For those of that don’t know me-I am now 35 years old and I have Crohns Disease.
This is something that went undiagnosed for many years (possibly started as IBS from a very young age (pre-teen) and then progressed as a result of my teen/young adulthood eating disorder Bulimia Nervosa..which is apparently the classic timeline for that disorder?!) with symptoms of excruciating bowel discomfort (digesting razerblades is the best comparison I can think of), shortness of breath (hard to get a deep breath), intermittent all body joint inflammation/extreme pain and an overall lethargy.
Over the years I have completed many different courses of therapies:
-western medicine- antispasmodics, with opioid analgesics as needed
-weight loss strategies to decrease joint pain-also to decrease the stress of having to carry extra weight and the inflammation caused by being over fat
-acupuncture, chiropractics, physiotherapists (IMS/Massage)…remember that I love to lift weights 😉 and clean nutrition and exercise (this has worked the best so far)
Getting better or at least to a state of remission became the top priority when I was contemplating starting a family. This was because pregnancy can go two ways with this disease-symptom free for 9 months with a possibility of autoimmune flare postpartum or in constant flare up for 9 months gestation with hopefully relief after the baby arrives. I reached remission and my husband and I decided the risk was far less than the reward of a family. I was lucky-9 months of symptom “free” minus one small episode that passed in 24 hours. I was so fortunate that I forgot about the aftermath possibility….
Long story short- 11 weeks post C-Section (I have a BEAUTIFUL little BOY!!!)- Already back to lighter training and working with clients (no 1 year maternity leave at home option for the self employed ;)..)
and a DVT (blood clot) in my Right calf…literally my one “good” leg…as the left leg has endured numerous sports injuries!
6 months of daily blood thinner injections and an oral drug that is in the Chemotherapy family at a MICRO DOSE- all in the hopes of “re-setting” my immune system by wiping it out?!!!!!!!!

Where am I now..1 year later????? No longer participating in that treatment plan!
Back to training the way that I love to train- goal focused lifting- working my way back onto the stage 3 years later than my original goal but grateful for the extra time to learn how to fine tune my training to bring my personal best physique-still working with my coach who is really more a close friend of mine that is now forcing me to learn about my own training techniques for myself 😉
I have started seeing a Naturopath and I am implementing the use of herbs and tinctures for anti inflammatory and lymphatic system support…( I went to her with a list of herbs and questions that I had found in my course materials…you’ll never know unless you ask…)
I am trying to shift my protein sources to 50% plant based in an effort to change the PH of my body to make it less acidic and less pro inflammatory…stay tuned as I am on week 12 and have experienced 1 SEVERE episode of joint inflammation flare…to the point where it hurt to bend my arms and legs and I could not pick up a frying pan or bring my morning cup of coffee to my mouth…I KNOW….NOT ABLE TO DRINK MORNING COFFEE!!!!!! Weight training that day was severely modified too!

I am working my way through a Certified Holistic Nutritionist Diploma (Athlete Focused) and the more that I am learning the more I realize what I can change for my own future and also what I can hopefully prevent or change for clients. All of the beautiful things that food-when used primarily as fuel can offer.

Throughout all of this I have maintained my training regime and healthy eating…imagine if I hadn’t….If I threw in the towel whenever things got challenging I may have no towels left!!!!!!! If I had eaten my feelings..(like I used to 100%) how much more pain would I be in? Or how much longer would my flare up have lasted? Would I have ended up back in the hospital…AGAIN???

Things get tough but I guarantee you are stronger than you realize!