40 is the New 20!

Forty. I'm about to turn forty.

I have been living in this world for forty years. Until now, I've always had the impression that forty was old. As in elderly. I was sure that if I didn't do something before I turned forty, I would never do it. I'd be too old and tired and achy. I'd have to start camping out in a rocker, knitting. I'd have to give up hopes and dreams and prepare for death.

Okay, my anticipation of this age may have been a little on the dramatic side. But I have come to a strange but relieving conclusion about turning forty. I'm okay with it. Not only am I okay with it, I can honestly say things are better now than when I was thirty. Or twenty. Or even ten!

How about an explanation?

I have a standard answer I save for the conversations that inevitably lead to the question "Why in the world do you have such a restrictive diet? Why are you so careful about stress, food and exercise?"

Well, the best way to put it is: my body hates me.

Most people don't struggle with this conflict to the degree I do. But then again, you don't hear most 40-year-olds saying that they feel better than they did at 30, 20 or even 10. But I absolutely do. I guess sometimes we get things backward.

 This is a picture of me with my sisters (I'm the oldest sitting on the far right) when I was almost ten. (Please disregard the hair. It was 1985 and my mother expected sons.)Most people don't remember feeling too poorly when they were ten. But to be honest, I'm not sure this nearly ten-year-old knew any better. I'd already been fighting asthma and allergies for as long as I could remember.  When I was ten, I was hospitalized for a week with an asthma attack. I took it in stride. It was the first time I'd had a T.V. all to myself, after all. And you don't spend too much time contemplating your mortality when you're ten. But it was the start of a long series of autoimmune issues. In those days, you took daily medicine and steroids for asthma. I'm not saying they didn't help keep me alive, but there are reasons why we no longer treat this condition this way.

Fast forward ten years. Ten long years of trying to keep my weight under control though I wasn't eating any more or exercising any less than anyone else in my family or circle of friends. I got into the habit of blaming myself between extreme diets. Obviously, there was something wrong with me. Obviously, I had no self-control and I must be doing something to cause my problems.So at twenty, I added emotional problems to my growing list of issues. By now, it was asthma, allergies, IBD and migraine headaches. I was hospitalized twice when I was nearing the age of twenty because I had caught a stomach bug and my body completely overreacted. And for every condition I was diagnosed with, a long list of prescriptions was the only answer I was given. No matter that my body overreacted to the medicine as much as it overreacted to a stomach bug. I went off the meds after dealing with every side effect known to man.This was the first time I asked God if I was going to die. I felt like I would both times.

Midway on my way from 20 to 30 I faced a new hurdle. I knew I was meant to be a mother. I was convinced there were four little ones - two boys, two girls - who needed me to be their mom. Problem was, my body didn't agree. I added PCOS to the list of body malfunctions and got fed up enough to do more than starve myself and exercise obsessively. 

My research in order to get pregnant was the first major step I took toward becoming healthy. My trail led to a simple little unassuming book called "Fertility Foods" by Dr. Jeremy Groll. It changed my life. I lost weight as I learned to eat less carbs and more protein. To my joy, my prayers were answered with a baby girl at the age of 26. 

Followed by a boy. And another girl. And another boy.

Pregnancy and childbirth took a toll on me. Through my early thirties, I probably felt the worst I have in my life. The hormonal issues I had with PCOS spun out of control. I couldn't control my weight. I felt old and tired and desperate.

I don't regret a single one of my children, by the way. Worth it.

But as our family reached completion, I reached the end of my ability to deal with my stubborn, uncooperative body. I needed ANSWERS. So I went back to researching. Slowly over the next few years, God brought answers in the form of people who taught me how to think differently. How to go outside the box of the normal and do things that would heal my body and bring a measure of peace.

I stopped eating wheat, sugar, anything with chemicals or preservatives, and inflammation drastically reduced in my body. I learned to deal better with stress, and with the help of the Holy Spirit I addressed my wrong thinking and let him begin to change me from the heart. I had the blessing of meeting a caring integrative doctor who treated my then undiagnosed thyroid problem with a natural form of gentle thyroid medicine that made me feel like a completely different person. And finally, not even a year ago, I met a wonderful doctor I only spent 15 minutes with who told me to consider the PCOS factor again. And a lot of new research, the loss of forty pounds and six months later, I cannot imagine a time in my life I have ever felt better.

And I'm forty. It took me forty years to figure out how to live at peace with this body. But it was possible. Persistence paid off. 

So maybe I'm living life backward. Or maybe God intends for all of us to grow into our bodies and our minds and feel like 40 is way better than 30 or 20 or 10. Either way, I feel responsible to share this story and help others find their way. I know better than anyone that you don't have to live in survival mode with a body that hates you. There are answers. They just take a little hard work, persistence and faith to accomplish. And the truth is, I couldn't complete the jobs God wants me to do when I was in that survival mode. So this healing is giving him glory. That's what it's all about, after all.

So all that being said, I'm glad to be forty. I wouldn't go back even if I could. I know there will be new challenges ahead, but I'm ready. 

Thank you Lord, for forty years of life you gave me to serve you. I give you the rest of my days and ask you to use my story to inspire others to pursue peace in their bodies.

 

How I Conquered IBD - An Introduction

I've had Ulcerative Colitis for a long time. My symptoms started when I was 13, 26 years ago. It would be another 6 years until I was diagnosed. Even then, it didn't take long for me to realize that no one understands Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Of the six gastroenterologists I was treated by over a 25-year period, most of them caring people whom I enjoyed interacting with, all of them had almost identical plans of action.

Meds. Tests. More meds. More tests. LOTS of appointments.

I went along with this for much longer than I felt I should. My intuition began to assure me every time I went to see them I was wasting my time. Because every medicine they insisted I needed to function in society did nothing for my colitis. Many times, it made it worse. All times, it made ME worse, by side effects and an undeniable emotional toll.

The last specialist I saw, four years ago, was not a nice and caring person like the others. He was abrasive, inattentive and arrogant. I already knew all the medicines he wanted to try would not work. I explained I could not tolerate medicines and asked him what I could change about my lifestyle and diet to control the symptoms and hopefully cause a remission. I had noticed that my UC went away during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it had given me the idea that if I changed my body chemistry in some way, I might be able to control the disease naturally.

He told me, flat out, that it was impossible. I could do my own research, but I would be wasting my time. I left his office very discouraged. After three months, I received a letter saying that he was refusing to treat me because I had not made another appointment and so I was being considered an irresponsible patient.

My discouragement turned to indignation. What had he offered me that I should be excited about going back to his office? It seemed like his goal was to make sure he had enough patients walking through the door to make money, not making sure those patients were able to conquer their disease and live a normal life. 

And so I became my own advocate. I researched, scouring the internet for information about treating ulcerative colitis naturally. It was hard to come by. UC and Crohn's are notoriously hard to manage. But finally, I came across an obscure little article, written by a natural doctor in medical language that was admittedly very hard to read. It was an article on how to treat UC with supplements and diet. I didn't understand all of it, but I wrote down every supplement and how much I was supposed to take, jotted down each piece of advice concerning diet and exercise, and from that moment on made it my new lifestyle.

I have been in remission for almost all of the past four years, starting TWO WEEKS after I found that article. The only flare-up of UC I have had was related to the additive "carageenan" in my almond milk. As soon as I stopped drinking that brand, I was back in remission. I have learned more since then, and added other measures to my way of life that keep me from sinking back to where I once was, and I have been able to address other autoimmune issues and metabolism issues in my body, and as a result I have come to a place where I am almost at peace with my body, feeling good more days than I don't, having energy to do the things I want to do and need to do as a busy homeschooling mom and a writer.

It's time for me to share my story. Others are probably out there, being told time after time that it is impossible for them to manage their own disease. Suffering on meds, having tests that drain the life out of them and come at risk. I don't want anyone to have to live that way. So I'm telling you exactly what I did to conquer IBD. I'll be as brief as possible. I'll use language anyone can understand, even scared 13 year olds who have just started having symptoms or have been newly diagnosed.

You can conquer this disease, and the emotional toil that goes along with it in many cases. You can feel better on a long-term basis. It will involve some trial and error and a few different supplements, but in this day and age, they are easy to obtain.

Chances are, I will eventually publish a short book on this subject, going into a little more detail. It's a passion of mine to help others know they can take charge of their own health in cases where our medical system comes up short. For those of us living with autoimmune diseases, often our best course of action is a complete lifestyle change, and an adjustment in our thinking. It won't be easy.

But it's possible. More to come.

Available on Amazon Kindle!

If you haven't had a chance to like my author page, I have an ebook available on Amazon today! 

It started out as a journey to learn how to survive the day with multiple health issues not solved through traditional medicine. I've learned quite a bit and finally started to feel well, and I told myself if I got to that place I'd be responsible to share my story for others in that same place.

Find it HERE  and please share with others you think might benefit! 

Thanks!

Available Tuesday, February 10, 2015!

Have you tried everything to lose weight, or to shake off debilitating symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, depression and infertility? Have you been pronounced healthy by your doctor yet you are suffering on a daily basis? Are you tired of lengthy books and expensive fads that overwhelm or promise more than they can produce? Are you ready to give up on the process altogether, since nothing works anyway?

Don’t give up just yet! In this short, inexpensive, easy-to-read-and-follow ebook, you will learn (from someone who has been there) how to achieve weight loss, find your missing energy, and manage symptoms of thyroid problems, infertility, adrenal fatigue and autoimmune conditions, even if you have been unable to conquer these issues with prescription medicines or diet fads.

You will get an introduction to supplements and oils that can renew your metabolism and gut health, recipes and shopping lists that will give you a practical place to start your changes in food, and the emotional reassurance we all need that our health and weight struggles are not all in our head, are not all our fault, and ARE able to be defeated without the process taking over your life.

Hi! I'm Miranda Shisler, author of outside-the-box Christian fiction and healthy living advocate. I've been on a life-long journey to overcome these problems, and I've learned the things that really work and will get you started on your own journey to wellness and healing.

This ebook will be available this Tuesday, February 10! I hope you'll check it out! I will have a link up when it is ready.

Healthy Habits? (Take the survey)

It's all about healthy today!

It started out as a practice ebook so I could make sure I had formatting and editing down before I publish my first Indie novel, a Christian historical romance, later in 2015. For the practice ebook, originally I wanted to share a few tips for others like me who have had a little trouble getting to a healthy place in life. I didn't want others like me, with metabolism and autoimmune disorders that have been hard to diagnose and treat, to feel like they are all alone, or that they are imagining their symptoms. It's been a hard road and I know there must be others like me out there, wondering what to try next, wondering if they're crazy, wondering if they'll ever have any answers.

But after doing some research and listening in on a few conversations, the focus of my ebook changed, and became something I've become rather passionate about. We do a lot of blame in our society. I did it, too. I thought I couldn't get healthy because doctors are too afraid of being sued, too uninformed on the things I suffer from, and too proud to learn new things or accept any ideas.

Like anything involving human nature, I'm probably right about a few doctors. But it took me finding an excellent, open-minded and super-smart doctor who really and truly cares for her patients to show me that the doctor is not really the root of the problem. We are guilty as patients as well. 

So as I continue to garner more information for this ebook that will be available on Amazon early next year, I would like your help. Please take this confidential survey and give your most honest answers so I can get an idea of the general attitude and practices of patients, and compare the results with the frustrations doctors may be experiencing. I believe if we start asking the right questions, we may be able to come up with some new ways of looking at the problem, and perhaps come to a new understanding of the solution that could help us find our way to a happier and healthier version of ourselves.

Thanks for your help! Take the survey HERE.