Around 7 years ago I became extremely fatigued. My entire body ached. I would wake after a long sleep feeling as if I had never been to bed at all.
I suffered repeated attacks of shingles. I could no longer exercise or go to the gym because recovery would take many days or sometimes even a week. I would frequently feel short of breath doing even very simple tasks. I couldn’t concentrate and I suffered terrible brain fog. Over the last year, many patients with long Covid report similar symptoms.
It was almost like I was being poisoned (a phrase I have heard many patients with CFS/ME tell me- I now realised exactly how they were feeling). Countless times each day I would suffer crippling panic attacks and the sensation of my heart racing. Without health, life barely felt worth living. Even as an experienced Doctor I felt absolutely powerless about what was happening to my own health, so too did the doctors looking after me.
I went from specialist to specialist, and had lots of investigations including a brain scan; imaging of my heart; and even a sleep study. I was told to feel reassured that my tests were normal. The only abnormality detected was a very high cholesterol due to rapid weight gain- the side effects from prescribed medication. and what I at the time considered to be a ‘healthy, balanced diet.’ At one of my clinic appointments, the Consultant told me that I was clinically obese and on a slippery slope to premature heart disease among other long term serious health conditions. I was prescribed statin tablets which made me feel even more fatigued.
Eventually, I stumbled upon the work of ILADS (The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society) https://www.ilads.org and the Institute of Functional Medicine https://www.ifm.org. I met fellow like- minded doctors. One of them kindly recommended that I seek assessment with a Functional Doctor. As it transpired, my bloods were far from normal. I had a multitude of problems which simply had not been detected with conventional medicine. Finally, I was being treated holistically, and not simply as another patient with symptoms which didn’t tick a box.
I discovered that my immune system was working overtime and in so doing consuming all of my energy. Even the irritable bowel condition I had been diagnosed with as a teenager was all connected to my present state of health.
With my Functional Doctor we worked out a holistic plan of getting me back to my old self. It was not an overnight recovery but it was certainly worth it. My treatment plan involved a complete change of diet and a regime of prescribed nutritional supplements and herbal antibiotics to help me heal, and restore my energy. Needless to say, I am back to a healthy weight. My waist size is back to the same as when I was twenty one- I am now in my early 40’s. This was achieved without countless hours in the gym but simply by restoring my body’s natural tendency to heal. I can now confidently say that I feel healthier and happier than I ever did before. There was no need for me to be on statins since my cholesterol normalised on a low carbohydrate diet. (You can download a free pdf copy of this diet on the homepage).
My mission here is to help others restore their health- just as I was able to- and live their optimal life once again.
Tired and Wired?
Book a consultation with me, life is too precious to be tired all the time.
