Hi friends!

If you already know me then you know that I was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease among other things. If you don’t - hi and welcome! This blog post will help you get to know me a bit better. :)

It’s important for me to share my story with you not only to give those of you struggling some insight but to be authentic and transparent with my community. I wanted to wait until I saw significant improvements before reflecting on my Lyme/overall healing journey. If you are struggling with Lyme or any other disease I am sending you so so so much love and healing energy. You will heal! Be patient and remember most of all to believe. Healing begins in the mind.

Remember that Lyme disease can vary person to person. There is chronic Lyme, acute Lyme, and both manifest differently depending on when you contracted the disease and where the tick bit you. Because most traditional doctors are less informed on Lyme disease, I urge you to do your research and find a Lyme literate doctor who can help you. Visit www.GLA.org for resources, research and education.

This is my story

Starting at age 15 my health started to decline. I was “fine” on the exterior but on the inside I was wrought with anxiety, depression, knee pain, weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, PCOS, acne and gut issues galore. All of these things were disrupting my ability to lead a happy and active teenage lifestyle. I met with countless Western doctors and each one of them said the same thing. You’re fine. Your tests look great. There is nothing wrong with you. Maybe you have anxiety? Here’s some Miralax. See a therapist. Take this SSR. Take this overactive bladder medicine. You know what this feels like if you’ve had a related experience.

At age 21 I moved to Western Mass in hopes of leaving my anxiety and depression behind and turning a new leaf. I said goodbye to my SSRI’s and enrolled in Chinese Herbal Medicine classes at the local apothecary (which to this day is one of the coolest experiences of my 20’s). There, I learned to read tongues and pulses. I worked with an acupuncturist/herbalist combining formulas for her patients in the back room whilst getting free treatment in return. Let me tell you, that room did not smell great. Ye ming sha showed up in a lot of the formulas. Do you know what that is? It’s BAT POOP.

Fast forward to last year. I had just turned 30 and was still struggling with some of the same issues from age 15 and then some. I had cured myself of a few of them with my own knowledge of nutrition and Ayurveda (which is exactly why I became a health coach by the way - so powerful! I’ll go deeper into this in the next post). My Western doctors visits turned into Eastern doctors visits and still no dramatic improvements. My functional doctor at the time decided to test me for Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) which tested high for igg positive (which means I’ve had it in the past and my body is still fighting it). His advice was to rest. That’s it. REST?! With all do respect sir I think I’ve rested enough and nothing is working. I was furious. I knew in my heart of hearts that there was something bigger going on and it frustrated me to no end that my functional doctor - someone who should seemingly know more about alternative medicine and view each patient from a holistic perspective. I stomped out of his office, ended my relationship with him and began doing my own research.

My Symptoms

Brain fog, memory problems, neck and back pain, jaw pain (TMJ), knee and other joint pain, headaches, extreme fatigue, sensitivity to sound and light, food sensitivities, nausea, bloating, parasites, heart palpitations, chest pain (landed me in the ER twice in 2018), panic attacks, costochondritis (inflammation of the intercostal muscles), body soreness, lack of motivation, sleep issues, night sweats, flu-like symptoms, chemical sensitivity, vision problems, weight fluctuations, tingling in extremities, cold extremities due to poor circulation, overactive bladder, hypothyroidism, low immunity which meant I was sick A LOT (and probably more things I’m forgetting right now). I had mono and the swine flu between ages 15 and 19 and contracted a fever every time I went on vacation.

Finding Community

I came upon The Balanced Blonde’s High Vibe Lyme and Chronic Illness Facebook group and was surprised to see how many people had a combination of Lyme disease and EBV. Finding communities of people who were in the same position made me feel hopeful that I was finding the right path for my healing. A month later I was introduced to a local Boston gal who has Lyme and met up with her for coffee. Right off the bat (poop hehe), she told me it sounded like I had Lyme and recommended her Lyme literate naturopathic doctor (LLND or LLMD) to me. The next week I was at this doctor’s office in Fairfield, CT listing all my symptoms in the span of 2 hours. I was so impressed. This doc was the first professional who actually listened, cared, and most of all believed what I was saying. Everything lined up - she clinically diagnosed me with Lyme, sent me for blood testing to confirm and see if I had any co-infections (it’s very typical for Lymies to have co-infections) and put me on a protocol.

Before I knew it, I was starting treatment for Lyme...

Click here to read Part 2 of my healing journey.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. So many of us struggle with an illness and I completely sympathize with you. There are countless routes of treatment out there and I can honestly say that diet and lifestyle saved me. It’s so so important to pay attention to the food that you’re putting into your body, staying on a low inflammation diet, and giving your body the right type of movement and lifestyle to be in a state of healing. If you are looking for healing support from a health coach with quite the journey of her own schedule a free phone consultation here.

I offer one-to-one coaching, Customized meal planning, Ayurvedic cleansing (no starvation here!), Prepared meal delivery in the Boston Area.