It was a Wednesday morning. My 96-pound, frail and wrecked from Hashimoto’s body was resting in bed under the covers.
I wasn’t sleeping because I barely ever slept due to the incessant itching from the eczema I was plagued with.
After 10 minutes of working up the mental energy I needed to get out of bed because it was another day, I peeled my achy, painful body out of bed, and I headed to the bathroom. I had two young boys, ages 8 and ,4 who needed breakfast.
This day, my life changed forever.
When I looked in the bathroom mirror, I started crying and screaming.
I was staring at someone I didn’t recognize anymore.
The face that was staring back at me was swollen, almost beyond recognition and covered with psoriatic-like patches of itchy scaly skin. My face and ears were bright red. My ears were swollen and extremely painful to the touch. The bones in my chest were protruding enough to see my entire sternum and my skin was gray. I had two bumps the size of marbles protruding out of the sides of my neck and golfball-sized nodules all over the back of my head. My Hashimoto’s was out of control.
I crumbled to the floor in a heap of desperation and despair.
I Just Couldn’t Go On
At this point, I had seen over ten doctors and practitioners – all differing types. Functional, Conventional, Naturopathic. You name it, I’ve seen them.
I had already spent thousands upon thousands of dollars seeing these doctors trying to figure out my Hashimotos, why my hair was falling out, why I had to sleep 13 hours a night just to be up for one hour, why my suicidal depression was getting the best of me and why every time I ate ANY food, the itching would be endless and send me into a perpetual downward spiral both mentally and physically.
I had already been off gluten for 3 years and been on Synthroid for my hypothyroidism (and supposedly for Hashimoto’s) for 6. According to the docs, I should’ve been doing well. According to them, none of this was connected. They said my “numbers” looked fine!
Hearing my screaming, my husband Steve, who was “sleeping” in our recliner downstairs because he just had a spinal fusion in his neck one week prior, quickly came hobbling to the bathroom in his neck brace to see what was wrong. He found me in a sobbing ball on our master bathroom floor.
We had to call my Dad since, at this point, my husband couldn’t drive, to take me to the emergency room. I was holding onto the hope of finally finding out what was wrong with me. We had to ask my mom to stay with my kids while we, once again, tried to find help.
Does My Awful Hashimoto’s Story Resonate With You?
- Have you ever been in a similar place of despair and hopelessness when it comes to your health?
- Do your chronic health symptoms make you feel like you’re never going to get well again or you’re never going to feel like yourself again?
- Can you relate to the way I felt that Wednesday while on yet another trip to the Emergency room?
That Wednesday, I spent many hours on a hard, cold emergency room bed in a sterile room bright with fluorescent lighting, with a blank-faced, busy and uncaring doctor coming in and out of my room. My family waited in the wings, wondering if I was actually going to get an answer this time.
On the drive home, my body was filled with Benadryl and I had received no solutions. In fact, I was told I was “fine.” Words can’t describe, after spending our last $1000 and exhausting all options for help in healing, how I felt. The icing on the cake was the call from my PA I got during that drive home from the emergency room. I had seen her a few weeks earlier and she was calling withthe results of my Epstein-Barr test. My EBV test came back positive and I had active Mono.
>>SIGH<<
Not only did I have zero answers, but I had a new diagnosis to add to the Hashimoto’s, Hypothyroidism, Asthma, Vitiligo, Eczema, Dermatitis, and Depression.
The Gift That Changed my Life and my Health Forever
At this point, you may be thinking that the events of that dreadful day are why my life changed forever.
Well, yes, and no.
At the time, I didn’t realize it, but these circumstances were the catalyst for the forever change.
On that Wednesday, I was gifted a few choices.
Yes – gifted.
Sitting at home on my couch in the living room, staring at the wall, I just began praying -praying that God would just take me home to be with him. Put me out of my misery. I also prayed that if he didn’t do that, He would show me what to do.
I was completely surrendered.
It reminds me of the story in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 20:1-21 when King Jehoshaphat had several armies approaching him to attack and he literally had no way out and no resources to fight the battle. He feared greatly at the horrible reports. But…. He immediately turned to the Lord for help. He also asked everyone to fast and pray.
In my surrender, I had no solutions and no way out that I could see. I had no strength.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Bible says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
God will battle for you. It’s ok to be weak.
It’s alright when you don’t have the solutions.
He will show you the way.
He will light your path.
Just like Jehoshaphat had victory through God against those armies, I had victory over the enemies that were destroying my earthly temple.
God showed me the way!
While sitting on that couch, God reminded me of a conversation I had with my PA weeks ago. In passing, she asked if I had ever heard of the GAPS diet. I said no, not giving it another thought at that point.
However, sitting on the couch, God brought that conversation to my attention again, and I felt a spark of hope. At this point, I had nothing to lose. With the stubborn fighting spirit I was raised with, and all the downtime I had, I looked into what the GAPS diet was.
This revelation is what changed my life!
Not the diet per se, but the mindset shift and the new understanding of my body and its needs for true healing.
From that point forward, I did 5 things to continue to shift my life and health and resolve my Hashimoto’s and other chronic conditions.
These happened over time, not overnight!
First, I changed my diet, starting with GAPS and, after 7 months, moved to a modified Paleo template. That was what my individual body responded to.
Second, over a period of time, I got rid of all the toxins in my home – kitchenware, cleaners, toiletries and cosmetics and switched everything to natural alternatives
Third, I grounded myself deeper in my Christian faith, worked on my emotional health and overhauled my mindset.
Fourth, I learned valuable tools to manage my stress consistently and actively put these tools into action.
Fifth, I dealt with my silent infections – had two root canals removed and cleaned by a biological dentist. Those triggered my Hashimoto’s. Dealt with my unmanaged Epstein-Barr Virus, did numerous parasite protocols, and resolved a mold toxicity
When these steps are implemented correctly, profound healing can become a reality.
My Question to You
I want to ask you today – are there any of those 5 steps that stood out to you? Did you read one and think, “yep, I need to do that?”
If so, what could you actually do about the next step THIS week? Is there a food you could try to cut out and healthy foods you could add in?
Could you overhaul your kitchen or cleaners or toiletries?
Do you need to implement tools to manage your stress better?
Could you start writing Scripture to help you think on the things above?
Do you have some potential silent infections that you need to deal with in your mouth or a viral infection like EBV?
I love what John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death, and then saddling up anyway.”
What next steps are you going to take to begin the process of getting your life back?
It Was A Choice
My life verses Isaiah 55:8-9 say “For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
If I chose to give up that day on the couch and let Hashimoto’s run rampant, I would likely not be here on this earth today. My kids would have grown up without their mom. My husband would’ve become a single dad with the weight of the world on his shoulders. I would not get to meet my grandkids or attend my kid’s weddings.
It would be tragic because God has made beauty from those ashes and I wouldn’t have been a part of that.
Once I removed the interference and burdens on my body, He allowed my body to heal itself the way He designed it to. He has given me a purpose. I now get the honor and privilege of helping women all over the world take the same steps I did to overhaul their health and feel like themselves again.
To think I would have missed what God had for me if I had thrown in the towel. That would have been a tragedy.
What Healing Choice Are You Going to Make?
I pray for you today. If any part of my story resonates with you, I would love to hear from you.
If you are ready to take action for healing your body in a sustainable way, as I did, and you would like continual support with a proven faith-based roadmap with accountability, my Wellspring™ Membership experience will be perfect for you.
