So very sorry to not blog regularly.   In fact, almost a year.  I have been extending myself too far for certain creativity and expression, I wasn’t physically well.    The blog suffered because of that.   Regardless, I’m thrilled to be telling you about a new chapter in my life.   First, you may wonder what exactly was going on?

A year ago I began having health issues.   The year before before that my mother had died.  I was very stressed.   Dealing with her death and being an only child was very difficult and hard on me and my family.  I had high hormonal levels of cortisol and prolactin and I was gaining weight and that was out of control.  I wasn’t sleeping and I felt so bad.  I was pre-diabetic.   I had pain in every fiber of my being.  I had neuropathy in my feet, ankles and knees.   The bones in my feet and ankles were degenerating.  I was dizzy a lot.  My blood pressure was very high, and I was on 4 different medications, 5 pills a day.   My vitamin D level and potassium levels were dangerously low.  I didn’t understand what could be happening.  I felt dizzy so much and the doctors wanted to rule out mini-strokes. Every joint in my body was inflamed and the pain was immense.  I had been diagnosed with severe degenerative arthritis in my feet, ankles and knees.   I was sent to a Podiatrist and reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon, an Endocrinologist, and a Neurologist, as well as my Internist continued to follow up.  My asthma was out of control.  I was scared and that made the asthma worse.   I was exhausted upon waking up every single day.

I felt like I could be dying, but I didn’t tell anyone.  I continued to pretend I was ok.  I had unknown numbers of blood tests, urine tests, 24 hour tests, 2 MRI’s of my brain and my brain and chest.   They were looking for possible Pitutary or Adrenal tumors. My memory was foggy, I didn’t feel sharp or on top of my mental game.  As my work, home and personal stress levels rose, so did my hormones.   The hot flashes were unbearable.   I had to sleep under a fan and I sweated all night long.   I could not sleep.  I was lucky to get three hours uninterrupted sleep.   This began to deteriorate my health and my weight shot up as fast as my blood pressure.

I have to say I was very scared as I was going through this.  They found nothing, but my MRI’s were abnormal.  I had lesions all over my brain!   The neurologist could only say that it might be from my blood pressure, but he just didn’t know.    They suspected Multiple Sclerosis or Lyme’s.  More tests… EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies.   Unfortunately the only thing they could find was a serious bone spur in my neck which looked really ugly on the xray.   I was referred to a Neuro-Surgeon but I was still without an answer about the way I was feeling, the weight I was gaining and the pain I had.  I was miserable.  I became very sedentary.  I felt depressed.  My family suffered.    I wasn’t the person I used to be, and the weight kept coming.   I was convinced maybe I had the beginnings of Alzheimers and felt like I had fibromyalgia.

I fed all these fears with comfort foods, and I didn’t really care a lot about what I was nurturing my body with, as my soul and spirit were slowly slipping away.

The turning point was my daughter Maggie’s graduation in June.   We had to stand for so long.  My back pain was excruciating.  I couldn’t bear it.  I was crying in the long line.  When I got home my legs were two sizes too large!   Everything was swollen and I could barely move.  What was wrong with me???  It seems everyone has a desperate turning point when they want to change their lives.

In June, after researching brain problems, in fear that I was developing some brain issues like my mother, I found Isagenix.  I was very interested in the Product B.  I never even realized that Isagenix had weight loss products!

I saw this video, and really was amazed.   At the same time a precious friend Deanna Jones Falchook on Facebook started posting about Isagenix too and how this wonderful cellular cleansing was removing toxins from her body and she was eating very nutritious foods, and it was changing her, and her family’s nutritional lives!  Wow, what a coincidence.   She was posting about her incredible weight loss, and I was intrigued.   I asked her for info and didn’t do anything with it (dumb I know.)   A couple of weeks later I watched the videos and looked seriously into the weight loss and fat burning system.   Deanna called me immediately and we got my package on the way.   My life changed the day that package arrived.   I’m in tears thinking about this.

[pullquote]You see, my endocrinologist had spoken something into me that I chose to believe, and because of that, it kept me a prisoner in my own body.  He said, “You’ll never ever be able to lose weight if your cortisol level is high like this so we need to find out what is causing that or a year from now you will be much heavier.”  I believed him.   He spoke that negative word into me as truth, and I simply gave up.  [/pullquote]

I WAS TOXIC!  It was clearly evident!    None of the doctors had seen it.  I ate very poorly and consumed massive amounts of Diet Coke, Diet Drinks all full of Aspertame and Coke Zero with it’s lovely Sucralose and other chemical laden foods. I drank nothing else but diet drinks, never water.    I did this because I was too tired and in too much pain to really cook, or care.   When I look at Aspertame and Sucralose alone, I had so many of the symptoms…and then it hit me…I was poisoning myself with diet drinks and who knows what else, but that alone had contributed to my health issues in a huge way.   I went cold turkey off the diet drinks.   That was excruciating too, both mentally and physically.   Two weeks later I started Isagenix.

Are you toxic?

I had conveniently detoxed off of my Neurontin and Anti-inflammatory medication when I went off the diet cokes before I started my 30-day system.  I researched clean and organic eating.   I was ready to try this, ready to succeed and ready to win!

[pullquote]Fast forward nearly 3 months later…I am 44 pounds lighter!  I feel FANTASTIC! [/pullquote]  I have no pain.  My mind is sharp at work.    I can shop for hours with my girls, and stand in long lines and love to go outside and do things again.  I’m living, and I’m chemical free!   I’m eating mostly organic now.  I know for anyone that knows me, is probably giggling a bit.  I had to remain on my blood pressure meds, but this last weekend my blood pressure dropped and I’ll be calling the doctor tomorrow.   It is now normal.  I told my friend I feel better than I have in 20 years!   My energy level is out the roof.  I’m sleeping!  My hormones and blood tests are normal.  My doctors are shocked!    Just eating clean isn’t enough though, we have toxins in our every day and this is what makes Isagenix so incredible, we have a nutritional cleansing component!

I’m enjoying life with less stress, and above all, with happiness that I know all is well and I’m continuing to go down a path of health and now a path of financial health.  There is something about seeing people have huge success with the best nutritional food in the world that excites people.  While I never considered the business side of Isagenix much when I first got in, now I’m concentrating on helping others achieve what I have, and more!   There are so many other products that are amazing with this company, and I’ll go over some of those later on but know I am living the life now!  I love the way I feel.  I want everyone to feel like this!

Yesterday was my organization day.   I organized my family meals for the week, I put bulk organic spices in pretty jars on my cabinet (see photo above) and I went shopping with the girls.  My house has suffered at my own inabilities these past years.  I’m getting that in order.  I’m organizing my life too, and that will always include Isagenix!

[pullquote]I know there are other people that this testimony can help, and I’d love to be your coach to wellness.   Just write me or comment below!   [/pullquote]Take a look at my website, and I’d also love to talk to you on the phone or skype and see how these amazing products can transform your life like they have mine!  I’ve started a page on Facebook called Fueled for Life, and this is about my journey, or your journey if you want to be included.  I’ll put nutritional info on there, product information and recipes.   I’d love for you to Like my page.

UPDATE 1/16/14  I am pharmaceutical medication free!  I am exercising, taking stairs, riding my bike several miles a week.   I’m living!  I’m so interested to help others know how I have reached this goal.  Contact me and I can tell you more.