Beginning of my wellness journey… after a life time of illness

My hope in sharing my health journey is for those who are ill to know there are others who are ill too and we are all struggling together. Some of us are sick not knowing how to “fix” it as I didn’t know the cause or why I felt so weak/sick everyday and I didn’t know anyone who felt as weak as I or as sick; it was a very lonely place. Some of us do know why we don’t feel well and are too weak/tired to visit friends, travel to see family, ( I had to cancel plane tickets several times) just to visit family near and far. Too tired to go to my dentist appointments, enjoy summer activities…swimming, tubing, ride ATVs , all I could just lay on my deck in the sun and sleep. Sometimes I would force myself to do activities I use to look forward doing.

So if you are reading my story I want you to know you’re not alone. There are answers as your body is made to heal every day…there is a reason it is not. There are answers…you have the tenacity to keep moving forward until you find the right person to help you. Someone who will listen, understand, do testing to see where to start to balance your system to heal the cells. I’m rooting for you! My goal for my blog is to help you with healthy clean recipes Explain what AIP (anti inflamatory Protocal) is, where to find AIP compliant recipes, daily food menus, low key excersises, what to purchase and where. Foods to help lower inflamation. Also, direction, connection and postive motivation. Tricks and tips I have learned these last six years that have helped me in my health quest.

My Story

My health journey began in 1956 when I was 3 years old we lived on the Columbia gorge with a lot of poison oak around the house. My father, who had severe reactions to this plant, decided to spray it with DDT and diesel. He got sick right away with ulcers, fatigue so much so he couldn’t work. My brother, Rick, and myself played around the house after it was sprayed. Soon after we moved to the Willamette Valley out in the country. Our childhood we were sick children with fatigue, asthma, reaccuring tonsillitis and step throat, enviromental and food allergies… we missed a lot of school. In my teen years I felt better still plagued with Tonsillitis and allergies. These conditions followed us for our entire life. Not knowing at the time this weakend our adrenal grands. When was 23 after our third child was born, an achy tiredness, flu like symptoms appeared. Back in 1977 it was hard to find a Holistic or naturopathic physican. Most doctors said it was all in my head and asked me if I got along with my mom….or my dad. I finally found a naturopathic doctor who did food and chemical testing. There I got my answer to not feeling well…food and chemical sensitivties. So as long as I ate organic food, organic soaps and shampoos, conditioners, slept in cotton sheets and blandets, and wore cotton clothes, drank filtered water…etc I was able to function in a chemical world, however, there were still some tired days as hard to stay away from all chemicals. I worked at home taking in children…had my own daycare business. This allowed me to sit down when needed. As time went on I felt I was getting stronger. I had started running to feel stronger than most, so when I had down days I could still function.

We had four more children so I was a busy mom. Most of the time I was able to keep up with the demands of children, home, daycare, sports events, church…etc. When only three children were still living at home, I was forty five I applied for a job working at our local high school , as I felt strong consistently enough to work outside of the home, which I did for twenty years, even coaching track, cross country, JH volleyball and yearbook advisor.

In 2009 I graduated with my Assoicates In Liberal Arts transfer degree and planned on furthing my schooling in Education to teach junior high level.

I had worked ten years getting my degree and planned on getting my bachelors. I continued to work even while my body was starting to become weary; the death of our son, grief, family trama, increased food allergies, more chemical sensitivities, more susceptible to viruses with longer recovery time, I felt I never really recovered from mono or shingles. Some days I would be so exhausted. So I retired at 65.

After sleeping in and resting in the sun after retirement in June, I felt I would feel better come September. I invisioned subbing a lot as I loved working with the students; I LOVED my job. While subbing in December a harsh flu virus hit the school and I was called to sub until Christmas break. Of course I got the virus and was very sick, which I never recovered. I never had the energy to go back and sub. I didn’t have the energy to run, if I tried then I was down for seven days with the “flu” or I thought. I became exhausted if I vacuumed upstairs and downstairs I was down with “flu” symptoms for another 7 days. I became so exhausted I didn’t have the energy to get our mail fifteen feet from our front door. My food and chemical senitivities got much worse. I was “sick” for over 3 years. I felt broke. I felt like the cartoon… anytime I went anywhere, such as our grandson’s sports events, I felt I was holding on to my husbands back pocket as he would drag me to each event.

After four years of taking every supplement under the sun to build my immune system, help my body produce energy, build muscle stamna I was still exhausted and limited in what I had energy to do…my body/legs ached all the time. All I felt like doing was sleep. A friend suggested a book “The Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome” by M. Lam MD. which I read cover to cover. This was me! I called a phone# in the book for a consultation. I was able to have many test done. This helped pin point where my problem issues were...high levels of mercury (mercury poisoning) high antibodies of epstein-barr visus, severe gut biosis, high inflamation numbers, more food and chemical allergies, and adrenal exhaustion which caused burning aching legs, sore tired muscles, brain fog and hormone inbalance and severe debilatating fatigue; tired but wired, tinnitus, chemical and food allergies reactions were more severe. However, everything I tried in their program to heal just made me feel sicker. After two years with this medical group with no improvement I was told, “I was just too sensitive for their supplements and programs to help me.”

hEAL THE CELL…

After going on a celery cleanse for 6 months…which made me feel even more exhausted, I connected to another medical group. Their focus was to cleanse the cell so the cell can heal. Good nutrition in and wastes/toxins out. It was a very thorough program…build the cells to get ready to detox neurotoxins and heavy metals. I could connect on Zoom for positive mindset coaching, essensial oils presentations, zoom with health coaches once a week, introduced to an AIP diet protocal (Anti-Inflamatory Protocal diet), this program included a spiral bound workbook of instruction to keep you on track. A four month supplement detox program which took me eight. After this phase I could sleep better and I could drive short distances. It was a start!!! (I hadn’t driven for four years)

Currently I just finished the neurotoxins and heavy metal detox for the second time and have improvement, my legs feel stronger, I have better balance. Improvement is exciting!! My next protocal will be the parasite cleanse. It will take me 4-5 weeks to get my strength/body back this last detox. I hope I see positive changes…more energy.

On this health journey I have learned how to eat clean every day. Lower my inflamation level, make healthy drinks, acquired many clean recipes, it is a life style change… you feel better when you eat healthy. Home made bone broth is my favorite. I continue a maintenance supplementation for my own issues. I can walk about a mile now, I have a light excersise program as well. I still have to be cautious to not over due so I don’t stress the adrenals and cause a crash. The mercury all but shut down my adrenal glands, and caused celluar disfunction.

As long as I stay the course…I can be stronger!

Hiking on the Siltcos Outlet in Oregon…a Good Day! I try to take advantage the days I feel good.

My health journey is a day by day process. I have a very strick menu and prioritize what and how much activity I can do each day. Some days I can do more than others…some days very little.

If I go on a mile hike I will need to rest…simple dinner or order out.

AIP diet won’t heal everything as there are many factors which affect your health; food can be medicine to your body. It can definitly decrease inflamation, help water retention, improve sore joints, help high blood pressure, lessen or relieve brain fog. Below is a list of AIP compliant foods.

Clean Eating

• Grass-fed meats (including nutrient-dense organ meats)red meat
• Wild-caught fish and seafood
• Herbs
• Leafy green vegetables (spinach, endive, herbs, etc.)
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.)
• Root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, etc.)
• Fermented vegetables
• Sea vegetables
• Avocados
• Fruit: berries, citrus fruit, apples, cherries, grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, etc
• Olive oil and coconut oil
• Vinegar with no sugar added (balsamic, red wine, cider vinegar)
• Sugar substitutes: honey, real maple surup, non sugar apple sauce, date sugar, and coconut sugar.

The AIP diet decreased inflamation and helps the body to heal. It is an alternative way of cooking. No eggs – substitute is a gelatin Egg …1 tablespoon gelatin to 3 tablespoons warm water. I have used this many times in baking.

I have been on this diet for two years and will continue to eat this life style for the rest of my life. It is healthier in every way. The last labs showed my inflamation was nonexistant, blood levels were good, all test were with in the parameters of health. I still continue to detox; 70 years of an intake of toxins my body didn’t detox at a fast enough rate due to my cellular disfunction…unhealthy cells can’t detox fast enough for a healthy functioning body.

Remember…food is medicine to the body!!

June 6, 2024

Sometimes when I try to try new healthy foods, because of my food sensitivites I feel worse. Two nights ago I tried a new salad recipe, easy to make and very good…loved it. There was nothing in it I was senitive to. However, a couple hours later my stomach was not digesting, and was getting tired…lethargically so, which is common for me when I don’t feel well. When I woke in the morning I still felt just a exhausted. I drank ginger/tumeric/cayenne pepper and later in the day my salt drink to hopefully get my system going. I just feel like half of my body shuts down. Not hungry, sleepy, brain fog…too tired to even jump on my rebounder. I spent most of the day on the couch laying on a hotpad as my back was hurting as well. I work hard on those days to stay positive and know this is temporary…as tomorrow will be a better day. I worked on a youtube tutorial understand creating on Canva. So many possibilities there! Dinner was easy meal…Bone Broth with saurekraut. I tell myself “This too soon shall pass” and it does. Slept better taking magnesium and ashwagandha for sleep.

Feeling much better today, jumped on the rebounder 1000 jumps and walked our dog Tucker. This is my health journey…ups and downs…I don’t usually know what causes the downs and thats the hard part. So with the salad, individually I can eat those ingredients, but for some reason when put altogether I can’t. This happens to me many times. So I have to make adjustments. This is why I said in an earleir post, “I have to keep things simple.”

This is what keeps me going on my bad days…on better days good things happen. I call this a win! Remember… tomorrow is another new day!

FEbruary 1, 2025

January of 2025 has been a tough one. Contacted an intestinal flu which made me super tired, nauseated, stomach tenderness. I had this 4 times each time 5 days. I finally got over it by eating chopped garlic daily and Ivermectin for 1 1/2 weeks. Then I had to build my strength back; however had trouble sleeping, which has been a on going issue of mine. Last night was the worst. Today I was exhausted and had to sleep a couple of hours.

Taking pictures gives me purpose. I am not able to do as much as I use to…so taking pictures is therapeutic. Helps make to use my creativity when finding the best shot then editing the picture. Helps to take the focus off how I feel and on a positive activity.

This would be my advice to anyone with a chronic illness, no matter what it is, try to do something positive each day. Take a walk, walk your dog, go outside and just enjoy the view (the sun, trees, water, flowers) call a friend, a relative, keep a journal, listen to music, learn an instrument (playing music is refreshing and rewarding) watch a funny movie…laughing is music to the soul. I hope you find your happy place, activity, or person who can help you continue on your journey of wellness with grace and positivity.

Remember your health includes many different aspects of your life, physical, emotional, psyhological, mental, spiritual; a life time process to wellness. All takes time, comittment, energy and work. My hope is to let you know your are not alone in this journey.