My Journey

2 Peter: 10 - He tells us

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

So, why listen to me? What can I possibly tell you about health that you don't already know?
I can honestly tell you; because at some point in my life; I am positive I was you! I have gone and continue to go through so much on a daily basis; that can be physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing on anyone. The only difference is, I am able to truly embrace every second of my life as one of the many gifts that I've been blessed with.

I was so sick for so many years. I was given every treatment that doctors could throw at me; and I still wasn't healing. I was trusting in every medication and all the treatments; without thinking about the true side effects that they would all have on my body, let alone my emotional state.

When I was 18, I was misdiagnosed with Crohn's Disease . After many hospital trips, and well over enough of the medications, recommendations, and especially the treatments; my body simply was failing to heal. Finally in 1996 I was diagnosed 99.9% with having Severe Ulcrative Colitis . However, by this point, there had been so much that my body had been through; and there were just no other options except surgery.

In January of 1997, I was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital, NY, under the care of my amazing surgeon Dr. Stephen R. Gorfine. I basically signed my life away; because I was literally that sick, and realized that I could die before I left. Then, I had a major surgery; and was completely unaware that this would change me for the rest of my life. The surgery is called an Ileoanal-Anastomosis or Ileoanal Pullthrough .
Now a lot of the sites that talk about this type of surgery say that they bypass the large intestine. In my case, the large intestine had such a huge erosion that bypassing it was not an option; and I actually lost my entire large intestine. So, my surgery consisted of: completely removing the large intestine, my appendix along with it, totally reconstructing the small intestine, and forming what they call a J-Pouch ; which would allow me to avoid a colostomy bag or stoma.
This was an extremely invasive surgery, because of where I was in my illness, it truly was a huge risk; and without a doubt my last resort. After spending a few weeks in the hospital; I was ready to get started with my new life.

Things were very hard at first; because you have to train your body to get used to not having a large intestine. At the beginning I was, and sometimes even now am not able to absorb certain things; because, well...to be frank...
I eat and it passes rather quickly. (UPDATE) since starting my new food plan on April 3, 2017, I AM able to absorb things; because all the medications I was taking were actually depleting me of all my nutrients. I am currently not on any synthetic medications; but still remain on all of my Nature's Sunshine supplements. 

Before I ever had my surgery, one of the last things I remember trying was juicing, while also taking colloidal minerals (similar to the link); and I even tried clorophyll . I remember that these methods sustained my energy longer; and sometimes helped with my ability to digest things better. However, as great as all that was; my initial health was not up enough to even absorb those methods.

After surgery, part of what helped me regain my weight was starting off with a liquid diet and replacement shakes like these. Once I was back on track, I was and still am only able to truly absorb things that are in liquid form. The weird thing is, it wasn't until I had my children that I ever had a weight problem.

After having both of my children; I have had issues maintaining my ideal weight. Believe it or not, I have actually struggled with weight gain; where before it was a matter of being below a healthy weight.

So, where am I now??? I am a member of Nature's Sunshine which truly was the only company that had everything I needed to sustain me up until my surgery back in 1997; and still is (with even more options), to this day what I need to help me continue to achieve a huge part of my ideal, natural health solution.
I promise you, while my link will take you to my independent site; it is not a shameless plug. This takes me to where I am completely in my life right now......

I am a Reiki Master Teacher, Reiki Practitioner, and Natural Health Consultant. More than anything I have achieved, I am healthy and the happiest I've ever been. I will say that currently as of 4/10/17, I have begun to work with my various doctors on getting my health once and for all back! As most of you may have experienced, a lot of medications out there have horrible side effects. For me, the worst being weight gain. Now, with the food plan I am following, it isn't about the weight anymore; it's about feeling well, and I feel great!

It actually took me a long time to even put Natural Health Consultant on my business cards; because I felt like no one would ever take me seriously about their goals with their own health if I myself was over my target weight, and just feeling horrible over all. I now know these things: my own weight gain happened as a result of many side effects from certain medications,  I am proud to be exactly who God has made me; and honestly, I could care less what people say anymore. The most important thing is never judging someone unless you know exactly what they are going through.  I am certain that my own story/journey will make others understand that they are never alone. We all go through so many different stages in life; and each of us at our own pace. As long as you are moving forward; you are for sure headed in the right direction. So...with that being said...

You will see me talk about Vitamins, Essential Oils, Minerals; and especially Reiki a lot on this site, as they are part of who I am. This is the journey that has finally lead me not only to inner peace; but the best health I've ever been in hands down. I will also share more about my personal journey, however, the most important thing to keep in your mind is this.....

In order for you to even start or be on your journey to natural health; you have to be willing to make it your own. Yes, you have every right and God given free will to try what works for me. In fact, I encourage it. However, unless you are truly ready to go within yourself; and do what it takes to personalize your journey; I'm afraid any advice I may be able to offer will be useless. Why am I telling you this?

It is because, I always tried what I saw worked for other people; but, until I was ready to really invest in myself, there was no way I would have started healing. As I said, each person heals differently. We each need our own individual road maps. My path is meant to be walked only by me; but I am more than happy to encourage anyone to walk beside me. Just try your very best to make your experience your own; and you will see just how far your path will lead you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about me. I hope that my journey will help and inspire those out there who feel there is just no hope. As I go through more about me, you will hopefully begin to see that there is always hope; and it is up to you to accept each second as one of your many gifts!

Be Well and Be Blessed

~Tina