Julie came to us after having a miscarriage and getting a rare Dermatomyositis autoimmune diagnosis. The worst part was that the medication for the disease meant that she could never have kids again. This is her Story of Hope she would like to share:
Back in 2017 I was the happiest I could ever be. I had a 10 month old son, working a full time job as well as being active in my favorite local gym. To top it off, I had just found out that I was pregnant again with our second child. Life could not have been better! Two months later in Feb 2018 I sadly lost my pregnancy. I began to feel tired and weak and I assumed it was my depression and adjustment to the loss. The tiredness progressed and found myself In terrible pain. Carrying the diaper bag was a chore and I was slowly losing the strength to carry my baby. I still assumed it was depression and the extra post pregnancy weight.
One morning, as I open my eyes to begin the day I noticed that my legs were not moving and I was drooling! At that point my husband took me to the emergency room.
After various tests and a long 2 week stay in the hospital, I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. Dermatomyositis is an uncommon autoimmune disease marked by extreme muscle weakness and skin rash.
At that point it felt like a death sentence, like it was the end of my world. I left the doctor's office with so much medication, a terrible diagnosis and worst of all, the terrible news that I could never have kids again because of the class of drugs I would have to take.
I struggled with finding remission for 2 long years. I was confined to wheelchairs in activities that required walking, and had to use walking cane for short distances. It was a struggle to even take care of my own personal hygiene as well as my sons. My mom would come over every morning to help me bathe, dress and of course care for my son. Physical therapy was helping me lift 2 pound weights and as hard as I tried to be positive, those moments where hard.
During my recovery journey I meet Melissa at Sagebrush Wellness who greatly helped me with integrated medicine. I had never heard of integrated medicine and to be truthful, I only tried it because I was desperate for any help. Melissa helped me listen to my body and give it what it needs to heal. At that time, it felt crazy and really hard for me to do.
The biggest help was eliminating inflammatory foods, which we did through trial and error, and I found out gluten is a huge trigger for me. I began to eat real, whole foods and feed my body nutrition to heal. I was starting to feel positive. I also began taking supplements such as magnesium and others that I was deficient in. I took a food allergy test and eliminated those foods from my diet as well. I began to feel alive for the first time in a long time. My physical therapy was improving and best of all I didn’t need my cane anymore!!
Fast forward to 2020 . . . I gave birth to another healthy beautiful son. Say what!?! You read that right. Our bodies have the power to heal and survive! Currently, my blood work comes back normal and I am thankful I have the tools to heal myself. I call it a "soul meets body" moment when you can speak to your body and help it function.
I am forever grateful for Melissa and the freedom she gave me. I hope this serves as encouragement for those of you reading it.
Please know that all we can do is try our best and not take “no” for an answer. Until this day modern medicine is telling me to “keep doing what you are doing” and I am doing something right!