Our Food Journey Begins

From fast food to fresh food; In the beginning

I was the queen of the fast food drive through. I knew where to go for the best weekly deals and ways to hack the meals to get the biggest bang for my buck. I had the menus memorized and knew all the secret menu items. Alternately, I was clueless in the kitchen. I could make a mean scrambled egg, and over bake a chicken breast. Beyond that, no one ever asked me to contribute to a holiday potluck unless it was a bag of rolls. They wanted to survive the meal and see another day.

I am sure at this point you are scratching your head, wondering how I ended up writing a blog about healthy food. Well, my friends, that is a really long story; too long to share in one sitting. But, for the moment, I will take you on the trek that led me to the beginning of this amazing transformation.

For years I suspected there was something going on with my body, but when you are in your twenties, you tend to feel invincible (or was that just me). I ignored the immense fatigue, distended belly, and migraines. Then came the inability to get pregnant. My doctor wanted to give me infertility treatments, however, in passing she told me my blood work showed I was not ovulating and my TSH numbers were borderline. Before agreeing to the fertility treatments, I went home and hopped on Web MD (because that is my go to answer to all medical ailments), and found information stating a symptom of hypothyroidism was lack of ovulation. I went to my next appointment and insisted my OB try treating me for hypothyroidism before infertility treatments. After a little push-back, I started levothyroxine. Within three months of starting it, I was pregnant with our son.

Shortly after having him, I began to have more frequent symptoms. I started having severe abdominal pain more and often. I couldn't figure out the trigger or reason, I just knew it was intense. At the same time, my poor baby was struggling with horrible reflux. We tried different formulas and different rice cereals added to the formula, to no avail. The boy would win the olympics of projectile vomit if there were such an event. When we left the house we had one diaper bag, with the normal items: formula, bibs, toys, books, bottles, diapers and wipes. Then, we had the violent vomiter's survival kit: five burp rags, five bibs, and five changes of clothes (for him and me). It was an ordeal, but became a way of life for us. His pediatrician said once he started eating more solids it would get better. It didn't. Solid food was just grosser to clean up! We went through numerous barium swallows with no results. Finally, we were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist. I will never forget that moment. We were in his office (literal office, not patient room) for about fifteen minutes explaining our son's symptoms and he looked at me and said "I don't need to examine your son, the problem is not reflux. His symptoms are an allergic response." He was nearly three years old and I could not believe my ears. Needless to say we delved straight into a food elimination diet and after some trial and error narrowed it down to a citric acid intolerance.

By this point, I had gone through a second pregnancy. It was successful, in the sense that I had a beautiful, little girl. However, I was severely ill the last two weeks of my pregnancy. No one understood why I was so sick. In retrospect, I think my immune system was completely overworked and was telling me it had had enough. There is no medical proof to back this up, however after all I have learned about my body and immune system, I think that's what was happening.

So, back to the big discovery. As I got more familiar with what citric acid was and paid attention to what my son couldn't eat, I made a strange discovery. Every time I ate something on his "do not eat" list, I got sick. Could it be? Yes, after another couple months of experimenting, I determined I also had a citric acid intolerance. Well, would it surprise you if I told you it turned out my poor daughter was also cursed with same intolerance!? We figured it out before she was a year old and removed it from her diet as well.

Okay, for the sake of hurrying this story down the road, over the next couple years I grew more and more ill. Nearly daily migraines, severe joint and back pain, hair falling out, gums inflamed to the point of bleeding, dry scalp, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, brain fog, nausea, and extreme fatigue. This does not encompass all I was experiencing, but I was in such a horrible fog that, to be completely honest, there are many things I cannot remember clearly from those years. What I do recall is I was in numerous car accidents back to back after having no accidents for ten years. One was with my kids in the car and it was terrifying. I was so foggy, I was literally going through life in what I refer to as an ill drunken state. I went to my PCP, thinking I was hypoglycemic, and he told me no. I had my thyroid, vitamin and mineral levels checked and he assured me all was well. Then, I noticed a whitening of my skin in places. After playing Doctor on Web MD, (told you, its my go to) I determined I had something called vitiligo. Further research showed it was not uncommon for Hashimotos Disease (an autoimmune hypothyroid disorder) to overlap with vitiligo symptoms. So, I called my PCP up again and asked for him to test me for Hashimoto's. I was told, yet again, that all my numbers were fine.

Feeling defeated, I went home and pondered my options. I came across a life-changing book called Thyroid Healthy: Lose Weight, Look Beautiful and Live the Life You Imagine by Suzy Cohen. This was the beginning of my journey. She explained the different thyroid tests, why certain ones don't always give you the information you need, and how to find a physician that will help you get on the road to healing. I was never so sure of the fact that I was sick; it was not in my head and I needed help! That was the moment I decided I was going to fight to get my life back.

I will be sharing some stories of this pilgrimage in future posts, as it has been a long road. What did I learn on the initial leg of this trip? First, you need to advocate for your health and what you believe is right because if you don't, no one else will. Second, follow your gut. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. And finally, do not give up. I was in a bad place when I came across that book. I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open to read it. I had become known as the mom who was always sleeping. Not what I wanted to be remembered for. So, I pushed through and refused to give up until I found answers. Armed with this information, I have been able to restore my body to health, as well as teach my family how to take care of theirs. I look forward to sharing it all with you, so stay tuned!

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