What I Learned From Pain and Discomfort
Thank you so much for joining Finding Your Health community. I want to take a minute to tell you my personal story of how I went from living with chronic neck, shoulder and back pain, a breast cancer diagnosis at age 44, and an autoimmune disease diagnosis that nearly brought me to my knees, to living a healthy, vibrant life, without the use of medications. My story is the reason why I am committed to help you find a better solution when dealing with a health issue.
I understand the confusion and fear you feel living with a frightening health diagnosis when you don’t know which step would be the right one to take on your health journey. I felt the same way. You are confused navigating your way around our Western medical model, and so was I, but now I know there is a way out of the madness. When we receive a diagnosis, the first thing we feel is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear that we may just have to live with the condition. Fear that we won't be able to enjoy our kids or grandchildren the way we would have liked.
I had a lifelong struggle with both emotional and physical pain. In my 30’s I did not address the issues in my life that weren’t working; a job I disliked, having a schedule that I could not handle, and not speaking up for myself when I knew should. I was unable to set boundaries, which led to stuffed emotions eating away at my cells. Instead, I was placed on several SSRI’s, muscle relaxers and pain medications to ease my symptoms. This approach just masked my symptoms, rather than addressing why my symptoms were there in the first place. Then at age 46, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Before cancer, I was sleepwalking through my life, not paying any attention to my negative emotions. You know those negative emotions we feel, such as when we know someone is overstepping their boundaries, yet we allow it or when we wake up, go to a job we hate, come home, go to sleep, and do it all over again. We ignore our desire to want more in life because we feel it is not an option, so we settle. We tell ourselves a story about why it can’t change and we believe it to be our truth.
When we ignore our feelings, we feel pain. Emotional pain, back pain, neck pain, headaches and stomach aches. I lived this way for years. We are oblivious to the fact that we are the cause of our pain and suffering. The only way to get out of this madness is to stand up to your pain, and ask, "Why are you here?" We can't blame it on our job, our relationships or our poor health. When we do, we hand over our power to the circumstance, or to the perpetrator who is taking advantage of our well-being, or even to the doctor who is treating our symptoms.
Going through my discomfort, I grew sick and tired of being sick and tired. That’s when I decided to take back control, and in turn, I took back my power. Doctors are not God. Your body's wisdom, your intuition, if you listen, will give you the guidance you need to take the next step on your health journey. Listening to my intuition was a tremendous gift I gave myself. It taught me that I needed to seek additional care in order find the root cause of my symptoms. And, when I did, I found Naturopathic and Functional Medicine.
I learned that food is the strongest medication there is and changed my diet to reflect whole foods nutrition, daily exercise, and taking more quality time for me. I changed the way I perceived my life, which opened me up to a more spiritual practice of placing me as a priority, which in turn gave me more joy without the use of prescription drugs. What an amazing gift you can give yourself. But, it does take time to invest in yourself this way.
As a health coach, I am committed to guiding you on your next step on your health journey. If you are living with chronic pain, illness, fatigue or just want to lose weight, but are confused by all the contradictory diets out there, I can assist you through the confusion and introduce you to functional medicine. Functional medicine is all about prevention, not just treating symptoms.
When I was able to get to the root cause of my symptoms, it changed my life. I now have energy, vitality and joy. Here are some of the things that I can now enjoy regularly.
Yoga and Pilates classes 3-4 times a week
Daily long walks with my dog
Hiking in the mountains of New Hampshire
Able to take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever I want
Understand what foods are causing inflammation in my body
Set clear boundaries when I feel it is necessary, without guilt
If you want to take back control of your health, I can help you do that. Contact me today by phone 781-354-4075 or click this link for a complimentary 50-minute consultation.
I would love to hear from you!
With love and appreciation,
Donna