SARAH'S JOURNEY TO HEALTH

I bet you're wondering why and how we came together and created Pure Goddess. 

My health story.

For me, it all started a few years ago. Constantly feeling sick, fatigued, brain fog, gut issues, low iron, sluggish and literally felt my life was over. 

As a Midwife in a busy public tertiary hospital, working a range of long shifts really knocked my body clock sideways. I didn't eat properly, I just lived on high carb glutinous snacks, and these were my go-to in times of a sugar fix and to help me stay awake at work. I drank fizzy drinks, stimulant drinks and coffee was my water! I had three children at this point.

I piled on the pounds but had no motivation to change my ways. 

I was always so active with the kids when they were younger but something inside of me had changed. After the birth of my fourth child aged 39, I felt so different. With my other children I bounced back in no time, however, this was so different. It took me a quite a while to feel like me again. However, feeling good didn't last long and within months I had rapidly started to decline again. Each day every day, I felt sick and lethargic.

Diet after diet.

I bought so many fad diet programs, diet potions, energy boosters and starved myself silly, all in the name of health. Little did I know that this wasn't being healthy, I was actually making myself worse!

You'd probably think that being a health professional for a number of years, helping other women stay healthy and active would have given me the same mindset, well, you thought wrong. 

I had neglected myself on a huge scale. Whilst being busy caring for others, my health had become so poor that it was affecting everything I did. They say you should make your health a priority but that is easier said than done with a busy career and a large family to care for. 

All my blood tests at the GP were pretty much normal apart from my iron levels which were so low, and my cholesterol levels were through the roof. I couldn't understand how most of my blood tests had come back normal and the GP was telling me I was fine, yet I felt like death. 

So, on I struggled, visiting different GP's, going through lots more testing but all came back saying the same thing, you are okay. Yet I wasn't, I was far from okay, I dragged myself through each day, fell into bed exhausted each night and started all again the day after.  

Time for a change

I had had enough, I didn't feel listened too, my brain and body were telling me I needed to make changes because I couldn't carry on like this. I decided to adopt a whole new approach to my health. 

I took my diet back to basics, cutting out different foods and groups in an attempt to see if my health improved. It was trial and error in the beginning, but I researched and researched until I found what worked for me.

I cut out gluten, some dairy, convenience foods and went on a low carb/high protein diet. Oh, my goodness… I felt so much better within just two weeks of changing my diet I started to see changes, small changes but positive changes.  I was still not 100% but I felt I was getting there was light at the end of the tunnel. 

I booked an appointment with a functional integrative doctor. I told her all my woes and that all my previous testing had been coming back normal, and that I felt anything but normal! The integrative doctor did more testing, I wasn't expecting much after the battery of tests I had already been through that had come back 'normal'. 

Finally getting answers. 

My blood test results came back. They had done every possible in-depth blood test you could imagine, and it revealed I was suffering with a thyroid condition, Hashimoto's where the immune system creates antibodies that attack the thyroid cells. Alongside this I had the Epstein bar virus antibodies in my blood, although at the time the virus was dormant, I had experienced Glandular fever a number of years earlier. This could be re-activated at any moment, just adding to my symptoms. 

I broke down, doctors had told me for years that I was normal, had no issues and at times had almost insinuated it was all in my head. I wasn't going crazy, there was something wrong, my health was compromised and there was a reason for how I had been feeling.  Admittedly, my diet and lifestyle were absolutely atrocious, but at least I now had a starting point. 

Now, my family is my absolute world and my ‘why’ for everything I do in life, but my health needed to be the priority. I needed to heal my thyroid and overhaul my diet and lifestyle. I have overhauled my diet, my stress levels, my sleep and I had a long hard look at the supplements I was taking and what my body really needed in terms of supplemental support. 

Slowly my health improved, my weight dropped, I started to feel energised and happy! 

So, this is where my life started in terms of health, and this is my WHY for joining forces with Jules at Pure Goddess. We now want to help you get your health back on track.

Sarah XX