Brandi’s Amazing Story of Healing From Lupus

This is the letter Brandi sent me before we started working together. She had been diagnosed with Lupus disease a year prior to working with me and was desperate for help. She was referred to me by a friend who knew of my practice.

“In March of 2015, I woke up from a nap feeling like I was having a heart attack. I went to the doctor and they rushed me in for a CT scan. Everything seemed ok. Next thing you know, I’m having terrible and unexplainable sore throats. Rounds and rounds of antibiotics weren’t helping and I soon started developing hives , low grade fevers and joint pain. I thought I would lose my mind!
I was referred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. It took 5 minutes for the Rheumatologist to look at my chart and determine I had Lupus.

I’ve been put on multiple medications that have suppressed some of my symptoms, with the exception of the hives. I itch all day, all over, all the time. It makes me crazy! Worst of all, the only thing that takes the edge off is the Prednisone. I went from 124 lbs to 158 lbs. I’ve about given up on my Rheumatologist and Allergist. I can never get in touch with them despite being on 4-5 antihistamines a day and still not feeling better.

At this point, I’m feeling helpless and hopeless. I am not normally a pessimistic person, really, but this is beginning to take a toll on me and my family.
I don’t want to continue on this path and I am sick of taking medications. I want to find a more holistic approach and I know my diet could use some changing, but it is all so overwhelming. I hate to admit it, but I am feeling so defeated.

I am 35 yrs. old, work full time and have 2 small boys. I don’t have time to be sick or the option to get sicker. I want to be as healthy as I can and stick around to drive these guys crazy for as long as I can!!”

Brandi and I worked together for several weeks, focusing on getting the inflammatory foods out of her diet that were causing her body to attack itself. We looked at how stress and sleep deprivation also contributed to the disease process and implemented strategies for slowing down and prioritizing the healing process.

Below is Brandi’s exciting update as she continues to integrate a healthier diet and more mindful approach to healing her body.

“My lupus inflammation marker (CRPhs – which is what my doctors have monitored closely) went from 136 in March of 2015 down to 1 in May of 2016. This has calmed many of the problems that were cropping up because of the lupus/inflammation. My hair has started to come back and I have had little to no joint pain. My low grade fevers have also ceased. The digestive issues I was having such an awful time with have stopped! There’s no more bloating and gassiness. The constant swings between constipation and loose stools has stopped. I have lost (and kept off) 18 lbs. I very quickly lost 3 inches off my waist soon after changing my diet alone.

There simply aren’t words to say just how this, and you, have impacted my life. You have changed my life Completely. I feel better than I felt BEFORE I was diagnosed with lupus. I’m not afraid to wake up in the morning and guess what new ache or pain I was going to have to deal with that day. Because I don’t have them! I’m confident that as long as I continue down this path I will be able to play and keep up with my boys, be able to work full time and just plain feel good. I had hit rock bottom. Both mentally and physically. I didn’t feel like things were ever going to get better. The lupus was going to continue to flare. I was going to continue to gain weight. I was in a very negative state of mind.

What I liked most about working with you is how supportive and non-judgmental you are. Your attitude was positive the entire time. You made sure that I understood everything we were talking about and addressed any questions I had. You made sure that I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed, which is where I had always failed in the past. You were so patient with me!”

Brandi, age 35
Austin, MN
Rental/Sales Coordinator FT