Everyone has a story to tell. As a story teller, I want to share mine.

I’ve struggled with my health for several years, and while I’ve always taken these issues seriously, it wasn’t until one year ago that I got really serious. I changed the way I ate, moving from a 90% vegetarian diet to a paleo one and eliminating many foods that my body could no longer tolerate. I started working closely with two new doctors, who have ordered tests so we can evaluate hard data and who sit with me for an hour each visit so we can discuss changes, progress, set backs, and next steps.

One of my new doctors described me as the “perfect storm”. He doesn’t think there’s one BIG thing that’s causing my symptoms. Instead, he believes there are several things working against me, and like an onion, we’ll have to peel back a layer at a time and address it.

“Perfect storm gal” at a stormy football game

Friends and family have been curious about my journey, some asking for resources and ideas as they find themselves battling similar issues. I’ve learned that several people I know have also been silently suffering, and as a story teller, I decided it was important to put my story out there. I hope if you’re reading this and you’re struggling with your digestive health, you’ll know you’re not alone. Reading other people’s stories over the last few years has certainly helped me.

While digestive health has been my primary concern, I value health and wellness from head to toe! As we’re getting to know one another, here’s a little bit more about where I’ve been and where I’m going.

Food and digestive health

Over the last few years, my digestive system has been my most pressing health concern. After being in daily pain and discomfort for over a year, I’m happy to share that at this moment, I’m having just as many, if not more, good days than bad ones. As Healthy Life Heather gets underway, I look forward to sharing details about the steps taken to heal my GI tract and the tests I’ve undergone to identify the underlying issues. For now, I thought I’d share a little bit about how my digestive health has changed in the last 10-15 years.

Gluten, dairy, and soy free

I was able to eat anything I wanted until my early 20s.

In the last year at college, I started realizing how some forms of dairy didn’t seem to sit well with me. What was more curious at the time was how some things really bothered me (cheese, milk, ice cream), while others (cottage cheese, yogurt) didn’t. I wasn’t interested in giving up dairy and didn’t think I had a true problem with it. My thinking was that if I had an allergy to dairy, I would have had it since I was born. I realized there was an issue but wasn’t too concerned.

During graduate school, I rapidly gained weight as late night food consumption increased and exercise decreased. I felt bloated all of the time. Looking back, I remember thinking that how I felt was just how someone must feel after eating a meal.

After grad school, I returned to the city where my family was living to start my new job. My mom had started working with a new healthcare practitioner who suggested she remove gluten, dairy, soy, and a few other foods from her diet and she was feeling great. When she encouraged me to schedule an appointment, I was hesitant. I still didn’t think I had an issue with these foods, but at the same time, I was afraid gluten and dairy could be the very culprits behind my digestive health questions. Eventually I made an appointment.

The practitioners used muscle testing to identify food sensitivities. I still don’t quite understand how muscle testing works, but I do know that removing those foods led to almost immediate improvements.

Functional medicine and paleo-ish

Eliminating gluten, dairy, and soy worked for a long time. However, in the fall of 2012, I started noticing changes in my appetite, GI tract, and overall feeling of wellness. By the summer of 2013, I was experiencing anything from slight discomfort to a strong, localized pain in my stomach at least five days out of the week. I felt and looked bloated constantly. Pressure would build up, pushing my stomach up into my diaphragm, mimicking a hiatal hernia. This led to pain, nausea, and anxiety. It wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t normal. Something needed to change.

I worked with a couple of doctors and health care practitioners to figure out what was going on, but found I was taking one step forward and two steps back. When I eventually read that the paleo diet can be good for people with multiple food intolerances and GI issues, I decided to give it a try. I also started working with functional medicine doctors and have continued to do so. By working closely with the practice’s MD and RD, I’ve seen improvements in my digestive health, and we continue to investigate the underlying causes of these issues.

As I start Healthy Life Heather, I’ll be sharing my trials and triumphs as I receive test results, modify diet and supplement plans, and make lifestyle changes. It’s my hope and prayer that in a few years time my gut health will be restored.

Exercise and fitness

To be well, I believe we need to eat well AND move well.

I loved playing outdoors as a child, and my dad frequently took us on bike rides and nature walks. I fared well enough in gym class and took dance classes for three years, but I never tried out for or played on a sports team. In college, I started a fairly consistent exercise routine to avoid gaining the “Freshmen 15”. For the first time in my life, I enjoyed lifting weights and even jogging.

In 2013, I decided to join my dad and husband and sign up for a half marathon. It was a crazy move at the time for several reasons:

1) I’d never been able to push past 3 miles, mentally or physically. One morning, without planning on it, I ran 4 miles, shocking both me and my dad/running partner. I proved to myself that I could run more than 3 miles at once…but 13?!
2) I had just recovered from a relapse in my lower back problems and to celebrate/prove to myself that I was really okay, I decided to push myself. Perhaps not the smartest move, but I wanted to see if I could do it.
3) The digestive health issues were bothering me almost daily, and perhaps I wanted to show myself that I could take on a huge physical challenge in spite of it all.

So I trained. And in 2014, I somehow ran a 14k, half marathon, and 10k.

Since then, I’ve had to hang up my running shoes.

I read that putting physical stress on your body (like training for a race) wasn’t a wise move when your body was already enduring ample physical stress, such as chronic problems with digestion. So I decided to give my GI tract a little more love and put running and intense workouts on the back burner for a while. It’s been difficult to do, as I’ve seen my weight fluctuate a little, and I miss more intensive training.

The most important thing? Getting my digestive health back on track. THEN, I can focus on EAT CLEAN/TRAIN MEAN.

Back pain and spine health

One morning in my early 20s, I woke up with a pain in my lower back. I went to the gym anyway, assuming that my muscles were talking to me after a tough abs workout the day before. When the pain continued over the course of the week and my range of motion became more limited, I knew I could no longer blame it on sore muscles.

I started seeing a chiropractor a family member was working with at the time and found some relief. From that time forward I wasn’t able to go more than 4-6 weeks without a visit, and a visit every 2-3 weeks was more common.

Since that first experience with back pain, I’ve continued to suffer with spinal health issues over the years. I’ve worked with several chiropractors as I’ve traveled or moved to new locations, and frequent visits have helped keep things fairly manageable. However, in the last 4-5 months I’ve experienced more consistent lower back pain, especially with exercise, and I’ve found myself going back and forth with periods of rest (for my back) and those with moderate exercise (as I love to move and try to make up for lost time).

I knew that this see-saw approach wasn’t healthy or sustainable, so I’ve just started working with an Egoscue therapist. I hope we can address possible issues with my posture, and I can live a more pain-free life. I’m already seeing improvements and hope that in the months to come I’ll experience even more positive change.

Sleep (or lack thereof)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been a good sleeper.

I was the kid in kindergarten who couldn’t fall asleep during nap time.

For nearly a decade, I’ve struggled to sleep more than five hours a night. I know not everyone needs the recommended eight hours a night, but by mid-day, I’m exhausted. Usually I wake up between 3:00-3:30am and am unable to fall back to sleep until 5:30-6:00am — by this time, however, I need to get up and get ready for work!

When I started working with the integrative medicine doctor, we discussed my long-standing troubles with sleep. He recommended a couple of supplements, which have helped, and I’m experimenting with other suggestions and techniques to get a good night’s rest. Of course I’ll share more details on what has worked for me in the near future!

Eat well. Move well. Sleep well. Be well.

Eat well. Move well. Sleep well. Be well. I think this needs to be the tag line for Healthy Life Heather — they’re things I want to do and be. Healthy Life Heather will share my gut-healing journey, as well as how I’m working toward health and wellness on all fronts, using food, functional medicine, and faith in the process.

By the way, and this should come as no surprise, although I’m starting a blog about wellness, I’m far from perfect. I spend more time with Netflix than I should. At the moment, I’m enjoying more paleo treats than I ought to. I definitely need to stress less. Like all of us, I’m a work in progress.

This glimpse into my background is only the beginning. I hope the stories to come are interesting, helpful, and encouraging for you, no matter where you may be on the road to wellness.

Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to your story telling in the comments.