A few years ago, I experienced the scariest night of my life. While sitting at a stoplight, I panicked when I realized I couldn’t breathe. My stomach was so huge, I looked as if I was carrying twins. After a doctor’s visit the next day, he diagnosed me with IBS-C (constipation) and H-pylori. After a GI test a few weeks later, another doctor diagnosed me with SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth).   Months after my diagnosis, I had no relief from antibiotics or anti-herbals.

In the meantime, my digestion worsened. I also developed liver, gallbladder, thyroid, and autoimmune complications. I had more doc visits and tests, but was told none could help. Desperate to find relief, I searched for answers. Once I discovered various SIBO/IBS groups, I joined ones that looked promising. The number of people with SIBO and other gastrointestinal troubles surprised me. Later I would learn that SIBO is common but often mistreated because it isn’t well understood. While I got relief from the supplements mentioned in these groups, I wasn’t healing. In addition, I noticed many members were not healing. Eventually, I left to seek answers elsewhere.

I spent lots of money visiting SIBO specialists too. While I gained more knowledge of my diagnoses, some recommendations were unhelpful and caused me health setbacks.  I was hopeful after researching blogs by people who took a different approach. Looking at this as a functional problem made sense to me because my body was achy and stiff near the hip and pelvic areas. I was relieved when the suggested low-impact exercises worked. This is how I found corrective exercises and self-massage therapy. These therapies made a tremendous difference in circulation, breathing, and digestion.

I felt good with the exercises, vitamins, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and Lauricidin. Yet I still didn’t sleep well most nights, and I still had food intolerances. My skin lacked hydration despite all the water, minerals, hydrating foods, and fat I consumed. Who doesn’t want to be well? It was my ONE wish during the past 7 years of dealing with all of this. Spending all my time managing symptoms frustrated and angered me. I wanted to sleep through the night, digest my food without bloating, and have better circulation.  Most of all, I wanted to improve my immune system.

Despite how I was feeling, I was determined to heal. So again, I went online for help. This time, I came upon a group with interesting research on targeted vitamin deficiencies. This group stood out to me because it had a specific purpose and protocol that would address many of the problems I had.

I have been following this protocol for nine months, and my health has improved. As I fixed vitamin deficiencies, my joint pain, stiffness, and food intolerances diminished. I now sleep from 7 to 9 hours vs. waking up every 2 hours. I’m active first thing in the morning vs. needing until noon to have energy. Corrective exercise and self-massage therapies are a huge part of my recovery regimen. They complement my walking, Stairmaster, and Beachbody workouts.

I’m in my mid-50s and thrilled to be doing much better. There were difficulties over the last seven years, but I’ve learned so much. It has transformed the way I viewed health prior to my illness. Starting in my late thirties, I was running half-marathons and eating a vegan diet. I thought this was the key to longevity. These beliefs formed when I spent time with my aging relatives as they were fighting major health battles. Visiting them in hospitals or taking them for cancer treatments formed my outlook that getting older means declining health and disease. But I learned during my healing that this does not have to be the outcome. The lifestyle changes I’ve made are the reasons I named my blog ‘New Me at 50’. Just because we age doesn’t mean we can’t live healthy and thriving lives.