). I will be writing about this diet and more on this blog. I really want to take you all on this journey with me. I want to share more of my story. I want to share what I’ve discovered in the past few years. I want to share my food journey and my exercise journey. I want to share me. If you read it, you read it, and I thank you. If you don’t, that’s okay too. There are two reasons I’m doing this.
- I have been flip-flopping around like a dying fish for years looking for someone to relate to. Someone real. Someone on a similar journey as me. I’ve been looking for an answer or an inspiration. I’ve found a few here and there, but everything seemed sugar-coated and I’m a person that really appreciates REAL. I’d like to be one of these things for someone. Even if it is literally just one person. That will make all the difference. I pray that I can perhaps be a light, a friend, an idea, an inspiration for someone that is in the midst of their flip-flopping. I pray that maybe I can help someone stop that flip in midair and land on their feet and say, “WAIT, I know what my next move is…”. Guys, I’ve been through it and am in it. Let’s do it together not alone.
- My second reason for doing this? It’s selfish. I’ve started lots of diets and countless other projects in life and just plain stopped. I haven’t been good at holding myself accountable. This is an idea I had to stay accountable to myself on this diet and on this journey of healing. I figure if someone is watching and reading my journey, I’ll feel like a bigger asshole stopping than if I hadn’t shared here. I’ve vowed to no longer let myself down. I won’t let you down either.
Guys, there IS another way to heal. I KNOW IT. Stick with me. You’ll learn more about things I’ve learned and the ideas I’ve had and lots more. I’m sending you all love and light and remember to be love. There’s no other way to be. We’re all on this journey together. Just be love.