The pic on the left was prior to my diagnoses and I was not me. I was inflamed. I was REALLY TRYING to look ALIVE in the picture. My boobs were up to my neck...the medical docs kept telling me all tests were normal...
No one seemed to want to dig deeper. Why was everyone OK with me looking so ILL?!?!
ON the right I was already on my path to healing...naturally.
Over the last year I experienced a $^*ton of health issues that just compounded 1 after the other....
I will chronicle them below because if it helps one person from the agony of waiting it out like I did before finding an answer, I know my journey was there for a reason.
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It started with an overall feeling of unwell.
I was SO tired ALL the time. I thought it was ME...something I was doing WRONG, you know?
If I slept more, rested more...I would feel better....it didn't work. I never felt rested.
I started to gain weight...no matter how healthy I ate and it never stopped.
All blood work for thyroid, adrenals, etc would come back NORMAL...left me scratching my head.
So I went to a holistic nutritionist.
We found I had a HIGH level of Mercury in my body that needed detoxed. HOW the heck did I get that??!
Either way, we started a protocol with natural supplements and the end result was supposed to be me feeling better, more alive, more well rested....
One month later, I developed Migraines...I am not a person that gets headaches...the pain was intense and came with light sensitivity, loss of eye sight in my left eye and severe left eye pain.
That migraine lasted 5 weeks before anyone could get it to stop. I did see a medical doctor and a neurologist as well. Had many tests to try to figure out what kind of migraines they were and WHY they came on so suddenly.
Everything came back normal. That is the greatest news and most frustrating at the same time.
One month from the migraine starting I developed HORRID digestive issues. Imagine a meatball the size of a softball sitting in your gut that wasn't able to digest for DAYS. That is was I felt. Soon, it became visible on my face because the acne showed up...you could tell I was unwell.
I felt like an alien....what the heck was going on in my body and NO ONE could figure it out.
My digestion continued to become more and more stressed and I did develop PAIN in my abdominal area...even drinking water was difficult.
I took myself to the ER at one point because I was afraid. The ER doc palpated and that HURT. However, ALL my blood work he ordered was NORMAL...he said, no cancer, all organs are working like NORMAL. Sent me home in the same pain I entered the ER with.
I was told to follow up with the Gastro Intestinal Doctor in 3-5 days. Upon calling the office the next day, first available was in 2 weeks. I cried. How was I going to handle the pain for 2 weeks?
After my mini panic, I started to think....maybe my PCP could get me in sooner!?!?! It was a shot, right?!?!
They couldn't pull any strings but offered to see me to see if they could help make me more comfy. Offered me a prescription to see if it would help, taking it 30 minutes prior to eating. It did take the edge off and I was grateful .
Fast forward to the GI, i had 3 different tests {endoscopy, sonogram, and a HIDA scan} and the first 2 were NORMAL! How crazy is that! So I asked, "Is it normal for a test to come back normal when it was physical painful?" I was told "YES"! Which is why they ordered the HIDA scan.
The HIDA scan found my gall bladder was operation at 22%...so i guess the ER doc's blood work saying my gall bladder was working GREAT, was not accurate.
THIS is why I say, it's so important to LISTEN to your body, because YOU know it best...regardless of the credentials behind any persons name. YOU are your own expert. Trust yourself. <3
Now, they did recommend a surgical consult and I def wanted to do that but my GUT feeling was, "Karie, you need to keep your gall bladder, bc you will only get worse without it. YOU need to find another option."
Not everyone gets better or feels better with it removed. {do some research if this is you...I have read about so many people that didn't know there were ways to heal a low functioning gall bladder and also didn't know that you NEED to supplement daily for a removed gall bladder bc you need to replace the function of it.
I was lucky to choose a female surgeon for my consult...
#girlpower ;) I was open to what she had to say and also shared with her what I was hoping to do...HEAL my gall bladder...Was it possible?
SHE said it WAS!!!! My ONLY issue was the tempting component and when that happens that is usually a SYSTEMS issue and can be resolved without surgery <3
Did you hear me? No surgery needed. BUT if what I was going to try didn't work, she was always there.
I wasn't even upset...I already had a feeling I had been fighting this the entire time...1 symptom at a time.
You see, I had been doing my own research in between all the appointments, specialists and tests that were NORMAL. I was searching for my own answer because I knew I didn't FEEL normal.
I knew I wasn't NORMAL.
I knew I needed HELP.
All the months, all the ailments came down to 2 words.
Come to find out...all along I had LYME DISEASE. I struggled for about a year with compounding health issues before I had an answer and a clear direction for treatment. I did choose a natural route for treatment.
What can Lyme Disease FEEL LIKE?
One thing I didn't expect was the level of PAIN I have experienced...it's because I have Lyme in my nerves and the bartonella co-infection...not everyone does. It can mimic fibromyalgia...I do have days where it's difficult to walk, sit or stand. I do what I can when I can. This won't last forever.
Lyme can mimic, Fibromyalgia, ALS, Lupus, Parkinsons, Alzheimers ...if you or anyone you know is diagnosed with the above and have never been tested for lyme, I urge you to do so. It may save your life. The Igenex blood test is the most accurate and you will want to see and LLMD {lyme specific doctor} for an accurate reading.
If you would like to know who I am treating with, I am happy to share. I do use a non-medical approach and it is working beautifully.
I am a FIGHTER and I will never give up. We get one life and I am Motivated to get fit and live FIT <3
If you would like support on your wellness journey or your Lyme journey, please reach out.
UPDATE!! One of the co-infections I have is
Liver Flukes...This is especially important for ANYONE that had/has issues with the emptying function of their gall bladder. My gall bladder was functioning at 22% bc of these and once you read about them and where they take up house...you will know why. You will also understand why my surgeon said it is most likely a "systems issue" and could be healed naturally.
Once you read more about this you will see why so many don't feel well after removing their gall bladder bc it wasn't the gall bladder that was the issue...but the parasites. Removing the gallbladder won't remove the parasites...those stay in your body until you do a simple cleanse. It's not hard.
This crash course has been eye opening.
