Hi it’s so nice to meet you my name is Tracy and that is the love of my life and best friend for more than a quarter of a century and our two amazing, young adults.
I guess you could say that my story began in early 2002. Back then I was a stay at home mother and owner of a thriving corporate gifts and gift basket company. I was working on one of my largest orders ever and I was beyond exhausted. In general, I worried a lot, mostly over things that were beyond my control and I was still carrying the weight that I had gained from my last pregnancy (my youngest was two years old). Although I had taken note of how puffy I looked and felt, it wasn’t until I was listening to something on the radio later that year that I decided it was time to get to the root of the now constant swelling in my hands/face and the pitting edema in my legs/feet.
Soon after the appointment with my family physician, I was put on prescription meds and sent to a nephrologist who later diagnosed me with an idiopathic form of nephrotic syndrome and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
At age 26 I sat in my doctors office as he proceeded to tell me that there was no cure and that my condition would eventually progress to kidney failure or transplantation, if I was lucky (Did you know that FSGS can reoccur in 30 to 40% of patients who receive a transplant?). I was told that my ONLY option was steroids. I asked about the side effects and when he proceeded to go down the litany of things I’d be “most likely to experience”, all which sounded way worse than what I was currently experiencing, I literally laughed out loud because I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. That evening, I was admitted to the hospital.
Upon my release, I decided to get a second opinion. One doctor led to another and the meds followed suit. Over the course of four years, it seemed that my condition had quickly progressed to the point of having the dreaded conversation about going on the transplant list. I felt very disempowered knowing that this was not the life I had envisioned for myself and my family. I decided to not just rely on my doctor and medication to stay healthy and wholeheartedly begin my pursuit for healing which led me to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I enrolled and became a health coach.
After years of good health and great numbers, in late 2017, my condition had become unstable and I was put on put on steroids. Remember the list of side effects that I would be most likely to experience? Well just about a month after starting the new meds, I was experiencing more than a few of the side effects and I landed in the cardiac ICU on the verge of falling into a diabetic ketoacidocic coma because I didn’t recognize the symptoms of Types 2 diabetes. Talk about adding insult to injury. I retreated back to the things that made me feel my best and made self care my #1 priority.
My health journey continues to unfold and EVERY DAY is a blessing and an opportunity for me to help others learn to live their happiest and healthiest lives despite their health challenges.
That’s the story of me, so to speak. Now it’s YOUR turn and I’d love to hear your story.
If working with me sounds promising, I’d like to invite you to share your story with me by scheduling a complementary healthy conversation. A healthy conversation is the first step for those who are ready to dive deeper into balanced living.