Welcome to Life Beyond Gluten – Kelly’s Story
Welcome to Life Beyond Gluten
My name is Kelly and I am the founder of Life Beyond Gluten. I was personally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism over two years ago. Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder where the body is attacking its own thyroid tissue, because of the structural similarities between gluten and the thyroid hormones produced. When this occurs, the thyroid cannot function properly and will cause an array of miserable symptoms.
My Symptoms
My Hashimoto’s symptoms began when I was in middle school, where I suffered from chronic migraines and hormonal imbalances. I suffered from a growing list of symptoms all throughout my high school and college years, finally hitting their peak when I was 24 years old. I went to Doctors several times and had countless blood work and expensive tests ran. At the end of the day, they could not find any reason as to why I was feeling so poorly.
I had the following symptoms: chronic fatigue, painful sensitivity to the cold, extremely dry skin, puffy face, weak and brittle nails, my hair was falling out and brittle, joint pain and stiffness all over my body, hypersensitivity to pain, mood swings and irritability, stomach bloating, headaches every day, frequent migraines, brain fog, short term memory problems, low blood pressure, almost passing out upon standing, and hormonal imbalances. I literally felt sickly, not like you feel when you have a cold, but I felt tired and in constant pain all the time. It became very disheartening when I felt so terrible and no one had an answer for me. All I wanted was relief!
My Diagnosis
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are both chiropractors and they mentioned that I might have Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism based on my symptoms. During all of the blood work, I had my thyroid levels tested and they were within range. However, the blood tests did not test for the antibodies that are present with an autoimmune disorder. Therefore, I had the antibody test performed, along with the common thyroid levels. When my results came back, there were so many antibodies in my blood that the laboratory could not quantify them. I definitely had Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism. It was recommended to me to start a new lifestyle that was gluten-free. So my husband and I started out eating gluten-free, dairy free, and sugar free, in order to heal my gut and get my thyroid functioning properly.
The Results
For the first time in my life, I feel energetic and absolutely amazing! My husband and I are now gluten-free for life. Gluten totally wreaked havoc on my thyroid and my body. I will never eat it again! Why would I when I feel THIS amazing?
A lot of people have gluten intolerances, Celiac Disease, Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, and other conditions that are affected by gluten. There are not many support systems or a lot of information all in one place for people who eat gluten-free.
This is my inspiration for Life Beyond Gluten.
Let Me Become Part of Your Journey
People eating gluten free need a great support system and a place to get all types of information about gluten-free products, recipes, tips and secrets, restaurants, and more!
I’m Kelly and Here’s to Life Beyond Gluten!