Gail's Personal Health Journey

 

From the very beginning ...

I was born, in Rotorua, to an unwell mother, who found it hard to conceive. Back in the 1960’s there was no such thing as IVF treatment, so she was given very large doses of the oral contraceptive pill for a period of time. The theory was that when she came off the pill, she would very quickly become pregnant. Unfortunately, the medication made my mother very ill, so she had to come off it early. Fortunately, she then became pregnant very quickly. During the pregnancy my mother was on a cocktail of prescription drugs that “would never harm the baby”. I was delivered in the usual fashion, two weeks late, after an induction.

Hospitalised at 10 Weeks Old

I was a very lethargic baby (probably due to the sedating medications taken on board during pregnancy). I did not feed well, and wanted to sleep continuously. When I woke for a breast feed, I would suckle for 5 minutes then fall asleep, only to wake one hour later to repeat the process. My mother tried putting me in the room furthest away in the house and shutting every door in between, to enable her to get more rest (on the advice of a Plunket nurse). This however, was not the answer, and I was admitted, at 10 weeks of age, to Karitane Hospital in Auckland. My mother was not allowed to visit and only had limited phone calling opportunities. Just imagine the damage this must have done to my emotional well-being at such a young age! I was in hospital for 10 weeks before being discharged back into the care of my well-rested mother.

Things went much smoother for my mother and I after this. I was still a lethargic child, and as a toddler would never go outside and run around like my energetic brother, who was two years my senior. By this time I had developed asthma. Nothing much was done for this at the time, as it was not life threatening.

Battling My Way Through Childhood

I was not a healthy child, I was very thin and looked malnourished. The asthma went away on its own, but I went on to develop hives all over my body. By the time I was about 7 years old, my mother decided that she would try to limit foods and see if that made a difference to my health. After a few different foods were tried, it was time for dairy to go. This made the hives go away! My mother and I thought we had hit the jackpot, the only problem, was that there was nothing to replace dairy with. In the early 1970’s there were no soy products, dairy free margarine or the like. After a while, my mother found a farmer that would sell her goat’s milk, and I began to put on weight. For the first time in many years I began to look healthy. Doctor’s continually told my mother that I would grow out of my allergy to dairy products, so every few years Mum would surprise me with a couple of pots of yogurt to try – YUM! I would devour them, very excitedly, only to be covered in spots again the next day.

Every year, in the summer, my mother would book me in for swimming lessons. I would do 3 or 4 lessons and get sick. Every year, the doctor would tell my mother I had Glandular Fever. I don’t think tests were ever done to confirm this, and I don’t believe that it was Glandular Fever now, as I was never in bed for months at a time.

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Puberty Time ... uugh! ... The Start of Teenage Life

Puberty came, as it does for everybody. I was very moody and remember being sad a lot, crying for no reason. I was 13 years old and could not walk for two days every time I got my period, as the pain in my legs was excruciating. On top of all this, I would wake up in the middle of the night in pools of blood, I was flooding so badly.

On the up side, I began to eat dairy products again, as I had (apparently) grown out of my allergy – I didn’t have spots anymore! I did have asthma again, but I was given an inhaler for that and sent on my way. I made the very bad decision to begin smoking at this time also, although not an every day smoker yet, this was to follow in a few years time.

At 15 years old, I was off to boarding school. I was being bullied a lot at the local catholic college I attended. This had been a bit of a theme for me through primary school too. My parents decided that boarding school was probably a better option for me now. I have to agree, I had more friends at boarding school than I had previously ever had. I was however, still very tired, and the matrons at boarding school were not as sympathetic to my needs as my mother had been. I was constantly hungry and tried to fill myself up on lollies at every opportunity!

My periods were still horrific! I would use super tampons and pads together and still be the girl in assembly that stood up with the red dress! Lucky for me I attended a single sex school.

These were stressful times for me. I was putting on lots of weight, was feeling more and more lethargic, and I was depressed now too. Chances are, I had always been depressed to some degree, but now there were lots of suicidal thoughts too. This scared me a lot, and I managed to convince my parents to let me come home and live with them again full time.

The Moment of Change

At 17 years old, having been home again, for about four months, my mother decided that I had to come off dairy products again. I was devastated at the time, but this was definitely a turning point in my life. I lost a lot of weight, felt like I had a bit more energy and began to feel a bit happier again. I did not do too well at school, as I was quite tired, and I missed a lot of days, but I was enjoying life again and had made some good friends.

This year, was a turning point for me in a lot of ways. I remember coming home from school one day, in about July of this year. Mum was so excited, she told me that she knew what was wrong with me! She had heard a doctor talking on the radio about this illness that sounded like mine. Mum told me that she had made an appointment and that we were off to Cambridge to see this man, that Mum was convinced, knew what he was talking about! Dr Ricky Gorringe diagnosed me as having ME (Myalgic Encephamyelitis) in August 1985. He told my mother that she too, had ME and that she had passed it on to me. I was in the unusual position of having been born with the illness. My mother had been very ill with polio virus at the age of 14, and had never fully recovered. We think that this was the beginning of ME for her, but of course then, ME was non-existent.

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A Continuing Journey

During the next few years, having seen Dr Gorringe, my mother and I then went on an incredible journey of seeing lots of different therapists. There were doctors, naturopaths and healers of all varieties. We changed our diets, took vitamin and mineral tablets diligently, prescription medications were taken when required, we tried acupuncture, homeopathy, homeobotanicals, urine therapy, crystal healing, spiritual healing, counselling and past life therapy.

By this time, I had left school also. I worked in an office for a couple of years, before discovering hospitality. At 20, I began to work full time in a bar, a job which I had been doing for the previous two years part time. This began my hospitality career, which was to last for the next 12 years. Not the best decision for my health, but it made me happy, not something I had been able to say a lot in my life up to this point.

Overseas Bound

At 22, I flew off to England for my overseas adventure. I was away for almost two years and came home overweight and under-functioning again! I was tired all the time and had a virus in my system that just would not go away! Thankfully, I was living at home with my parents again, and my mother was there to help me with everything. Life was hard!

Home Again ... Sick Again!

When I was 25 years old my mother found Dr David Higgins. Dr Higgins specialised in ME, he was a trained GP and had also trained as a naturopath in Australia. Dr Higgins saw the entire picture of my poor health and helped me more than anyone had previously.

Stopping To Start Life Again

The first thing Dr Higgins did was write out a certificate for me to stop work and collect the sickness benefit. I was deeply saddened by this, but it was the only way to truly begin the healing process. This was the way my life was to be now for two years.

Interesting, when I did stop work to rest, which I had never done before, my body stopped too. My body was so tired, that I think it just shut down! For the first year of being off work, I just slept! I was not able to do very much for myself at all. My mother cooked for me, made my bed, did my laundry and even washed my hair for me! At my worst, I could not shower, as standing up for that length of time drained me of all my energy. My parents had a spa pool, which was indoors, and it was my lifesaver! I remember in the winter, being in it two or three times a day, just to keep warm. I would get out and sit on a little seat next to the pool, to regain enough energy to walk back to my bedroom, where I would then just lay on top of my bed until I was dry enough to crawl back under the covers! I remember moving from the dining room table, having just eaten a meal, and just lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, which was right next to the table. I was so cold, as my body was using all of its energy to digest my food, there was not enough left to keep me warm. I also remember that sitting in a chair was really hard work! I had to lie, wherever possible. I would move between my bed, the Lazy-boy chair in the lounge, to the floor in front of the heater – these were my favourite places to be!

When I was feeling a little stronger, my mother would come home from work about 3pm each day and drag me out of bed for a walk. Sometimes it would just be to the end of the street, which was only 3 houses along from ours. Eventually, we were walking for 30 minutes on a good day.

During, the time that I was ill, my parents sold their business in Rotorua (where I grew up) and bought a new one in Kaitaia. I had to move with them, as there was no way I could care for myself yet.

Before leaving Rotorua, I had all my amalgam fillings replaced. I had 13 of them, which I am told is a little over average. I had quarter of my mouth done each week. After the last quarter had been replaced, we made the move north to Kaitaia.

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A New Beginning

This was another major turning point in my life. Leaving Rotorua, was a good thing for me, and my health. I had thought for a long time that Rotorua and its sulphur air had not been agreeing with me. Moving to a warmer climate in the summer, certainly had its bonuses too, and having my amalgam fillings removed was just another part of the puzzle for me.

Kaitaia was the start of my “wellness” journey. Day by day, I was able to do more for myself. My parents had bought a large motel, so helping them when I could was a great way to take my mind off my problems. This was a transitional period for me, as I could work when I felt up to it, and rest when I was tired.

Life Begins At 28!

Just before my 28th birthday, I moved to Whangarei and began work again. The job was a full time office position, in a large pub. I did a minimal amount of bar work, but mostly I was sitting at a desk, which suited me. I had a very understanding boss, who let me finish work early if I was having a bad day. This did not happen often, as I was determined to be well now!

Training To Be A Naturopath - The Final Step to Wellness

The next stage of my journey took me to Auckland to live. I worked for a further four years in hospitality, before beginning my journey to become a Naturopath. This too, was an important journey for me, as I believe it cemented the last pieces of the puzzle. While at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, I received counselling, which I found to be a very valuable part of my healing process. It is amazing what a difference it makes to your life, just to understand why you react the way you do to certain situations.

Training to be a naturopath also taught me how to make healthy choices about my life. I gave up smoking, counselling helped with this one! I discovered foods in my diet that were not serving me well, so I took them out. I learned about new foods that I had never heard of before, how to prepare them and cook them. I corrected nutritional imbalances, and learned how to cope with stress. I discovered herbal medicine and saw the effects it can have on your health. I formed supportive friendships with like minded people, that helped me through the tough times.

Healthy and Happy at Last!

Now, I can finally say I am well! I will never say there is not more to learn and discover about my health, but I live a very busy life now, and never require an afternoon nap … for this I am eternally grateful!

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