My health journey
It’s been a hot minute since I was active on my blog, so I’ve decided it’s time to open up about why I’ve been MIA. I’m about to get a little deep here, bear with me…
My health has been an ongoing battle for me, one that I made very public during my reign as Miss AZ USA. I received national attention two years ago for my “miraculous” weight and health transformation after loosing nearly 40 pounds. I was extremely passionate about sharing my journey of how I healed myself through fitness and nutrition. At the time I genuinely did feel better than ever before, and my confidence was at an all time high. However, in the middle of 2014 right before Miss USA, my symptoms came back more aggressive than ever. I’ve spent the last couple years trying to get control of my health so that it no longer has control over me.
For those of you who don’t already know- I developed severe stomach issues when I was 17 years old. I’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices and hospitals getting bizarre testing done ever since, but still haven’t discovered what causes the pain. It’s spread to affect other areas of my body and I struggle with stomach pain, headaches, fatigue, lack of concentration, muscle pain, and anxiety on a daily basis. Pretty crazy actually being so public about that…wow, ok moving on.
I’m fully committed to figuring out how to get ahold of my symptoms, but I felt like not sharing my health struggles publicly was going against why I started this blog in the first place. This is my platform to share my experiences in hopes of helping someone somewhere, who is struggling with something similar. Since launching this blog, I hold myself to a high standard and promise everything I publish will be truthful. Morally, that requires me to be straight up with my readers and tell you guys what the heck is going on with me. This journey could be a long one so hang in there with me friends.
I’ve noticed that my health messes with my motivation, social life, work, well…basically everything. But if this battle has taught me anything it’s that your health is the most precious gift in the world. Our bodies are designed to protect us, and the least we can do is take care of it. And no I don’t just mean workout and eat healthy so that you can look a certain way, that’s not my point. When you take care of your body, your body takes care of you. When you nourish it, it’ll function properly. When you move it, it’ll begin to shape and transform. Looking good is just a benefit of feeling good.
But of course there’re always exceptions to the rule. You can take wonderful care of your body, but your body could still be fighting back. There’s a reason you’re feeling “off”, but it might take a whole lot of searching, testing, and experimenting to figure out the cause and cure. Trust me I’ve been through it, and I know I’m not the only one.
Over the next few months I’m going to be experimenting a lot with new tests, treatments, and products to get myself back to feeling 100%. I’m excited to share with you guys what’s working, what’s not, and what you should try for yourself.
Anyone else struggling with a strange health battle? Comment below I’d love to chat.
XO
JWess
Hi best! I love you so much and you inspire me every day. You already know I struggle with severe stomach pains, fatigue, low motivation, etc. as well, and I’m still trying to figure out what’s best for my health and body, too. At the beginning of this year I got blood work done for food allergies and found that I’m allergic to 22 food items, some that are nearly impossible to avoid. I stopped eating all of those 22 items for 7 weeks (accidentally eating something I’m allergic to here and there), and it made a big difference. My stomach pains decreased and I lost about 8 pounds, which was great but weren’t my intentions. The difficult thing about this is that allergies constantly change. Some get better, and some are developed. My test was less than a year ago and I can already tell I’ve developed other allergies or sensitivities since then. Frustrating! We just have to be in tune with our bodies and notice what makes us feel at our best and worst. But I know food and allergies aren’t the only issues, as there are so many other potential complications that cause these issues. I can’t wait to hear about your journey and experiences, and I pray something works soon. I know there’s a product coming out within the next couple months that’s supposed to completely reset the gut and clean everything out. I don’t know much about it right now, but I’ll get more info from my mom and let you know. I know it’s completely natural and is supposed make a huge difference in our health and bodies. So maybe we can read into and give it a try! Love you forever, J!
Hey girl! I’m so glad that you were able to start feeling a little bit better! I’ve taken lots of food allergy tests, and it’s interesting because my results change everytime. It’s also crazy that sometimes when you completely eliminate something from your diet, and once your introduce it again your body can totally resist it. The human body is so fascinating, lol. Please keep me updated on that product! I would love to learn more about it 🙂 Love you & Miss you!!
Thank you for being “real”… sometimes people don’t realize that everyone has their very own “whirlwind” of some sort, no matter what our “highlight” reel looks like. Prayers for patience and health sweet friend!
I couldn’t have said it better myself! Thank you Nancy! XO
Hi Jordan… I love that you shared this, 8 think it is so important to have the courage to share because only through awareness will more people be aware of chronic & invisible illnesses. I have fibromyalgia, diagnosed after six years of visiting doctor after doctor and getting nowhere. Things are a lot more controlled than they once were but there’s no cure so i’ll be managing it my whole life. I really hope you get some answers soon, not least so you can get some peace of mind and hopefully some treatment options.
Hi Carly! I’m sure it was frustrating going between Doctors for 6 years! Fibromyalgia runs in my family so I totally get how frustrating it can be. I’m glad you’ve gotten your symptoms under control and I hope you continue to feel better! Thank you for your kind words! XO