I’ve finally decided to share our health journey that we’ve been on as a family over the last few years. I know I’ve mentioned it a time or two on social media…and have shared it with our close friends and family, but I felt like it was time to share it publicly in the hopes of helping others who may be struggling as well.

We moved to the coast of NC almost 6 years ago from Hawaii. Our oldest at the time was 12 and our twins were 8 years old. Everyone transitioned beautifully, but hey, we’re a military family and that’s what we do best!! 🙂

Two years after we arrived, Grace started having strange health symptoms: tingling in her extremities, passing out, unexplained weight gain (she was a dancer at the time and went on to be on both the high school tennis and swim teams…so she was active and we’ve always eaten a healthy diet), she also experienced hair loss, skin changes, extreme fatigue…

As a mom, you know when there’s something wrong with your baby! Doctors tried to explain that it was puberty…anxiety…laziness…. none of it was right. She did have one round of the gardisill vaccine, however we did not complete the later rounds because I was worried that the vaccine may have caused some of her problems. (I don’t want to get into that debate…but I did my research and felt like it was best that she not continue with that vaccine protocol.) I knew that it had something to do with her thyroid. Her body seemed to be showing all the signs that pointed us in that direction.

Her pediatrician at the time did honor my request at the time to do a blood panel. Her T4 levels came back low, but still within “normal” range. (I ‘ve since learned that normal does not always mean normal…and that you can present with symptoms even within that normal range.)

This went on and on for another year until after one unsuccessful Dr. visit, when the nurse called to say the labs were all still low, but within normal range I said that I knew there was something wrong with my child and I wanted to have her hormones tested or SOMETHING ELSE!!!! I was not going to let it go. She suggested that she put in a referral for an OBGYN.

So here I was taking my then 15 year old to an OBGYN. The minute the sweet Dr. saw her and listened to our story and saw her labs, she said, “You don’t need to see me, you need to see an Endocrinologist!” OMG…YES!!!!! Exactly!!

Needless to say, once we saw the Endo, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism. It is an autoimmune disease, a disorder in which the immune system turns against the body’s own tissues. In people with Hashimoto’s, the immune system attacks the thyroid. This can lead to hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid does not make enough hormones for the body’s needs (Webmd.com)

All of this happened about the time that my husband received orders to a very high profile, high demand billet and had to undergo extensive health, financial, and psychological screenings. Guess what they found….yes, he too had hypothyroidism!!! When we met with Grace’s Endocrinologist, he suggested that I too be tested because research showed that when a child as young as Grace presents with Hashimoto’s, typically both parents have it as well. Guess what…I had it as well and my thyroid was in worse shape than Grace’s. Wow…explained some of my health issues too!

We have been through a lot on this road to healing Grace. She has endured EXTREME fatigue, bullying because of her weight, and a body that feels like it’s failing her at times. This is heartbreaking for a parent!!

About 6 months ago, we visited her Endocrinologist for her regularly scheduled blood work and scan when he said he was upping her meds again. Grace was so frustrated because she feels like it will slowly increase and increase…yet, she isn’t noticing any increase to her energy or relief of the other symptoms. Yes, her blood levels are maintained…but she still feels crappy!

So two and a half months ago, we decided to look into seeing a Functional Medical Specialist. Basically, someone who approaches medicine from both an eastern and western perspective. She did muscle testing, added supplements, took her off all grains (which I committed to doing with her throughout the Lenten season this year)…and we have seen AMAZING improvements!!! Sometimes you have to think outside of the box and seek healing from alternative sources. This is tough for me because I’m such a rule follower…but when you see your child suffer, you will literally walk through hell and back to help them!!

I also went back to using my essential oils again. Talking to Dr. Karen was so eye-opening to so many aspects of the way we live our lives. We are committed to reducing the chemicals in our home, knowing how they impact our health in a negative way…especially when you have a very sensitive body like Grace and I do. We are also committed to adding back in the use of essential oils in ways we never have before. I fell in love with these oils a while back, but honestly never learned all that they could really do for us. So we are beginning anew!

I am so proud of how hard Grace has fought to heal herself! She has never given up and is not afraid to tell her story. That’s really hard for a teenager to do! She has taken meds crazy amounts of meds, drastically changed her eating habits, worked hard, and educated herself on what her body needs. We hope her story gives hope to others!

If you are interested in learning more about our path, please let me know! I’d love to help you in any way I can. We will be documenting our journey on my new instagram account, seasidelivingessentials. Please head on over there and follow us as we learn how to create an environment of wellness in our home. I’ll be sharing Paleo recipes (even the epic Pinterest fails… we had two last week!), homeopathic cleaning solutions, supplements that we use, and tips on how I use oils.

If any of you have any experience with oils and other chemical free products, I’d love to hear from you!!