Disclaimer: This post will contain honest assessments about my health journey. This post is not medical advice + should not be treated as such. For that reason, I will not be sharing specific supplements I am taking, as any supplements you are considering should be discussed with your medical provider.
I Lost My Faith in my Healthcare Providers
There have been a lot of changes to my health over the past few months. I had unexplained issues for years + felt defeated after trying new products, new diets, + even visiting new specialists. In my last appointment, I waited almost 30 minutes to speak with a gastroenterologist PA for maybe 4 minutes {I’m not exaggerating}. I was told to try a diet known as the FODMAP diet, with little to no instruction on what this diet is or how to work through it. If that didn’t work after a couple of weeks, I could come back for testing + look into blood work. She didn’t complete an evaluation + hardly even looked at me as I had my winter coat on the entire time. Slap a $300 bill on top of that + I was furious to say the least. Why was I responsible for paying for an appointment that got me nowhere? That’s when I started to consider branching out into finding a functional medicine provider.
I could tell providers thought I was crazy for scheduling appointments when they would comment “well everyone experiences that” or “I mean, you look fine” or “the pain you think you feel is probably just a sore muscle”. Yeah, that last one really lit a fire in me. Mind you, I went to school to become a healthcare provider! I know the difference. No one was willing to try to get to the root of a problem, even for just one of the many things I was experiencing. I was most definitely NOT fine + needed a provider who was willing to listen. I need a provider not afraid to dig deep into not only what was happening but why I was experiencing certain symptoms. Why am I losing hair at 26 years old? Why do I feel as though I have no energy throughout the day? Why can’t I get this acne to go away after 5+ years? This just hardly skims the surface of the defeat + stress I felt every day.
Functional Medicine
My grandfather passed away in early August + I experienced grief like I never had before. A lot of my symptoms were exacerbated through this extreme stress. It became apparent that I needed to find someone + not to settle with the subpar care I’d received from other providers. I found a functional medicine practitioner a few weeks later + immediately fell in love with her + her resources. I took a deep dive into topics she covered on her social media as well as her blog + knew I had to work with her. But the hardest part? She doesn’t accept insurance + for good reason.
Insurance doesn’t typically cover services that are outside of the traditional medicine model. + they can restrict or dictate the ways in which patients receive care in some cases. This was the biggest hurdle holding me back. After a few calls back + forth discussing if she would be the right fit for me, I decided to go all in with her services at the end of December 2021. I knew I needed to commit to the process, or it would be a waste of my time {+ my money}. But it has been the best decision + one that has allowed me to take control of my health!
My Symptoms
So, let’s back up a little bit. I should probably start with the symptoms I was experiencing. I could not cover every symptom possible when it comes to this but I will share my biggest ones. Acne, first + foremost, was my primary concern. No matter what face product I tried, diet I followed, or medication I was on, my acne was out of control. I couldn’t link it to any one thing + it was something that irritated me daily. My other symptoms: extreme bloating, irregular stool, extreme fatigue throughout the day, + heavy cramping + bleeding when starting my period. After taking a metabolic assessment through my new provider, however, I became aware of other symptoms as well. These included hair thinning/loss, mood issues including irritability + being easily agitated or upset.
Initial Meeting
The first meeting I had with my new provider was a little overwhelming {in the best way}. It was an hour of uninterrupted discussion on every possible aspect of health. It felt incredible to have someone who was willing to listen completely + gather all information possible. Prior to the appointment, I completed a few health assessments + filled out a 5 day food log. After the appointment, she sent a follow up email reviewing everything we discussed + the plan of action moving forward.
Although acne was my biggest concern, gut health was hers. So she set a plan in place in place to start focusing on healing my gut. She repeated multiple times that rushing to change everything at once is not sustainable. She encouraged me to focus on one thing at a time + when I felt ready, work on another habit. I received an order for a few supplements, some of which were geared toward gut health + some to possible hormone imbalances. She suggested testing would be helpful but we agreed to focus on lifestyle changes before considering testing. I spent ~ 6 weeks working on the changes below {in the order they are listed}:
- prioritize sleep {7-9 hours, establishing a nighttime routine, no screens an hour before bed}
- eating hygiene {did you know how/the way you eat can determine how effectively your system digests food?}
- increase strength training workouts + decrease high intensity workouts
- go gluten + dairy-free diet
Implementing all of these at a slower rate made it significantly easier to transition from old habits into healthier ones. We both expected the gluten + dairy free diet to be difficult which is why it was put off as the last step, but with the help of a nutritionist through an app called Wellory, I started to enjoy cooking at home. I was able to control what was going into the food I was eating {+ it was better for our budget}! Outsourcing help in the area of nutrition was particularly helpful for me when trying to make meals throughout the week. I touch a little more on how outsourcing help can be beneficial in my blog post about sustaining healthy habits.
Follow Up + The DUTCH Test
After 6 weeks, I followed up with the provider + I could already notice a major shift in my gut health. No more irregular stool + the bloating that I felt constantly was gone. However, my extreme cramping + bleeding at the beginning of my period did not change. I also noticed my acne did not flare up as much but most definitely did around the start of my period as well. We decided it was time to take a test that could give more insight to what exactly was happening as that can be a sign of a hormone imbalance.
The test I took is known as the DUTCH Test {Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones} + I had to take it within a specific timeframe of my cycle. The test consists of peeing on filtered paper at different points throughout the day + measures a variety of hormones including androgens {think testosterone}, estrogens, progesterone metabolites, adrenal hormones such as cortisol + DHEA, organic acids (vit B12/B6, glutathione) + neurotransmitter metabolites (dopamine, eip/norepinephrine, melatonin).
When each filter paper is processed, it shows each of the hormone markers at the time point of the collection. When all points are put together, it shows an overview of a typical day in the life of the hormones. This includes not only the measure for hormone production but also follows the pathway the hormones follow to be removed from the system. The typical life cycle of a hormone in the most basic of terms follows something similar to this: the hormone is created, the hormone does its job, the hormone is metabolized through the liver, + the hormone is then pushed to the gut + excreted through the stool.
My DUTCH Test Results
Have I lost you yet?! If not, this is the best part! It’s finally results time! Just to give a little more on the timeline, I am now 2.5 months out from the first appointment. The DUTCH test took about a week to process + then I set up an appointment to discuss the findings from my test. I could list so many things that were found but I am going to mention only the big takeaways from this meeting.
- I have an estrogen dominance. This means that my estradiol {a form of estrogen} is higher than my progesterone {during this specific point in my cycle after ovulation} when the progesterone should be higher than the estrogen. This imbalance is typically caused by chronic stress. What is even more interesting is that this test breaks down the estrogen pathways + showed information as to what was most likely contributing to the estrogen dominance. It’s not because my body is producing too much estrogen but it’s because my body isn’t properly metabolizing it {specifically with a process known as methylation}. So what happens when the body doesn’t metabolize a hormone? Well if it isn’t metabolized fully, it goes back into the bloodstream + can become toxic over time. This is what can cause heavy + painful periods, bloating, + yep you guessed it, acne.
- My daily free cortisone is higher than my daily free cortisol. Basically, my metabolized cortisol {cortisone} levels were at a higher value when compared to my cortisol levels overall. This discrepancy leads us to believe that this hormone is not being metabolized correctly. Similar to the estrogen dominance, this is typically triggered by chronic stress. Are you starting to see a trend here? I’m not sure I need to describe symptoms of chronic stress but the ones that related to me included low energy + mood swings.
- Lastly, I have high androgen levels. One of the biggest symptoms with high androgen levels in females is acne.
What I Am Doing
So now comes the time to actually take action with the knowledge of what is contributing to my symptoms. The provider wants to first focus on fixing the methylation process to help metabolize hormones more effectively. She used an analogy that I found very helpful: think of methylation as a sink. Well right now, my sink is clogged. The entire hormone is not being metabolized in my liver. So the hormones find their way back into my bloodstream + cause some of the symptoms I have been experiencing.
The methylation process is a 10 week process split into 3 phases. Each phase requires a variety of supplements + they each build on top of one another. I am currently in week 1 of Phase II + I haven’t noticed a major shift, although it’s not expected. The biggest shift I saw was in the initial changing of lifestyle habits. Since I am working on detoxing a part of my liver, I’ve given up all alcohol. My provider also recommended I start eating raw carrots daily since the fiber in the carrots bind to excess estrogen + can be eliminated from the body that way.
Another habit I have been trying to incorporate into my daily life includes spending time outside first thing in the morning or later in the evening. The UV rays are at the lowest at sunrise + sunset + the natural blue light + infrared light are valuable to adrenals. I also need to learn how to chill the heck out. My chronic stress has reached a point that is literally taking a toll on my overall health. I am working on this with a therapist {she’s amazing!} + I’ve seen significant changes from the techniques + exercises I work on daily.
Once we can support this methylation process, then we can really focus on the exact hormones {or metabolites} that need support to get out of my system.
What I Have Noticed
As mentioned earlier, I decided I would put 100% into this process. I was long overdue for finding a solution to my problems. I have noticed a few key things in just the 3 months of working with my new provider. The first is that I notice fewer cystic acne flare ups. This could be a combination of the gluten/dairy free diet as well as the supplements. Once I finish the 10 week methylation process, I will begin to slowly add gluten or dairy products into my diet to see if anything triggers a reaction. I also simply feel better day to day. I don’t feel like my bloating is uncontrollable {definitely still comes but doesn’t stay all day} + the few periods I’ve had since starting this journey have been lighter than before.
Although I am still in the process {albeit a long one} of changing my health, I feel encouraged + motivated by my provider. She knows that I would love to have many children + be able to live my life to the absolute fullest. I haven’t felt like myself for a while now + I’m so glad I didn’t wait a second longer to improve my health. I know this process will be hard + long, but I truly know it will be worth it. So i’m in the process of putting in the work + can’t wait to share more updates as I continue!
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