If you read my blog post, A Life Changing Diagnosis, you will know that Humira was my treatment for several years to “treat” my Crohn’s disease. Why did I put treat in quotations? Well because all the medications were really doing for the six years was masking the symptoms of the autoimmune disease, not actually treating it. I’ll be diving into this more in another blog post. For now, I want to share with you why I went from taking the medication to switching to using food as my medicine.
It started in August 2017, when I just started to feel…..blah again. When I say that I was not in a full flare at the time but I was having more uncomfortable sporadic days of my bowels not being in a good place, or more stabbing stomach cramps after eating some meals, and just very tired. By October, it had unfortunately turned into a full on flare. I was running to the bathroom, tired, sharp stomach pains where I was doubled over, and new symptoms that I never had before; headaches, acid re-flux, joint pain and an achy body. No matter what I did I was always in pain and it got to the point where I felt I could only lay on the couch all day and wanted to rest. I could not take care of my children, be a wife, co-worker, friend, sister, daughter, etc that I wanted and needed to be. The hardest part was watching how much it affected my children. I still get emotional today when I think about it…Hyatt and Ashlyn did not want to be separated from me because they could sense I was not well even though I tried desperately to hide it. Kids are just in tune to these things and parents lets be real, even though we think we are doing a “good” job at protecting them by pretending to be fine, they are onto us…
Anyway, I went to my gastroenterologist and was looking for answers. My blood levels were indicating that all was normal, but then why did I feel this way? I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and it showed some inflammation and so I was prescribed a steroid, budesonide, for the Crohn’s and Prilosec for the terrible acid re-flux I had on top of taking my usual biweekly Humira injection. I was told that in a week I should start feeling better and if not to call. I let two weeks pass and there was no change and my re-flux had gotten even worse than what it was. They increased my Prilosec dose and referred me to a rheumatologist because with my symptoms it seemed to be pointing toward having a second autoimmune disease. It is said once you have one autoimmune disorder it is common for you to develop a second…ever heard this phrase before?
I went saw the rheumatologist in December 2017, and they saw in my blood work that my levels were just barely raised above normal. They thought it was likely I was experiencing symptoms of a connective tissue disease. (Connective tissue disease is like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, etc) She proceeded to tell me that she was diagnosing me with undifferentiated connective disease because my blood work was indicating I had a connective tissue disease, but they could not be sure exactly which one it was quite yet because it had not fully presented itself yet. She wanted me to begin treatment right away with a medication that is used to treat those who get malaria. You guys…MALARIA!?!? I understand drugs are used to treat more than one disease but still! She said I would need to get regular eye exams because the medication could affect my eye sight. This was 100% my eye opener!!!
I decided it was best to get a second opinion and scheduled an appointment with a rheumatologist at Froedert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin. January 2018, I was able to see her and she came in accessed my medical records from the previous rheumatologist and did a physical exam and told me there was no evidence I had a connective tissue disease. She said based on everything that I told her and the labs that I was experiencing side effects from my Humira and that it had triggered drug induced lupus. Which made sense since my symptoms were like lupus. Which after experiencing that my heart goes out to those who deal with lupus on a daily basis. So this medication I was taking for years to help me was now hurting me and essentially making it unbearable to live daily life. What next??
I was told to get off the Humira immediately and contact my GI to get started on something else for my treatment of Crohn’s. I had always toyed with the idea of trying holistic approaches to keep myself in remission but never wanted to risk going off my medication. Now was my chance, but I went to my GI and heard my options and asked about dietary changes helping my disease. Which my GI said that if I did not take a medication I would flare and be worse off. I left there not knowing what to do and not making a decision.
By fate or chance that happened for a reason, my girlfriend Karlie had given me a supplement, Biome Medic, to try and said she thought this would be my answer in getting my gut health on track and get me out of this flare. At this point I had nothing to lose and it could not possibly make anything worse than how I felt. I started on a loading dose like she recommended and within just a few days my headaches started to lessen. Was it by chance? You will come to learn it was not at all by chance. Karlie connected my with a holistic health coach who recommended I do the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet and continue with my Biome Medic and Gut Health Pack. These would allow my digestive track to heal and flush out glyphosate, heavy metals and bacteria that were doing me harm. This was just the start of my journey to eating more whole foods and eliminating the processed junk and toxins. Check out my blog posts about detoxing, the AIP diet, my superfoods that forever changed my life!
Special shout outs go to my husband for being my rock during my low and not giving up on me. To my parents for always supporting me. To Karlie, for being placed in my life to help me find the answer that would change my life and connecting me with others who could give me even more tools. To Mandi for being on the phone with me for several hours helping me get started on my healing journey and for all the calls since then!
XOXO, Brooke
*Disclaimer: Always consult with a professional medical practitioner before taking any dietary supplements or recommendations listed, especially if pregnant, nursing, taking prescription medications or under a doctor’s medical care.
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