Overcoming Adversity
For over thirty years I battled excruciating pain, scarring, and chronic inflammation. Starting with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and constant sinus issues as a young child, being intolerant to just about everything I ate, to being diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis at menstruation. Stage 4 is the most severe type with the most widespread and deepest endometrial lesions.
To add insult to injury a speeding motorcycle knocked me over at the age of 20, almost killing me. Over the years, the spinal discs started to give way and by age 31, I found myself lying in a hospital bed partially paralysed from the waist down. Doctors diagnosed me with Degenerative Disc Disorder, which the MRI showed a second disc just below the one that was removed, was also giving way. They said I had the back of a 50-year-old and would be back for multiple back operations.
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Being paralyzed and immobile took a toll on my mental health and self-confidence, but those who know me, know I’m a pit bull when on a mission, and so I refused to let it defeat me. I pushed myself to learn how to walk again and after just two weeks was moving again…sort of. I pushed myself every day. I fell over in public, more times than I can remember – yet as embarrassing as it always was, I guess it taught me how to keep getting back up, no matter what. I also think when the doctor said I’d never walk normally again, I was determined to prove him wrong.
Endometriosis has unfortunately affected many women in my family
For those unaware, endometriosis is a medical condition where the lining of the uterus migrates to other sites outside of the womb. It affects one in ten women and can take up to eight years for a medical diagnosis, leaving women in excruciating pain and without proper treatment, until they receive a proper diagnosis. I was only diagnosed seven years later, which is what started my surgical procedures.
Thankfully, a year before this, I was put on a new form of hormone treatment for my endometriosis, to alleviate the chronic pain and constant internal bleeding, switching my menstrual cycle off altogether. It worked like a charm, and just as well because I don’t know how I would have dealt with both my spinal trauma and endometriosis combined. Unfortunately, due to several crazy side effects, nine years of hormone injections every three months left me 30kg heavier, swollen and bloated, poor memory, depressed and unrecognisable in the mirror.
Throughout my 20s, I was a frequent patient at the hospital, undergoing multiple surgical procedures and hormone trials, all to treat my aggressive stage 4 endometriosis. At 27, I was induced into full menopause for three months, as a last resort. Artificial menopause while alleviating my endometriosis ushered in a new set of problems – hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, and brain fog.
Determined to find better medical care and improve my quality of life, I immigrated to the UK with my husband and three cats in 2019. Little did we know what was up ahead would change our lives forever.
In March when the pandemic hit, I had just sent off my working visa application, and had a return ticket back to South Africa where I was to apply for my working visa in the UK. We had a plan. In May my visit visa expired, and with no way to get back home as the South African borders were locked, and no papers to earn a penny in the UK, I was for the first time without a plan or a back-up plan.
Over the next few months, the stress levels mounted as I sat in the UK in a time of complete uncertainty. By July I was rushed to the hospital with internal bleeding and severe pain. On that same day my husband was dismissed from work due to the pandemic, so we were now both without access to generate income, and our savings were quickly running out. My husband, being my rock, remained calm that day; the 45-minute drive to the hospital took forever. Sadly, he was stopped at the front door and told only I could enter. Going into a foreign, quiet, isolated hospital building at 4am alone, heavily medicated for the pain, was like a horror scene. Doing it as a foreign immigrant with no legal papers to even be in the country by this point, was nerve wracking.
After getting approval from a General Practitioner at 4am, we were sent back home to return to gynaecology in four hours. I couldn’t stay inside the hospital and wait due to lock down regulations. Back home in South Africa I would have just been admitted into hospital within hours.
Multiple scans confirmed it was another severe endometriosis flare-up all over my bowel and colon, including a burst ovarian cyst the size of a golf ball.
The night before I had a severe IBS flare-up at home, bloating up like a blow fish, which ironically pushed onto a 7cm ovarian cyst forcing it to burst, and leak fluid out into my lower abdomen causing excruciating pain on a whole new level. I was then rejected surgery due to regulations and told a Mirena would be a good option to help with the symptoms. Two very young doctors performed the procedure but were unsuccessful after two attempts. My insides felt like razor blades had attacked them. I wasn’t even given the option for pain reducing meds beforehand, due to regulations. I remember sitting in the consultation room (a file storage room converted with a makeshift gynaecology chair in the centre) due to lockdown this was the only room they had available to see me in. It was something I never imagined having to ever endure, all in the space of 24 hours. Due to the obviously inexperienced 23-year-old doctor performing the procedure, after two failed attempts, I called it a day. I was then injected with more hormones and sent back home that same day. Accompanied by another bag of toxic pain meds and more hormonal treatment suggestions.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
On my 40th birthday, I lay in my bedroom, curtains drawn closed, not able to keep fluids down or eat much. I just prayed to either be taken or saved, but something had to give. My entire body ached with pain, I wasn’t sleeping eating or functioning anymore. I woke up one morning and decided to do something about it. I then reached out to my best friend Robynn who suffered just like me for two
decades with stage 4 endometriosis and had found ways to relieve all her symptoms through changing her diet over the years. I thought, if it worked for her it can work for me.
Following her guidance to get started, I dived into the research and through trial and error, and many tears over the months, I woke up one morning feeling different. My pain levels started dropping and my body started feeling alive again. So, I continued, month after month, and eventually managed to shrink down to a healthy 55kg and was pain and symptom free after just seven months. I had my first pain-free menstrual cycle by March, eight months in, and I was finally off all my pharmaceutical medication and painkillers. I began diligently tracking my own DNA markers, to measure and track my progress. I wanted to have concrete evidence that it wasn’t just a stroke of good luck that I was healing so well, so quickly. I then thought if it worked this well for me, who else could it work for, so I posted an advert for a free 21-day challenge online, and in the end helped numerous women with different health conditions, including endometriosis, get some remarkable healing results and healthy weight loss.
To keep the endometriosis at bay, I received injections every few months for years. However, I ceased treatment in December 2018 due to a noticeable decline in my memory and heightened anxiety levels. Although my weight fluctuated, it wasn’t a major concern for me. In 2018, I weighed my heaviest at 87 kgs.
At that time, I started consuming gluten and lactose-free foods, unaware of their inflammatory nature. These foods are made from gluten-free ingredients that trigger inflammation and are often laden with harmful herbicides such as glyphosate, which destroys our hormones, and results in liver disease. Consequently, my liver was showing signs of damage already, and I felt extremely inflamed and unwell. Additionally, while living with all the symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, I was dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, depression, headaches and migraines, and psoriasis. I was in a terrible state all round. Although I wasn’t at my heaviest, I was at my sickest.
After changing my diet opting for healthy, unprocessed low carb foods and high fats, I learned about ketogenesis and the healing benefits. It took me a while to get going, with the limited information I had, but being persistent in nature, I adjusted over the months, and tracked everything. I then came to learn the powerful healing benefits of plantbased phytochemicals and polyphenols which in addition to my ketosis lifestyle, enhanced and optimised my healing. After cutting out lectins, the pain disappeared one morning. It was an amazing moment, and I felt proud and like I had achieved something more.
Unfortunately, I fell into the trap of consuming gluten-free and lactose-free foods, which ultimately made me very ill. Unbeknownst to me, these foods contained numerous carbohydrates and processed ingredients that were detrimental to my health. It wasn’t until I eliminated these foods from my diet that I discovered my true triggers.
As a former hospitality and fine dining worker, my love for wine has always been strong. While I did enjoy
the occasional beer, red wine was my go to. However, during the period of July to November 2020, I made the decision to cut both out of my diet. This choice proved to be enlightening as I discovered that these beverages were major triggers for feeling unwell. It turns out that they were increasing my estrogen levels, which can lead to endometriosis – a condition I was experiencing due to an excess of estrogen. Over time, I learned how to reduce my estrogen levels, balance my hormones, and decrease overall inflammation and pain. As a result, I was able to reverse my disease and achieve full remission.
Tailoring my diet to my menstrual cycle has made a significant difference. For three weeks, I follow a
ketosis and intermittent fasting regimen, switching up the fasting times. During certain times, it’s best to
ease up on strict dietary restrictions and incorporate complex carbs like vegetables and fruit. However, it’s
essential to cleanse the liver before consuming fruits as fructose can strain the liver, especially if exposed
to medications for an extended period.
So, I’ve adopted a flexible fasting routine where I alternate between 16-hour and 18-hour fasts. On weekends, I indulge in one feast day and one OMAD (one meal a day).
As my period approaches, I reintroduce complex carbs like sweet potato, butternut squash, nuts, berries,
and other fruit and vegetables. However, I must be cautious since many of these foods contain high levels
of lectins, which I’m still sensitive to. Nevertheless, I relish this week before my period and savour the flavours of nuts and berries.
On my one-year anniversary in July 2021, my GP offered to sponsor me an MBA if I could teach his
patients how to heal the same way. This validated the effectiveness of my approach for myself and others
like me.
I’m at a healthy weight, building muscle, and feeling younger. My overall health has transformed – glowing skin, thick hair, no painful periods. I have boundless energy, clear mind, great memory, and feel incredibly strong. I’m off all medications and aging in reverse.
I am currently coaching fellow women to maximize the benefits of a personalised elimination diet of
cyclical ketosis, intermittent fasting and autophagy – an extended fasting technique responsible for
recycling the body of diseased cells. Although our bodies may operate the same, we each have unique
needs that require personalized attention. To address this, I have developed a formula that helps identify
and highlight each women’s individual inflammatory triggers. From there, I guide my clients through a
personalised elimination plan, engineered just for their body.
I take pride in guiding these women through the intricate process of identifying their triggers, eliminating
them, and gracefully adapting to a healing lifestyle. My approach emphasizes sustainability, recognizing
that this is not a mere diet but a way of life.
3 things I’d like to highlight to every lady reading this, is:
Your body is your best doctor. Listen to it! At first, you may not understand what it’s telling you, but start paying attention. Your body will let you know if something is working or not. Trust it! Feeling sick all the time is not normal. When you start feeling good, you’re on the right track.
Invest in quality ingredients: If you eat meat and fish, choose high-quality options like pasture raised (outdoors) pork and poultry, and grass-fed and finished beef, as well as wild-caught fish (not farmed). It’s worth it! Don’t put junk in your body, especially during the elimination phase of your diet changes. Understanding the difference between buying clean food (mentioned above) and contaminated foods (processed, factory farmed, GMO foods) is where the junk hides!
Identify personal triggers – some people are sensitive to certain foods. I thought I was lactose intolerant, but it turns out I’m not. I used to enjoy cauliflower often, being a healthy low carb vegetable, with great gut healing benefits, but then I realised through testing my DNA that I was having a sensitivity to it, ultimately derailing my healing.
I strongly believe that movement is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Growing up I was a competitive swimmer and ballet dancer, but my illness in my 20s prevented me from doing much.
Despite this, Pilates has always been a part of my routine as it aided in my rehabilitation after spinal
surgery at 31. Recently, I have resumed practicing Pilates as it effectively strengthens the pelvic area,
which is often impacted by multiple laparoscopic surgeries. I’ve also collaborated with my instructor to provide virtual classes to women via Zoom, where they can enjoy Pilates with me.
After two decades of suffering from insane levels of inflammation and nerve pain, I am finally feeling
amazing. It has been nothing short of miraculous, but I’ve continued to improve my healing formula which has inspired me to assist other women in achieving the same. As a result, I launched a women’s health coaching business the day my working visa came through, in June 2021, as I just knew I had to teach what I had learned. So, I focus on helping women with gut issues, and endometriosis, as well as a lot of hormone imbalances and weight gain, to reverse their diseases, heal better faster, and live younger for longer.
To contact me, please askme@essentialfarmaceuticals.com
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