Those of you who have been following me on Instagram know that I’ve been on a long-term healing journey for a mysterious autoimmune condition.

Three and a half years ago, I gathered multiple opinions for acute roaming pain in my tendons and ligaments— severe pain that would strike without warning and then disappear randomly without a trace. I had blood tests, x-rays, and MRIs. I met with two rheumatologists, a sports medicine doctor, physical therapists, a podiatrist (to assess damage in my hips and feet) and a general practitioner. I was not lazy with my medical care. Based on my blood work and clinical findings, these bright professionals with years of experience each came to the conclusion that I had an autoimmune disease. The treatment for such an illness was pain management and immune-suppressing drugs. None of these drugs were mild.

Rather than turning to medications that had a long list of side effects, I turned to a macrobiotic diet to heal and suppress symptoms. I found a macrobiotic counselor who suggested a strict healing diet, and I found tremendous success after just four months.  I never had to take any of the strong medications that are typically prescribed for rheumatological issues, and for the most part, I’ve felt very good.

I started noticing a change in my health this past September when my daughter was admitted to the hospital for a kidney transplant. The palm of my left hand started to hurt while I was in that hospital room with my daughter, and the pain has not subsided in the months since.

Within a few weeks of receiving a new kidney, my daughter rejected the kidney, and we found ourselves back in the hospital, living a nightmare. It was at that time that my right knee began to hurt, and I started to have trouble walking.

A couple of months later, my right wrist began to hurt, and I’m now at a point where I can’t put much weight onto either of my hands without feeling excruciating pain.

Stress is an unbelievable force. It can change your body chemistry and trigger illness. No matter how strict I became with my diet, I could not find healing. After a few months of struggling to heal on my own, I contacted my macrobiotic counselor. She was very firm with me. She reminded me that she always thought that something else was going on in my body. Based on the principals of oriental diagnosis, she examined me and maintained that she continues to think that I have Lyme disease or some kind of parasite. I reminded her that three years ago, I had asked both of my rheumatologists for Lyme testing, and they both refused. They told me that Lyme is the most over tested disease that rheumatologists see, and that they had no basis for testing me.

My macrobiotic counselor told me to start searching for a new doctor and to keep searching until I could find one that would agree to testing. Four weeks ago, I found an integrative doctor who agreed to help. I had extensive blood tests to check for Lyme disease and the co-infections (parasites) that often travel with the infected tick.

One week ago, I received my results, and my macrobiotic counselor was right. I can’t ignore that I DO have antibodies that are suggestive of an autoimmune condition, but perhaps the formation of those antibodies was triggered by being bitten by an infected tick. I am now starting a long course of two different types of antibiotics. I have been warned that this could take quite a while to heal, but I am patient. After all, I’ve been patient for the past 3.5 years as I harbored these parasites in my body without any medical intervention. I can continue to be patient.

Let me tell you what I have learned from this experience that may help you if you’ve been diagnosed with an illness or are currently searching for answers about your own medical condition.

-Always seek multiple opinions from the best doctors when dealing with a serious medical condition that requires treatment.

-Once you have your multiple opinions, don’t assume that your multiple opinions (even if they are in agreement) are 100 percent correct. Always leave the door open to other possibilities.

-Search for a good doctor that practices integrative medicine and combines the best of western medicine and alternative therapies. Remember that not everything that heals in this world is found under the roof of a hospital. Take the help from medications when necessary, but keep in mind that healing and cures don’t always appear in the form of a pill or a syringe. Don’t underestimate the power of the body to heal itself with natural remedies.

-Find the discipline within yourself to try a natural healing plan. But don’t forgo the experienced care of a physician! Work alongside your medical team. Do everything in your power to strengthen your body. Cut the sugar. Cut the processed foods. Start loading up on greens and sea vegetables and fermented foods. Strengthen your gut, and strengthen your immune system. I adopted a strict macrobiotic diet, and by doing so, not only did I heal from unimaginable pain, but I also eliminated a bunch of other smaller issues (like debilitating seasonal allergies that plagued me each spring for 15 years.)

-Don’t allow your gut feeling to be drowned out by your doctors. In hindsight, I realize that I had a gut feeling. There was a reason why I was asking each doctor for Lyme testing. I allowed that inner voice to be drowned out by doctors because I valued their experience much more than I valued my gut feeling. Be your own greatest advocate. Insist on the tests you want to see. Offer to pay for them yourself, if necessary. Or keep looking for a doctor who is willing to explore your ideas and theories. They may not pan out, but you will feel much better after covering all of the bases.