1 year post diagnosis
1 year ago I was in so much pain I could barely sit down without crying. Riding in a car, let along a motorcycle would leave me writhing in pain. I had been to countless doctors and spent thousands just to get pushed around to someone else to get another opinion. One look from a specialist after months of this they knew exactly what was wrong and a painful biopsy confirmed it. Lichen Sclerosis essentially a thinning of the skin and mine just happens to appear in my nether parts. Super glamorous, I know. There’s no real cure except for a lifetime of steroid cream. When your doctor says that you are one of the worst cases she’s ever seen you don’t take that lightly. She must have said 10 times in that first appointment…”I have no idea how you have been living with this for so long and no one caught it.” I was yet again balling, but this time that someone had an explanation and that it wasn’t something in my head. The validation I needed that this pain was real.
I knew I didn’t want to be on a topical steroid for the rest of my life, so I dove in and did a ton of research on the real reason we get auto-immune diseases and more importantly what I could do to fix mine without drugs. This research has pushed me to learn so much about my body and the environment that we live in and the toxicity of our society.
I decided to make the choice to do the Auto-Immune Protocol and it legitimately changed my life. It may have been the hardest 60+ days of my life it has given me an entirely new perspective. When you realign your body with natural foods it optimizes its performance.
AIP is essentially
All animal proteins
All vegetables and fruits (except nightshades)
Coconut and coconut products (e.g., coconut milk, coconut flour)
Lard
Bacon
Rendered animal fats
Avocados
Olive oil
Salt
Herbs
And that’s it. I went from a caffeine and cheese addict to someone who now exclusively drinks tea and uses a vegan nut-based butter. I found out my triggers are gluten, dairy, and eggs, so now I just don’t consume those foods and I stay symptom free.
This journey has been anything but easy. I often feel isolated because I can’t eat “normal” things at restaurants. Family doesn’t always understand and often downplays making adjustments to their own foods/recipes to meet my needs.
It is the unwanted commentary.
The snide comments “your family owns a grocery store, I never expected you to be asking for vegan options”.
“It’s just a little butter”
“It’s just a little flour”
“Can’t you just have a little bit?”
NO! I legitimately can’t.
I am now a year in and know that if I even experience cross contamination I break out within an hour.
I am not trying to be “extra” when I ask for substitutions or for clarification on a menu. I am avoiding at least a week of topical steroids, Benedryl, exhaustion, brain fog, headaches, sore joints, and itching.
I am by no means near perfect at living this lifestyle. I am still learning to use my voice and be an advocate for myself, especially in social situations.
Today, is one year post diagnosis and have made so many adjustments to my life and as a result am down almost 50 pounds! I am so beyond proud of myself. I am now blogging almost exclusively on healthy living, recipes, and working on my homesteading skills.
My goals now are-
to continue to work to become self-sustaining
learn more and plan a larger garden for next year
learn to can my own fruits, vegetables, and preserves
learn to make maple syrup
build a food stock with mostly hand crafted goods
perfect my gf sourdough
create more healthy recipes to share with my growing audience
be authentic
inspire others to live their best and healthiest lives
I try to be as transparent as possible throughout the journey. I want to not only show the insta worthy meals or farmers market hauls, but also the REAL life.
I hope my story inspires you and you continue to follow along.
XOXO,
CB
