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Prevention, What is it?

Published on April 2, 2020 by sml1drLeave a comment

In the news of our current times, we are hearing so much about disease, death, struggle. But we aren’t hearing much about those who recover from this Coronavirus. We aren’t hearing much about what we can do to avoid this disease, other than stay home, wash your hands, social distance, etc. But nothing more to help us stay healthy. No tips and tricks, no coping mechanisms. And isn’t this the norm for our health system today. We have such high rates of heart disease and diabetes and hypertension and yet we don’t really focus on how to reverse these diseases or how to prevent them from happening in the first place. And that is why I am here today. Please remember, I believe in modern medicine. I believe it has its place. I believe in pharmaceuticals. But I also believe there is a better way. I believe we can achieve full health and wellness when we equip ourselves with tools to help us get there.

I start this series with the question, “What is Prevention?” Many think it’s getting our milestone screenings like mammograms, colonoscopies, yearly pap smears, prostate exams. Others think it’s getting vaccinations, staying up to date on them and getting every new one that comes out. And on the outskirts of this conversation is diet, exercise, meditation, and the way we live our lives, our lifestyle choices. I posed this question to social media not that long ago. The responses, “There are stages”, “It is a journey, small adaptations over time make us healthier,” “when we know better, we do better.” These are all true statements and encompass the spirit of prevention. But it made me realize that maybe we don’t really know what prevention is….

There are several levels of prevention. First there is primary prevention. This type of prevention is what we use to avoid developing a disease, any disease. This is the category where diet, exercise, life-style choices, and habits come in to play. Vaccinations also fit into this category. Next there is secondary prevention. Here is where those screening tests such as pap smears, colonoscopies, mammograms, etc fit in. This stage of prevention seeks to identify a disease as early as possible in order to treat or reverse the illness. The final level of prevention is tertiary prevention. In this level of prevention, we are managing a disease after diagnosis, and trying to stop the progression of it.

Now, there is prevention we participate in to keep ourselves healthy, and, there are other types of prevention. These include environmental prevention, local, state, and governmental prevention. These include activities that decrease the risk of developing a disease for the benefit of public health. For example, the law to stop smoking in restaurants. This was to decrease the risk of second-hand smoke exposure to non-smokers. We are also living in the midst of the local, state and governmental prevention activities to decrease the spread of a contagious disease.

Given all this, I hope you see that prevention can be seen in many forms, in many situations, in many activities. It is not just one thing that defines prevention. It is many different activities that lead to prevention. And as one person said in response to my initial question, prevention really is engaging in small changes over time to make us healthier. It truly is a journey.

Now that we know what prevention is and what the various levels and types of prevention are, we can start to dive into primary prevention because that is our foundation. If we can adopt healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, healthy eating, healthy relationships, then we may not need the other levels of prevention…

So, I’ll see you next time,

~The Nurturing Nurse

Powerless?

Published on March 23, 2020March 23, 2020 by sml1drLeave a comment

As of this writing, we are all isolated to our homes because of the Coronavirus roaming around the world. This virus has many on edge, worried about the future, worried that they will contract the disease and it has left many, the vast majority, feeling vulnerable, helpless and fearful. Some of that has been propagated by the news outlets, the government, false information. Yet, there is a thread of truth and risk that is running through this crisis. We know the illness has the potential to be severe. But we also know that a lot of individuals who have had Covid-19, have recovered. With all this chaos running around us, and some quality time at home, it has me thinking….

There is flu in the world, and we aren’t paralyzed by it. There is chicken pox and measles in our world, and we aren’t afraid of this. There is far more chronic disease-diabetes, hypertension, heart disease in our world, all with rates of epidemic proportions and severe mortality rates. And we aren’t doing anything to change it…

Frankly, if we stop and look around at the general health of our nation, of our world, Covid-19 is the least of our worries. And if we think about the entirety of diseases we can get, it can all get overwhelming, worrisome, and scare the pants off us (I’d say other words, but this is a family show :)).

Then what are we to do? Are we helpless in these situations? Should we ignore it all and just live our lives? Are we just supposed to accept that we are susceptible to disease? Such a tricky question…

mountains nature arrow guide — Photo by Jens Johnsson on Pexels.com

If we do nothing to fight these diseases, then yes, we have to accept and should acknowledge that we are susceptible to disease. That when disease comes (not if, but when) we are not fully equipped to deal with it. Sure. We can seek medical care, take medications and take more medications for the side effects of our medications, and continue on with our lives. But to be honest, isn’t that just a band-aid? Isn’t that keeping us sick?

Now don’t get me wrong… there is a place for medicine. I fully believe that! When used judiciously, to help us get through a crisis, or protect us from some diseases, and other such things, it is wonderful. But it’s my belief that we have come to rely on medicines far too much and have forgotten what true health and wellness feels like. We are so used to being sick that we forget what vitality is. What it really is to feel good. We have come to just accept that we have a disease, and this is the way we live with it…

But, do we have to live with it? Do we have to deal with a chronic illness or take medications for the rest of our lives to stay healthy? Do we have to live in fear that we will get Covid-19 or some other disease that comes along?

No! The answer is NO! we don’t have to live in fear even when Covid-19 is running around in our world. Or live with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, thyroid problems or a veritable laundry list of other diseases and illnesses that are rampant in our world today….

green purple flower — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

For the past few months I have been mulling over this word PREVENTION. What does it really mean, what are the actions we take for prevention, when do we take action, how, why, who, etc… and it seems with all that is happening in our world today, in this very moment, that now is a great time to dive in to this topic.

So, follow along in the coming days, weeks, months, as I dive in to a somewhat controversial but much needed topic. I promise to cover all facets of prevention from the traditional approach to the holistic approach and everything in between. I’ll share the evidence, the research, the lack of research and the opinions all around, and leave you to decide what is best for you… I pray it brings us all a little bit of hope and empowers us to take control of our own health and wellness!!

I am HEALTHY!

Published on August 3, 2018 by sml1dr2 Comments

Do you every put something away and go to look for it later on and can’t find it? Yeah me either :). I feel like I put this blog away as I got healthier and healthier and well, forgot where I put it… until now.

I started this blog 3 years ago to help others who were dealing with Adrenal Fatigue (what is now known as HPA Dysregulation). I was going through my own battle with it and found sharing what helped me, helped so many others. And though I didn’t write a lot, I know it was helpful and has been found by so many others. My last post was in

November 2015. And it signaled the beginning of a lot of really good days. Over the last 33 months, my body has definitely taken leaps and bounds to regaining full health. The good days (the ups) continue to last longer and longer and the bad days (the downs) are shorter and shorter. I’ve gotten to the point now that I don’t even remember that I dealt with this. That is until I come home here and there after being on the go for a while and wonder why I am so exhausted.. OH YEAH. I remember. I have to really take care of myself. I have to get good rest, get a massage, spend time with friends and family! I still have to remind my type A personality that it needs some active D, downtime! But when I give it that downtime, I bounce back so quick! It sometimes surprises me how good I feel after just a good night’s sleep, or a few days at home. It doesn’t take the kitchen sink approach to get me to feel good. It just takes some TLC, as we all should embrace.

So here I sit, 3 1/2 years after my diagnosis and can actually say I am fully recovered. Like I said, I still have some moments in time, when I’ve pushed myself or traveled a lot or just been go, go, go, when I feel the fatigue setting in. I thankfully have learned to listen to these warning bells before the alarm goes off. I find my moments of self-care, get a good night’s rest, and I’m back at it again. There have been some more tweaks I’ve made along the way to get me to this point (a job change, treatment and detox from a wonderful naturopath) but nothing as significant as detoxing my entire body, soul, and spirit of everything that was not helpful to me, and filling myself with everything good. I said good-bye to relationships that were not serving me, thoughts that brought me down, books and tv and movies that triggered my symptoms. I said hello to things that nourish my soul. I said hello to self care, and to cooking, to eating clean, crocheting, hot yoga, quiet time with God, quiet time outside on my patio, hiking, tennis, time with good friends, family, and of course, coffee (I couldn’t really give it up! I love it too much). I now pay attention to the things that nourish my soul. And in turn, I am better, I am stronger, I am fit for the journey of my life.

So, if you are reading this and you struggle with any form of HPA dysregulation, I encourage you to hold on to hope, stay your course, embrace your journey, because the good days are coming. If you find you are fatigued, have brain fog, can’t think straight, can’t catch up, are sick a lot, I encourage you to unplug, take some time for you, find the things that nourish your mind, soul, spirit, and body. Taking time out for yourself will pay off! It makes you a better you! So DO IT! Make time to take care of yourself!!

Lastly, I wanted to mention that this blog will now undergo a face lift. A small adjustment that will only continue to help those who happen upon this space. I love to write in this medium and if I’m honest, I have really missed it. And since I am now on the healthy side of my AF journey, I find I have accumulated many thoughts and experiences to share in the realm of health and wellness. So stay tuned as The Nurturing Nurse hits the refresh button.

Fuel

Published on November 30, 2015 by sml1drLeave a comment

Tonight I remembered how much I LOVE to cook! And I also realized that I am making progress!

It was an unintended long day of work (12.5 hours to be exact!). I forgot about a night time meeting and I was up at 5 am, at work by 7 and had a moment of dread when I looked at my calendar-“How am I going to make it through today with any energy left over?” Normally a long day would totally drain me, and for that to happen on a Monday is NO BUENO!! So, after a brief freak out moment, I set to work, tackled each task one piece at a time-payroll, positions (hiring, balancing), budget, email, email, email, staff discussions, etc and before I knew it, it was 6pm, time for my meeting and 1.5 hours from going home…. and I STILL had energy! WHAT??? YYYYAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!

I knew going in to today that I wanted to get a soup in the crock pot tonight. Then this morning I was STARVING at 10am after my yummy shake at 6ish and was craving some eggs, so wanted a crustless quiche in the fridge for a good 10am snack! After a long day like today, cooking wouldn’t be a remote option. It’d be home ASAP, pjs, a snack and bed! Tonight? Tonight I surprised myself! Got home, changed, went to the kitchen and pulled everything out of the fridge for both these dishes and set to work. Quiche first- chop lots of YUMMY green veggies, saute, stir, wisk, stir, stir, scrape- OVEN! Straight on to the crock pot soup (a yummy chicken stew with LOTS more yummy veggies)!!! Chop, chop, chop, spice (don’t ask how much or what– it just all ended up in there, a little wine, stock, water, chicken on top, cover and ready to turn on when I go to bed!!! I even cleaned up! I haven’t done that after making such meals in a LONG time!!! Usually happens the next day or 2… ok sometimes 3 or 4! And as I was cleaning up, doing dishes by hand, wiping up my counters, I had this thought… “Gosh, I really like to cook! It fills my soul!” and then it hit….”WAIT!!!! I just made 2 dishes and a shake at 8:00 at night after a 12 hour day!” WWWHHHAAATTTT????????????? And now I’m writing about it! If you will remember, 6 months ago, heck, 3 months ago, I could barely think about cooking- pb &j, shakes, panera, easy! And now, here I am, cooking and writing about it and remembering that I LOVE to cook! And it feels soAMAZING! Absolutely amazing! When it comes to AF, one of the best things you can do, is to find the things that fill your soul… that makes you happy, that fuels your life. Whatever those things are, (cooking, yoga, running, walking, reading, spending time with your family/ friends), do them! In small doses at first as you have energy, and you will see, you will be fueled by the things you love!

I understand where you are, I have been there myself- unable to think, unable to function, exhausted and just wanting to sleep! And, it is so contrite to say, I used to roll my eyes when I would hear it said…, but it is true. Take hope my friend and stay on your path, find the things that bring you fuel, and you will LIVE again!!!!!

It’s my lifeline!

Published on October 26, 2015October 28, 2015 by sml1drLeave a comment

July to October is a LONG time! And in the world of AF, it was filled with (as I’ve written before) a series of ups and downs. But a lot of downs had me perplexed. I hadn’t changed anything, I was following my path, and still was having some serious lows (crying uncontrollably, exhausted, PMS on steroids). I was under a large amount of stress at work and stress is a major contributor to AF.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I reached out to a friend who is a Biochemist. I was desperate because I couldn’t kick it, and it was ANNOYING!!! Especially after feeling so good. But what I learned lead me on a path that was purely providential, extremely eye opening, and in the end healing!

In my desperation, I reached out to my biochemist friend, who has done a lot of research on cleansing and detox. In answer to my questions, she prompted me to consider my Adrenal Fatigue symptoms as always having been detox- my body trying to push out toxins to regain health. Her advise? Give myself permission to rest, drink 3 liters of reverse osmosis water with minerals added back and continue what I had been doing…and eventually I’d regain my health! I found myself wishing I had known this in the beginning of my diagnosis and I would have done things a little differently… but, there was something I had been doing absolutely right…and it is, and always will be, my lifeline!

It started 10 years ago when a close friend took me to dinner and told me it was her goal in life that year to tell all her friends and family about Juice Plus+. I paid her no attention and quickly said no… meanwhile I was overweight, ate terribly and was healthy but could have done better. Fast forward 5 years and as I now know, I was in the beginning stages of AF. Was working like crazy, finished a construction project at work and was tired. I was running like crazy, 15 miles 2-3 days a week, and feeling the aches and pains. So I reached out to her and told her I wanted JP. After a period of deep silence on the other end of the phone, she took my order and a few days later, I started on JP. I was skeptical but kept with the program… took it religiously every morning right before my coffee and have NEVER looked back. I noticed some great health changes (no aches and pains, greater endurance in my workouts, and more ENERGY) and was hooked. Hit fast forward again, and I now know it has saved my health! The endocrinologist I see told me on the day of my diagnosis, if not for my JP, I’d have been very sick and in the hospital! And he continues to see how it has helped my AF! You see, it’s not about JP… its about the fruits and vegetables. But who can eat that many every day. Not me! So in the midst of my growing fatigue and my subsequent diagnosis I began to take as much Juice Plus+ (fruits, veggies, berries) as I could. For about 6 months, I took triple the dose 3 times a day along with a few other herbs (Ashwaganda, Rhodiola, Holy Basil) and a few other supplements (magnesium, vitamin D, and B’s)! I am now back down to a double dose of JP once a day but I KNOW it has been the biggest contributor to my fairly quick recovery.

What I now wish I would have kept using from the beginning was Juice Plus+ Complete. Complete is a plant based shake mix that I had cut out because I thought I had a soy allergy. However, what I have come to know, for me, my symptoms were detox! And complete has been shown to cleanse and bring wholeness to the entire body and I should have not only continued it but increased it to drink 2 or 3 shakes a day. This is what I have done since August. I don’t always have 2 but I always have 1 shake a day and it has made all the difference in my journey. I have had 8 weeks of GOOD DAYS! And after a 1 evening cry fest, have had 2 weeks of AMAZING! I feel like me. Meredyth 2.0.

And so I will encourage you to consider JP, consider Complete, and change your AF journey! Of course AF is multi-factorial and so I will always encourage the other things I’ve mentioned in this blog. But JP is always the foundation for everything else!

Consider your choices and choose health!!

(If you want more info on JP go here, if you want info on complete go here)

Perspective!

Published on July 2, 2015 by sml1drLeave a comment

It has been a while since I posted… It is now July and I am 8 months into treatment and 1 year out from my initial symptoms. There is something that has happened within my body over this last month, something that I thought would NEVER come!

My last post was about the ups and downs and at that time, I thought I was feeling great… but, the ups and downs continued for me… just when I thought I was on a good stretch, a crash would come. Stress at work, too much activity, not eating right… forgetting to take my supplements… STRESS! And I found myself wondering, waiting, hoping for it all to just go away and to be better! I was tired of the tears, tired of the looks from my staff and friends that told me that I looked terrible! Pale, ashen, cold, tired, exhausted!!! Heck, one of my best friends and her husband moved 1800 miles closer to me and I couldn’t find the strength to go and see her for a month! I was sad that the downs came and the ups weren’t coming fast enough!! I allowed myself to rest, MADE myself rest. Listened to my body crying for certain nutrients and kept walking the path that I have been on… That’s what you do with Adrenal Fatigue! You ride the wave and stay on the path!

THEN, all of a sudden, a switch flipped and these GREAT days came! They were “I feel like NORMAL ME” days!!! And they went on and on….and on! I felt so good that I finally saw my friend who moved closer! We went for a hike with her and her family and I wasn’t exhausted the next day! WHAT?? I felt so good that week, I ran 3 miles 3 times and the next weekend I played cardio tennis, went on a longer hike, and ran more! Another hike the next weekend, dinner out to celebrate my birthday, and this last weekend, a full weekend away in the mountains. WHAT????? I no longer craved my weekends to rest and sleep and chill… And I have been able to begin to rejoin my life! I HAVE MY LIFE BACK!!!!! I can schedule things a week out and not worry how I’m going to feel. I trust that I’m going to feel good!!! It is a totally awesome feeling! A close friend cautioned me to enjoy it and remember it when the bottom dropped… I told him that I felt like this time was different. Somehow, my body feels stronger. Feels more stable… like the foundation has been built and set and the reserves are coming back to life. Like I could get hit with some stress and keep going and not knocked out by it!

Now hear me… I have had the ups and downs… BUT… the ups are lasting weeks and the downs are lasting hours! This last Saturday while we were away in the mountains for a girls trip and business training, I woke up in the morning and knew it was an AF kinda day, and I know what triggered it! I laid in bed most of the day and around 6 pm, as is normal with AF, started to get my energy back. So, what did I do? WELL…. I DANCED and drank and had an exhilarating night with some of my closest friends! I PARTIED! YUP! PAAARRRTTTIEEED!!! And I thought I’d pay for it… guess what… I DIDN’T!!!! I woke up the next day ready to go hiking and enjoy the time away! This week after, I’ve been a little tired but that’s normal when you’re away and expend energy like I did. There was comfort knowing that my friends also were a bit tired through the week… and reassurance that I AM GETTING BACK TO NORMAL!!!!!

Ah, sweet friends… what perspective the month of June gave me. I am so grateful for this journey. Every living step of it. It is changing me in ways I never knew I needed to. I wouldn’t wish AF on anyone I know… but I am so thankful it has come into my life!

I now know several people who have been diagnosed since I began this blog site. My prayer for you all is that you find rest! That you find peace! That you find surrender for this moment in time, when your body needs it most! It is crying for rest, crying for healing, and crying for the nutrients and self care to heal. Most of all, it is crying for time! With the passing of time, and of each day, trust that healing is happening… and that one day, when you are close to a year out, you will celebrate 1 month of feeling good! You will dance! You will drink! You will have an exhilarating night! And you will again be grateful for this journey and what it is teaching you!

Stay on the path… new growth is happening!

The ups and downs

Published on April 20, 2015 by sml1dr1 Comment

stay on path What is it about human beings that we are the most inpatient people! Instant gratification! Give it to me now! I can’t wait!!!

Well… the good news is, Adrenal Fatigue is the sure fire way to teach one to wait, to be patient, to rely on God and others… and to ask for help! I will say, I’m still terrible at it! I still struggle and I should have accepted, and reached out for, way more help than I did. I just kept thinking it would get better and I’d be able to do what ever it was that I couldn’t at that moment….that my super powers would suddenly take over and I’d feel well enough to cook, grocery shop, clean my house and do laundry in one fell swoop!! And yet for the better part of the last 6 months, I did the bare minimum and those super powers didn’t show up till 3 weeks ago!!! I will say, thank God for small miracles and someone brought Instacart to Denver! If I did nothing else, I could get my groceries delivered from several area stores (including whole foods!!!!)!

But, there is hope to share! In the beginning, you certainly can barely get out of bed- in this time, ACCEPT HELP!!!! Let your family and friends cook you meals and clean your house and come over and watch movies. In the grande scheme, it will fill your soul and help you get better! But, there comes a day when you start to feel good… it’s a feeling you’ve forgotten but you’ll remember it the minute it hits! It’s totally amazing! And I promise the good days will come more often and the bad days will slowly fade away. But one thing I am learning is to savor those good days and keep reminding yourself that they will come… Because the journey of AF brings many ups and downs. My unsolicited advice? Stay positive! Stay on your path! Because it is very easy to begin to nitpick what you did to cause the crash, and why did it happen, and you begin to berate yourself for not paying attention to the warning signs… Not that I speak from personal experience or anything! 🙂

In one of my crashes, I found myself in an utter tail spin. I had strung together 7 fairly good days. I was being productive at work and resting appropriately, and had even gone for a few runs… And then the bottom dropped out and I woke up one morning and felt AWFUL!!!! I went to work, suffered through my day, and come home and began to search the internet for some info on how to fix it. Well, I found this amazing blog post by Jenni Hulburt. The picture on her blog said, “Healing in Progress, Please stay on designated trails only!” WOW!!!! That was powerful to me in that moment. Healing in progress, stay on your path! It said to me, to keep walking this path I was on and the healing would come!

It is now April and 6 months into my treatment and I can say, the healing does come. This week I took a vacation from work. It was a partial staycation and a 4 day trip for my passion with 7000 of my closest friends! 6 months ago, this would have been the end of me. But! The days I was home, were AMAZING! I had great energy, ran around town and did all my errands (hair cut/ color, toes done, waxing!, shopping) and even spent a night out with a very close friend at a loud concert and had some beer! And I still felt good the next day! Before, this would have been an utter fail followed by a month of bad days… but it wasn’t!!!! It was actually very energizing! And, during my 4 day trip away, I did have a mild fatigue through most of the days but this is still AMAZING progress. I was still able to engage in the conference I was at. I hit my wall on Saturday, surrounded by my closest friends, I began to cry in the middle of an amazing conference session! The crash from the up I had that morning as I was cheering on a friend for making it to the top of the company! My AF triggers come out in tears when I have reached my end. And I humbly sat between 2 of my closest friends and completely felt their love and support and compassion as I tried so hard to gain control of the tears. Thank you dear friends! That moment will forever be etched in my mind! This day I continued to push myself so hard and I later nodded off as we were all sitting by the pool, they were sharing their dreams, I was soaking up their energy! I should have rested and napped in the quiet of the hotel…but I was so happy to be out and around such amazing friends that I wanted to soak up every minute… and it made my soul so happy! I have been back home now for 24 hours and took several naps and slept 12 hours last night and am now starting to feel good again.

One thing I know, the ups and downs will happen. It starts with the downs and then 1 random up day shows its beautiful head. Dear friend, I say to you, keep holding on and riding the waves with grace because eventually the ups overcome the downs! The ups last for longer stretches and you begin to live life again. You begin to reconnect and rebuild an awesome life! I call it me 2.0 because I feel as if the pieces of my life are strategically being placed back together like a beautiful watercolor painting. Some colors belong, and some don’t. Those that belong find their place in my soul and will live there forever. Those that don’t, won’t hang around for long… and that is 100% ok-They probably weren’t intended to stay as long as they did! And as I walk this road and stay on my path, I feel that I am so much better than I was before, and I am grateful that it is happening!

Healing is in progress, my friend. Stay on the designated trail!

How do you treat that?

Published on March 29, 2015 by sml1drLeave a comment

Of course, my medical brain wanted the easy answer… throw a drug at it, make it go away quickly, FIX IT! But then my rational brain took over and reminded me that you have to treat the core of what is happening in order to fix it for good! And thankfully, my endocrinologist agreed. The treatment for Adrenal Fatigue must focus on supporting your body to normalize your hormones and decreasing the, “fight or flight” response by increasing your norepinephrine, serotonin, etc. So a natural approach is the best!

When I was first diagnosed, my doctor recommended I increase my Juice Plus to a triple dose, 3-4 times a day, and add Dr. Wilson’s Adrenal Fatigue Quartet and slowly increase to the “severe” dosages. I also made some dietary changes and ate a paleo diet- LOTS of protein, especially in the morning, and a ton of fruits and veggies. Of course, at this stage in the game, cooking was hard! I couldn’t put 2 thoughts together to even decide what to take out of the fridge to eat, let alone cook. I started to use my slow cooker a ton and ate a lot of raw fruits and veggies.

I stuck with this treatment for about 2 months and began to look for a more natural approach with more herbs and less synthetic vitamins and happened to see that a respected natural doctor in the Nashville area had developed his own adrenal formula using all plants and herbs. And so I slowly weaned off the Dr. Wilson’s formula and stuck with my Juice Plus regiment, and added 1000 mg of Vitamin C (Garden of Life raw Vitamin C) 3 times a day and added the Dr. Axe Vitamin B Adrenal Complex as prescribed on the packaging. And boy, what a difference that made. I started to have some really good days and have a mostly clear mind, and started to get through my work days a lot easier. I have been on this for the last 2 months and am now 4 1/2 months into my recovery and have had a LOT of good days!!! I’ve had some not so good days but I stick with this regiment and eventually I get back to the good.

This month (month 4) has been one of the most frustrating. I had been feeling really good and was back to running and playing tennis and feeling GREAT! Beginning of this month, I couldn’t do any of that and was napping and not sleeping well. The time changes didn’t help either!!! I HATE SPRING FORWARD!!!!! But, again, Dr. Axe to the rescue!!! He posted a you tube message about healing adrenal fatigue (see it). He mentions the need for omegas, etc. I already do use coconut milk but he mentioned doing 1 TBSP of flax seed, chia seeds, and hemp seeds every day and 1/2 an avocado. I had been eating the avos so added the seeds to my smoothie every morning using my Complete protein powder, kale, and frozen berries! How amazing is it to add something that is a plant and get an AWESOME result! I have felt so mentally clear since adding these in and have had a string of GREAT days!!! Even feeling close to 100%!

There is also a self care element to healing Adrenal Fatigue! You HAVE to take care of you!!! I get a massage every week and a half. I get a facial monthly. I connect with friends, even if it’s just over text. I do hot yoga. I sit outside in the sun! I say NO!!! And #1, I LEAVE WORK when it’s time to leave, and I LEAVE IT THERE!!!! No working at home!!

This has been my journey and the things that have worked for me. I by no means am prescribing or telling you what to do. I am not a doctor… I am a nurse but I am just sharing what really works for me in this blog. If you have questions, ask your doctor!!! Or, do your own research and decides what works for you! Either way, I encourage you to take control of your own health and wellness! The other word of advice I have is, listen to your own body. If you feel well, go out! If you need rest, rest!!! Take care of UUUUUU!!!!

I have WHAAATTT?

Published on March 7, 2015 by sml1drLeave a comment

I certainly wish that was my reaction! To be honest, when I was finally diagnosed, I was ridiculously relieved. Finally a diagnosis. A treatment plan, something I could hold on to and battle against. It was the beginning of a new me! But to hear where I was, you have to hear how it all started!

This photo was one of the most exhilarating afternoons of my life (that’s me in the orange) I had just completed my first MARATHON! It was hell! But I was extremely proud. I had an amazing job as a Nurse Manager at a prestigious university hospital in TN. I had successfully completed a $3 M construction project this year and had become ADDICTED to running and healthy living. I knew my challenge that year was to run a marathon in December and I KNEW I was healthy enough for it! As my training progressed, I felt great and knew I could do this. I was fueling appropriately and was on track… until I was out running an 18 miler one Saturday and landed in the middle of a park, unable to go on. Exhausted, hot, and a bit dehydrated, I laid on the green grass and contemplated why… And the truth was, I had NO IDEA WHY!!! I made myself get up and eventually got back home… it wasn’t pretty but I got home! And after that day, I was really not able to run like I had been. It became a chore, a battle, and I should have listened! But, I didn’t! I continued on and continued to feel a bit sluggish and tired, and even contemplated not running! But I didn’t LISTEN!!! So I approached my marathon day in poor form but ran anyways. I had a great 1/2 marathon at about a 12 min pace and was feeling good. Then it all unraveled … BUT I FINISHED! And that’s all I’ll say about that!!!! The weeks following my run I felt great. Recovered easily and was back to my 3-4 miles and still proud of what I’d done. Then, at the 3 week mark, I started to feel awful. I couldn’t walk up a full flight of stairs in my home without stopping 1/2 way and out of breath. I was tired, crabby, emotional, etc. and I had no idea what was going on. I saw a Nurse Practitioner who said I probably had some form of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and that I should change some dietary things and take some epsom salt baths and it would pass… Pass it did… but, over the next year and a half, the fatigue passed slowly and I never really felt myself. I cleansed my diet- soy free, dairy free, gluten free and ate a TON of fruits and veggies, started hot yoga (addicted!) and spent time with some great friends… I began to slowly feel better but had this nagging ache in my right shoulder that wouldn’t go away.

I then found myself living in Denver in May 2013 and the day after I moved, I felt awesome! My shoulder pain went away and I started to slowly run again (uh…well did a slow walk/ run routine for a bit-HELLO ALTITUDE!) And slowly was feeling better and better. I was clicking at work-pouring my soul into this new unit and overcoming severe obstacles there. Major culture changes happened and I kept plugging along and thought it all was behind me.

WRONG! There was a moment in time when I think my body had enough! I felt good one moment, and the next, I was D-O-N-E, DONE!!! I got home from work one night (how I got home, I can’t remember. I know I drove. YIKES!) anyhow… I got home from work, and crawled to the couch, curled up in a fetal position and prayed for rest! I was exhausted and truly thought for a moment, I was in severely bad shape! (OK. Truthfully, thought I was dying!) We all use the expression, that you feel like you’ve been hit by a freight train? Yeah, I now KNOW what that really feels like. No, I wasn’t really hit-but I felt terrible!!! You sleep for 10 hours a night, but wake up exhausted and want to lay down and sleep some more. Your brain is in utter slow motion, shut down, and you sit in front of a computer screen and stare for HOURS unable to make the words or movements come! You cry for no reason at the drop of a hat. You ache!!! OH YOU ACHE! My joints and muscles hurt and felt like they had a mind of their own. Hello restless leg! WOW! You go to the grocery store and have to leave because you are so overstimulated… and even worse, you stand in front of your full fridge and pantry looking for food and can’t put anything together! And these words don’t even remotely do this justice! I KNEW there was something severely off and so, I sought help! I saw a NP at my hospital and had labs drawn- my iron levels were extremely low (transfusion level low) and she gave me 4 weeks to take an iron supplement and get my levels up. She was sure that was the culprit. I was quickly unhappy with the answers I was getting… I set out on my own to find the right answers. I saw a naturopath and another MD and finally an amazing Endocrinologist! And after 2 months, I had an answer! You have “SEVERE” Adrenal Fatigue! WHEW! Thank God!!! I could have kissed him! After talking with the Endo about my symptoms, he asked me to tell him what my last 4 years had been like. After I related the majority of these years, he looked me in the eye and said, “I’m not a bit surprised you are where you are…”, and then…,”If you hadn’t been taking Juice Plus+, you wouldn’t have lasted this long, and would be in the hospital!” WHOA! THANK GOD FOR JUICE PLUS+ (I’ll tell you more about that soon!)

So, what is Adrenal Fatigue, you ask? Well, I’m not going to rehash what you can read here. This was the most informative, easy to understand website that was given to me. But I will tell you, in lay-mans terms, that AF is a fairly new, rising diagnosis. There are many MD’s that don’t believe it exists. But, they used to say that about Fibromyalgia, and Restless Leg Syndrome, and IBS, and now look at those diseases. I am a RN and all of these diseases are new since I was in nursing school 15 years ago! Because of our poor SAD diets (standard american diet), we will see more diseases continue to pop up. AF, however, is not just diet related. It is STRESS related. It is essentially, an inability of the adrenal glands to keep up with the demands placed on them and they utterly give up! Given our stress ridden world and our “get ahead” mentality, we are conditioned for this disease. It is believed that approximately 80% of adult American’s suffer with some form of Adrenal Fatigue! AMAZING!