I Experienced Bizarre Neurological Symptoms For Years Before I Finally Got A Diagnosis

One day, while I was blow-drying my hair, I noticed a huge bald spot on my head that showed up overnight. At that point, I'd already been having some food sensitivity and immune issues, and my primary care provider had recommended I see an integrative doctor. 

This doctor diagnosed me with alopecia, which is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. During that visit, he also did additional testing and found that I had celiac disease, another autoimmune condition.

After that, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, another autoimmune condition that affects thyroid function. I thought this explained my lack of energy, so I started taking medication for my thyroid. Again, it did help a bit, but some symptoms kept creeping back in. I went through this for about two years. 

My doctor thought there was a good chance my other autoimmune conditions were also triggered by the Lyme, like a cascade. It was a lot to take in. I went through a bit of a grieving process, considering what this new diagnosis would mean for my life. But at the same time, I felt relieved to finally have some more answers. 

I started working with a Lyme specialist right away. It turns out a tick bite had set all of this in motion. Also, before getting Lyme, I think my gut health was in pretty bad shape. I'd been living in an apartment that had mold, and I was constantly getting sick and taking antibiotics. So I think my body wasn't in the best place to begin with, which may have given the Lyme disease the opportunity to wreak havoc.

I definitely still do a lot to keep my body and immune system healthy. I have to be mindful of the autoimmune conditions that I continue to have, but I've been able to live a pretty good life by knowing my triggers.

I still have to be very strictly gluten-free because of my celiac, which is always challenging, especially when I'm traveling or eating out. I'm really sensitive to mold, so if I stay somewhere that has mold, it can definitely set off some symptoms for me. I also make sure my thyroid health is optimized, and I do regular labs to check in.

And, of course, with any invisible illness, it's difficult because you may look fine on the outside—but no one realizes how sick you are, how miserable you feel, or how much energy it takes to even shower or change your clothes. So a lot of time, people don't believe you, which was really challenging for me. Some friends would only see me on good days because those were the days I would actually have energy to meet up—and they were a bit judgmental, which was very depressing. Thankfully, other friends were supportive, but I think that's a misunderstanding that still exists with chronic illness.

For anyone living with a chronic condition, I believe mindset is so important. Trusting that your body can heal and that you can get better is so crucial—at least this way of thinking is what ultimately got me through my journey. Even if your diagnosis is something incurable, that doesn't mean you're not able to live a full life.

Personally, I feel like I'm a lot healthier now—even with all of my autoimmune conditions—than I was before I got sick. I feel like my life is more aligned, and I'm doing the right things for my body rather than pushing myself beyond a breaking point. 

I've been able to share lessons from my own experience to hopefully help others, as well. Since I was on a strict meal plan for my autoimmune conditions, I put together a meal plan for myself. After doing this successfully, I decided to turn it into a cookbook and a meal plan online so other people could use my framework if they're in a similar situation. 

This work is a celebration of the idea that even after chronic illness, you can take your experience and do something great—even help others in the process.