BEGINNING THE CLIMB
As the doctors prescribed more and more medications, my symptoms mounted. I began looking into more holistic approaches to these issues, reading articles from mindbodygreen, and purchasing a few supplements here and there with hopes that I could really get myself back together quickly and easily. I had no intention of really changing much, of becoming a different person, or growing and learning. At the time, I was completely unaware that this was a wake-up call from God. I didn’t know that “growing from my experiences” was even a thing. I was twenty-one years old, and I loved parties, and events, spending time with friends, goofing around, socializing, and staying as busy as humanly possible. So during my casual search for a quick fix, I came upon an obscure medication online that was supposed to completely fix systemic yeast and fungal issues and “balance everything out.” This included fixing moderate digestive and skin issues, in addition to lack of energy, moodiness, and focus. If that claim had been accurate, this book would never have been written.
Here’s what actually happened: I had a severe reaction to the medication a few days after ingesting it.
It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The intestinal pain and digestive symptoms went from a five to a ten in severity nearly overnight. The aftermath of this medication ingestion, aside from the increasingly severe intestinal pain, also included chest tightening and severely shallowed breathing after eating. In addition, hives often popped up in random places on my neck, and I experienced overwhelming fatigue and brain fog after eating. I told close family members that it felt like something very heavy was being lowered onto my back, a physical sense of weakness. Every time—or almost every time—that I ate, this would happen. Over time, this made me afraid of something I had always enjoyed and celebrated my entire life—eating.
It didn’t take long for this dramatic shift in health to impact my life.
Just days after taking the medication, I became so dizzy and nauseated at work that I had to go home thirty minutes into my shift. I also began feeling lightheaded from many strong scents—from the smell of gasoline, cigarette smoke, and many other odors. I went to several doctors, and they all shook their heads, some with kindness and simple confusion, others with disbelief and disdain. I looked healthy, and I was young, so what could possibly be the matter? I would think to myself at each new visit “Trust me, doc, I’m just as confused as you are.” One doctor even suggested that I was simply very stressed out and depressed, and maybe the very thing I needed was medication. My reality of suffering was completely invalidated, and it stung.
That following month, in August 2014, my schedule was consumed by going to so many medical professionals and still not getting the relief I wanted so badly, so desperately.
I was SO tired of feeling like I just had to manage it, deal with it, and rally through it. SO. TIRED. OF. IT. I wanted to be able to authentically answer someone’s polite “How are you?” inquiries with “Thanks for asking. I feel fantastic.” But I couldn’t! One day after a deep discussion about my health, I looked at my mother square in the eye and said, “Humans are completely capable of great health, of feeling energized and alive and well and feeling deeply at peace. I will not stop until I find that. I will not stop until I find the answer. My answer. No one will stop me.” She replied, “And I will see you through it.”
It was at that moment that I knew I was capable of finding the answer—because I had her support.
I felt an inner knowing that said I would find the answer. I knew that at some point I would make it to the top of the climb, glowing with abundant health. I could feel it in my bones. I simply had to surrender and start the hike. It wouldn’t always be easy. It would be tiresome and tedious at times. What I didn’t realize is that the beginning breadcrumbs I needed to follow arrived more quickly than I expected.
(to be continued…)
About the Author
Katy Bosso is a professor of counseling and a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida in private practice. She holds a doctorate in counselor education and works with clients to overcome anxiety, depression, and relationship issues by helping them connect to their most authentic selves. Katy specializes in wellness, the mind-body connection, and how both help individuals thrive.