Looking at this blank page wondering how to start document this journey is a bit daunting. There are a million ways I could write this story and have re-written it in my head more times than I care to admit. But it’s time to put pen to paper in a sense, even if this digital record just lives on for me to re-read.
If you have found your way here, you may be finding yourself in a place that has you asking questions like:
Is it normal to always have stomach pains?
Why does my body always react after eating whether that be rashes, gut pain, eczema, headaches or other?
How do I give up gluten and/or dairy (for real)?
Why do the doctors tell me I’m okay when I’m clearly very much not okay?
These questions and many, many more have swirled around in my head. For years I kept the pain and questions as quiet as I could because I was scared and hated vulnerability (maybe still do). Plus, it wasn’t easy to have others express their fear and concern as well.
However, as I’ve started to share my story, I continue to hear so many others struggling in a similar way. I often hear that they didn’t know others could “get this” and would be willing to sit down and talk about the questions, anxiety, depression, grief, shame, and a handful of other emotions that come out when dealing with food impacting overall heath.
I’m not a nutritionist or formally trained in any health fields, but I’ve had over six years now of learning how to become my own health advocate. I’ve been through the trials to learn some of the things that work with food allergies/sensitivities, some of the things that don’t and tips along the way. I'd love this blog to be a way to share some of this learning with you and as well as to hear your journey.
If you’re also on your own health journey and are looking for someone that “gets it” and wants to hear your story, please join me. Through this blog, I hope I can express that I’m here for you in this complex and often isolating journey of food allergies and sensitivities. We don’t have to go through this alone.
With love,
Ashley