Is it Possible to Thrive with Autoimmune Issues?

When I was a child, I had a pediatrician I loved. Her name was Dr. Valencia, and she was the sweetest and most opinionated little Filipina lady you could ever meet. She saw me through my problems with asthma and allergies, and was probably credited with saving my life a time or two. Every time I went in to see her, she would sit behind her desk and lean back and talk to me like she had all the time in the world.

“Listen to your mother,” she demanded over and over. “You’ll regret it if you don’t listen to your parents.”

After puberty when I began to have the symptoms of autoimmune problems, she had no idea what was wrong with me. And since we were in a small rural community, pretty far away from any city of any size, there wasn’t anyone she could send me to in order to get to the bottom of it. So she did her best to treat my symptoms. And though she couldn’t diagnose what was ailing me, her care went a long way in seeing me through.

As a young adult, after moving to a city, I was able to be diagnosed and treated for ulcerative colitis. I respected and trusted my gastroenterologist. Dr. Subler followed all the traditional protocols of lots of procedures and tests and medications as treatment for this autoimmune disease, but I lived with the less than ideal results because I liked him. I would come into his office, and he would sit and talk to me about life. We would share what we were going through. He always cared about what I was experiencing and wanted to alleviate any suffering I was having. I never doubted that for a second.

After Dr. Subler moved away, I had two more gastroenterologists I loved. They cared about me, they did their best, and I trusted them.

Unfortunately, they both left the practice as well. And I entered the decade of my pregnancies, which for me caused my ulcerative colitis to all but disappear. If I began to have problems, after a little research and a few supplements and diet and lifestyle changes, I seemed to have everything under control. I thought I had figured out the cure, and I was set for life.

But my success didn’t last. When the positive effects of reproduction began to wear off a few years ago, I went back in search of a doctor. Because that’s what you do. But I found in the years I’d been having babies, things had begun to change in the world of specialists. I was suddenly in a production line of patients, being pushed through a factory-like list of procedures. When I would try to discuss the realities of autoimmune disease and the fact that medications and tests don’t work, I would be quickly dismissed or lectured at. When I would put off making appointments, I would get a letter saying I was being dismissed as a patient for not following the will of the doctor. Disheartened, I went my own way to take on the responsibility of autoimmune disease on my own, as so many like me have done.

Autoimmune disease is hard. It’s hard to figure out what to do, because what might work at one point may not work again in the future. And there are so many variables that we have no personal control over, like the weather or stress or environment. We can do everything right, and yet still suffer.

My symptoms intensified in the past couple years, and dragging my feet all the way, I went back to the doctor at the urging of my husband. I found a wonderful GP, actually a friend from church going all the way back to our teenage years. And once again I was sitting in the room with a doctor who truly cared, who wanted to help, who didn’t mind sitting and listening and taking her time to carefully decide how to proceed. She sent me to a new gastroenterologist we both hoped would be a better fit than the last one.

In July of last year, I called to make the first appointment. I waited two months to actually see the doctor. When I arrived in her office, I was greeted by an unfamiliar doctor, a young man who told me it was his first day as an intern. He was friendly enough, but he simply read through a list of questions. He went to confer with the doctor, who literally stepped into the examination room for five minutes. She gave me a checklist of tests that she would be performing that I should schedule, and brushed off my concerns about my inability to prepare for one of them. She was gone in a flurry of white.

Months went by as I waited for the tests she wanted done. (One of them was canceled once because she was taking a vacation to Europe.) In the end, by December, I had finally completed them (and was completely right about my inability to adequately be prepared for one of them, through no lack of trying.) Her verdict was sent to me via email. I was to take meds (that I had already told her I don’t see any results from.) She would no longer be seeing me (no explanation given) and suggested I call three other doctors for further treatment.

If this wasn’t discouraging enough, the bills from the two procedures she had prescribed (that she had barely addressed the results of) ended up costing us over $1000 after insurance paid all they were of a mind to pay.

And I was back at square one, with no improvement in my health after six months of pursuing traditional medical help.

Why do I tell my story? Because I hate doctors and the medical field and believe that we should depend completely on herbs and oils and vegetables for our health? Not at all. I still have had far more experience with caring people in the medical field than I have had negative. And beyond that, I’ve gone the other way and went to an integrative doctor who tried to treat my problems through supplements and diet changes, and though I did everything she instructed over a period of several years, I saw very little improvement in my health. And the reality was that insurance didn’t like paying for her services, either.

So what’s the answer for those of us with bodies who can’t seem to tolerate life? Who have conflicting health concerns that sometimes make us feel as if we are going completely crazy? Are there any solid answers for living with autoimmune conditions?

I’m not claiming to have any concrete answers that will change our lives. I think part of having an autoimmune disease is coming to the conclusion that our lives will always be more difficult than others’.

We will not be able to do it all. We will have to rest, stay home, be still, avoid stress and eat a strict diet.

We will have to learn to depend on our own good choices and research. We will have to find out, by trial and error, what helps and what makes no difference.

We will have to be disciplined to keep our bodies in shape even when the thought of moving makes us want to cry.

We will have to patient when flares interrupt our plans, our dreams, and cause us to disappoint those we love.

We will have to find something greater to live for than health. We will have to learn to smile and move on when others tell us we just aren’t trying hard enough, or we are unwilling to be helped.

This life is hard. Autoimmune disease is one way the darkness of this world is revealed. Our world and our bodies are wearing out. We are beginning to understand the verse in the Bible that says all of creation is groaning, waiting for God to make everything right.

But that being said, we can persevere. Autoimmune disease is no excuse to curl up in a ball and give up on everything. Pressing against adversity is what makes us stronger, both mentally and physically. Our despair shouldn’t go on continually or become a habit. At some point we must pick ourselves up, claim God’s promises that he will sustain us and accomplish his purposes for us, and we must go on and defy the odds.

Some practical advice that is likely to do some amount of good: 

Eat God made foods. 

Eat in balance. 

Take rests from eating.

Drink water. 

Be in the sunlight and fresh air as much as you can. 

Move every day, and increase the intensity of your movement little by little. 

Find your passion. 

Be still and hear God’s voice, and tell him your every thought and feeling. 

Rest. 

Find ways to declutter your schedule and have more down time. 

Enjoy relationships and pursue what is inspiring. 

Make deliberate steps to avoid the stress and chaos of this overcomplicated and greedy society. 

Live for others. 

Show compassion and mercy. 

Wherever you are, ask what you can do to improve it.

Autoimmune disease probably won’t be cured without an act of God. But we can learn to exist anyway. To fully live. Don’t let it be an excuse that causes you to give up or become bitter.

What about you? Do you have any ways of coping with autoimmune problems? Have you found anything that helps? Share in the comments. And thank you for reading! I pray God’s best for you in this new year!

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.

My Journey to Health (Healing from Hypothyroidism and PCOS)

Every time I've sat down to start writing out this story - a story I hope will help readers who may relate to find their own answers to their own puzzling journey - I'm stumped at where to start. The beginning of this journey started so long ago I was still a child in the process of becoming a young woman. The effects of this journey have been my constant and frustrating companions for most of my life. I am still in shock when I consider that I may have reached the end of the worst part of this struggle. The part with no answers. No help. The part where hope for a solution had dwindled away almost to nothing.

It's hard to believe this body can be well. But it's been almost a month since I found the answers that tied everything together. And I feel WELL.

So I will try to briefly sum up what's been going wrong for the past 28 years:

My childhood was relatively normal in the way of health, although I did get sick more than the average child and I did battle asthma and allergies. I suppose it was my normal. But when I hit puberty, my body ... well, the only way to put it is that my body freaked out. I started gaining weight for no reason, and I began to have new symptoms that would eventually be diagnosed as Ulcerative Colitis. After a few years, migraines began, and when I got married and wanted to start a family, I had to deal with infertility first.

My body and my four pregnancies did not go together well. Four body freak-outs (and beautiful kids) later, and 10 years, and I was in a bad place. Overweight, tired, depressed and anxious, I had to drag myself out of bed and face each day, try to think clearly enough to teach my kids and write. I was trying to beat myself into a place of health. Strenuous exercise that drained me of every last reserve of energy, trying to eat healthy, whole foods and take the right supplements left me mostly disillusioned. I thought it was impossible for my body to get healthy. I seemed allergic to the very exercises and food that doctor after doctor or fad after fad or product after product had told me would make me a healthy weight and help me feel better. I had the thought many times that if I could just stop eating altogether maybe my body would be happy. I even tried it a couple times, but it only brought on new problems.

I'm not sorry for the journey. Having those health struggles are what made me start thinking about a healthier way to live. I will never regret learning a lifestyle that has helped my entire family develop healthy habits of living.

But one day very recently, out of nowhere, I stumbled upon the address of a doctor. An integrative doctor who was a five-minute drive from my house. I called her office, thinking it would be months and months until she could see me, afraid that insurance wouldn't cover her fees and I would put a strain on the family financially. I thought there had to be a catch.

She welcomed me into her office and talked to me for over 2 hours. She listened carefully to every detail of my health history and my story. She did a careful examination and decided to send me to an endocrinologist (who won't be able to see me for three months) to rule out more complicated problems with my thyroid. She gave me a thorough list of everything I should be eating and shouldn't. Told me several supplements to help with my troubling symptoms. Handed me the bottle of thyroid pills I probably should have been taking 20 years ago.

But there was a moment in her office where everything fell into place. Where all my years of blaming and berating myself were canceled out. She put her hand on my shoulder, got my attention, and said confidently, "This is not your fault."

So, dear reader who can relate to this story, I'm here to tell you, if you have been vigilantly trying to get your body out of a life-long freakout, if you have tried every fad and diet and supplement out there and still feel and look unhealthy, if you know deep down in your soul that something is wrong with you no matter how many doctors have told you your levels are "normal," IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. I invite you to stay tuned to this blog. I'm going to have several more posts in the coming months that will deal specifically with the two issues that were causing me the most trouble. PCOS (and other hormonal issues) and Hypothyroidism. These are two types of autoimmune trouble that are not well understood or easily treated, but more and more people are struggling with them every day. 

We're going to find some answers. And I'm going to tell you, that even though I am only beginning my journey to wellness, after one month of following her instructions (to the letter) I have lost an entire clothes size. That may not sound amazing unless you, like me, have tried everything in vain and still feel swollen and uncomfortable in your body. I have never lost weight so painlessly in my life, and I've been trying to lose weight for most of my life. Something is working here. And if it can work for me, it can work for anyone.

So follow my blog and check back. Sign up on the email list. We're going to talk about specific symptoms, diet, supplements and even how our attitude will affect our ability to get well. 

I'm not there yet. Neither are you. But we're going to get there together. I'd love to hear your thoughts or your stories. Let me know in the comments what you've been dealing with and what answers you are hoping to find.