Laurie's Story - A Guest Blog

Posted August 5, 2011 and tagged with chronic illness, holistic life coach, multiple sclerosis, women with multiple sclerosis.

This is our first guest blog of many from Laurie, a health coach with MS. Hear her story here and come back as she’ll be sharing lifestyle and health tips for those with chronic illness. Now, onto Laurie’s post:

As a lawyer, I was used to solving problems. Other people’s problems. So when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009, I was lost. This was my problem and I didn’t know where to start.

When diagnosed with an “incurable” disease, it’s easy to give up before you even start. Yet, I wasn’t a stranger to hard work – I had been working 10 to 14 hour days for many years. Besides, as a lawyer, I didn’t like taking no for an answer. I wanted action.

Since medicine had few options, I turned to other tools. I ended up turning my life long interest in nutrition, healthy lifestyle and spirituality into a profession, starting with me. I changed my diet, my way of reacting to stress, my sleep patterns, everything. Lifestyle overhaul.

The results were inspiring. Somewhere between 6 and 8 months I became symptom-free. My energy levels went through the roof, even though I had ditched caffeine and sugar. By the 12th month, I had lost 40 pounds.

The true test, of course was the MRI. The result: no new activity, lesions that had disappeared (i.e., healed) and all remaining lesions had shrunk. You can imagine the happy dance that ensued.

I was wowed and humbled. And I knew I couldn’t stay silent. So I went back to school and learned more about nutrition and the science of behavior change. Two years after my first symptoms, I am a holistic health coach helping others make take back their lives.

Does any of this mean I run marathons? No, but I don’t want to. Instead, I do the things I love. Cook, write, garden, bike, swim, yoga, pottery, and be an entrepreneur.

The lesson for me in the dis-ease, was self-care is a must. And I’m not talking pedicures and facials, but deep, self-loving self-care that nourishes the body and soul. That is how thriving with MS is possible.

If you want to chat about MS, diet and lifestyle suggestions or the meaning of life, please email me at laurie@chronicwellnesscoach.com . While I don’t have all the answers, I do love to help in anyway I can.