I’m going to be vulnerable in hopes that I can help someone else struggling with their health. – It finally happened. I finally stepped on that damn scale and cried tears of joy. No frustration, no disappointment, no beating myself up, just joy. After battling weight & health issues majority of my adult life I have found a Dr. that has changed my life forever.
Thank you Cheri Baird for everything! Thank you for teaching me that it’s not about calories in vs. calories out. Thank you for thinking “outside the box” and actually getting me answers vs. just prescribing me medications to mask the symptoms.
When I met her a year ago, I was in so much pain and I was so desperate for answers that I was willing to try everything. My regular doctor had diagnosed me with asthma, acid reflex, and was convinced I had MS – Yes MS – it was the worst feeling in the world thinking I had an incurable autoimmune disease that was going to cripple me and it was moving rapidly, it was progressing so quickly, yet I was not able to get an official diagnosis from my Dr. After MRI’s and other tests I was still without an answer and only speculation. I had foot nephropathy, random onsets of vertigo, charlie horses that would rip me out of bed in the middle of the night, constant joint pain, heat intolerance, anxiety, and 90% of the time I was dying on the inside from feeling tired. The amount of energy drinks I was slamming was getting higher and higher by the week.
After meeting Dr. Cheri and having blood tests ran on me she suggested I had food intolerance and the food I was putting into my body was actually doing more harm than good. I was so upset when she announced that I can no longer eat Chicken, beans, dairy, eggs, avocados, sugar, etc. but I knew I had no choice and had to try it – after cutting out all the bad food cold turkey (oh god the headaches) I saw immediate changes. Now … less than a year later, the scale finally FINALLY hit the 130’s … I weighted 198.8 last year.
I am officially off all of my anxiety meds (something I have kept a secret from all of you for years), I am off all of my acid reflux pills, and I am off of my inhalers for asthma. I can say I have not taken any over the counter pain meds in 2018 (I pounded Alieve by the bucket load last year). I also feel like I don’t go balls to the wall on the weekends with drinking to drown out the constant pain I was having – I have learned to balance my diet and avoid stuff I shouldn’t have 99% of the time (some items are a 100% no no since they cause so many issues) – most importantly, she was able to accurately diagnose me with PCOS which my regular Dr. completely missed because I didn’t have “typical PCOS symptoms” – it’s not easy to deal with, but with my diet change and hormone therapy I can at least tolerate it and live life feeling “normal”. PCOS sucks but I feel that with my support group and amazing friends I can move forward with it. I don’t want kids, so that part doesn’t bother me, and I feel that long term with the guidance of Dr. Cheri I will be able to navigate the symptoms with ease.
So once again! Thank you to all my amazing friends that help me talk through my issues and deal with my stupid food allergies, Thank you SO MUCH Dr. Cheri for everything, and thank you Josh Fast for being there for me during this difficult transition and putting up with the tears, complaining, and emotional roller coaster.
Maggie K
