I have mentioned that my health is not good, but decided that I wanted to write an honest post about what has been going on. In the beginning of 2015 my health declined rapidly. There were some things that had been happening for years but immediately were so much worse after childbirth.

Backstory: Throughout my childhood and into college I was a competitive softball player. In 2005 I was hit by a softball directly in the mouth during a practice drill. Three teeth were knocked out and I had a concussion. I had multiple surgeries and procedures done, and I was on antibiotics and painkillers with every procedure.

About a year after the injury, I started dealing with what I was told by multiple doctors was “Overactive Bladder Syndrome”. Medications never helped with the symptoms, so I just had to live with OAB limiting everything I did in my life. About 2 years after the injury my immune system weakened a lot. I was getting migraines, was nauseous 24/7, was physically getting sick way more often, and was struggling to get sleep. This continued through high school, college, to now.

March 2015, after having my son, my bladder and every other symptom got even worse than it was (I never thought that was possible). I started talking with doctors and urologists about my health issues because it was effecting every area of my life. I couldn’t leave the house without having an “accident”, physically getting sick, or having anxiety attacks. The doctors that I talked with did a bunch of tests on my bladder and wanted to treat the symptoms of OAB, but I felt like no one was listening to me about EVERYTHING that was happening in my body. I went through a year of trying medications for the bladder which I was told was the only problem. Nothing worked, symptoms kept getting worse, and I was becoming extremely depressed. I wanted a healthy whole body, not just a cover up for all my symptoms.

In February 2016, I decided to see a naturopath that a couple friends had recommended. As soon as I described all the symptoms, the doctor asked if I had been injured in the past. Well yes I had! In one visit I felt heard, and like I was finally on the road to better health! My softball injury and the multiple rounds of antibiotics mixed with painkillers completely wiped out my body. My body never bounced back from them. My naturopath diagnosed me with “Interstitial Cystitis” which means that my bladder was irritated and inflamed and not functioning like it should. My gut/other organs were also inflamed and struggling to function properly. Combining that with a hormone imbalance, extremely low iron levels, and lack of sleep, it was causing all the health issues.

My treatment is taking many natural supplements (prescribed by my doctor), a strict diet treatment, and trying to improve my sleep. I have heard it said many times that “health starts in the gut”. This is definitely true in my case. My strict diet treatment is to reduce inflammation in both my gut and bladder, get rid of migraines, and also stop the constant nausea by cutting out irritating foods. This means that I have cut out gluten and dairy, along with a long list of other foods. Along the way, I found that chicken was making me sick as well; so weird! Within the first 4 weeks of my treatment I stopped having migraines, I had more energy, and was significantly less nauseous. My bladder has been slow to improve, but I know I am going to get better.

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is forever mine.” -Psalm 73:26 (NLT)

This is a verse that I have been holding on to during this long health struggle. When my body is struggling to function properly, and I am feeling down and lonely; I remind myself that God loves me, wants me to be whole and healthy, and will give me strength. Nothing is too big for Him!

I wanted to share what I have been going through, and hope that it helps and encourages others to continue to seek answers in their own health. We aren’t meant to live like this, we are meant to live full adventurous lives. We can do it!

What helps you stay positive during struggles? Comment below 🙂 thanks for reading!