My Why …

If you follow me on Facebook then you have probably seen posts popping up about a product called Plexus. If you are like me (up until a few months ago anyway) then you probably have not even heard of it. I first learned about it through a friend on Facebook who had had success losing some weight. Intrigued and suspicious, I decided to start doing some research. If you know me well, then you know that I am a big time researcher/user of the Google machine! What I began to find out about it ended up being life changing

I have been wanting, but waiting to put my thoughts about this into words … And I find it appropriate that I am penning this on the day of my son’s sixth birthday because that is really where my journey began. Until I had E my weight had never really been an issue. I had always been on the smaller side and didn’t have to do much to maintain it. However, weight had always been a HUGE issue for me in the sense that I struggled with low self esteem if I gained any weight. I found my worth in my thinness. After struggling with 5+ years of infertility I was so grateful to be pregnant that I gave no thought to what I ate while I was pregnant. I was fat and happy. I also assumed that as long as I breastfed the weight would come off. It didn’t. I held onto about 15 lbs that would not budge. Additionally and more concerning was the fact that my overall health seemed to be declining. I was chronically exhausted (chalked that up to being sleep deprived), my muscles ached all over and seemed to be full of knots, my teeth hurt from clenching my teeth, and my left eye suffered chronic inflammation that resulted in a painful condition known as iritis. The only treatment for the iritis was a protocol of steroid eye drops that had to be placed in my eye multiple times per day. Even scarier was this conditions association with auto-immune diseases systemically attacking the body. Thus began the never ending search for a “cure” or a “cause” that had me bouncing between doctors and specialists. Whether it was this experience or other factors, I also feel into a pretty deep depression.

In late 2010, I finally in complete desperation found a naturopathic nurse practitioner who said she could help. She switched me off of synthetic thyroid meds (Synthroid) and started me on some protocols to treat adrenals and low progesterone. I was pregnant (unintentionally) within three months and felt better than I had in years! I really thought that we had gotten to the bottom of the issue and felt confident going into delivering my daughter. But the fear of the past lurked in shadows and waited for the right moment to pounce. As proactive as I was around 4 months post partum the bottom dropped out and I went into the deepest and darkest place I had ever been. Depression, heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, dizziness and the list went on and on. Convinced that it had to be thyroid and adrenal related again, I immersed myself in research. The problem was my labs all looked good and the naturopath was stumped. Crazed with info and fueled with desperation I spiraled further and further down, circling the drain. I vividly remember sobbing so hard one day that I had to pull the car over. Little L was in the backseat, unphased because she had seen me sob so often. No one really knew how dark my life was, not even me.

In November 2012, the dizziness was so bad that my family doctor sent me to an ENT. Unable to determine the cause he ordered an MRI of my brain and suspecting inner ear inflammation, placed me on 60 mg of prednisone. I didn’t think it could get worse, but it did. A certain doctor later likened taking prednisone to jumping on a trampoline with a 2×4 full of nails, and I am inclined to agree. . My husband came home from work one night to find me on the floor in our closet. I begged him to check me into the Pavillion (mental hospital). It was bad. He insisted upon a regimen of anti-depressants and because all other options had failed I relented. And honestly, that was a good choice. It was a necessary intervention at that point. The lights began to flicker amidst the darkness. I still knew intuitively, that something was not right!

I had done enough “research” that I had diagnosed myself as being adrenal insufficient/low cortisol. My symptoms were so similar to those of people with low cortisol. Imagine my surprise when, after saliva testing, it was discovered that my cortisol was high. It had probably been sky high but the oral prednisone literally shut down my own adrenal production and actually helped lower it. I was placed on a regimen of vitamins and supplements to lower the cortisol. In the interest of keeping this as brief as possible, I will live it there. We moved to Lubbock and life really opened up for us all. The power of community and having loving friends did wonders for my soul. By August of this year I would say I was 85-90%. Lingering issues with lack of energy and weight were the main source of frustration. And I really wanted to the anti-depressant!

In late October of 2013, I became aware of plexus and did some research. There was 60 day money back guarantee so I decided to give it a go. To be honest, it didn’t go that well. I actually felt more tired and after 10 days had lost no weight. It was advised that I perform a simple candida spit test which I failed miserably. I was told I need to try the Probio5 to clear the candida. I ordered it, but at this point it was Thanksgiving going into Christmas and I knew my diet would be less than “clean”. I decided to wait and try again after the first of the year. And that is what I did.

Within a week of restarting the Plexus products and using the Probio5 I noticed significant changes in energy, cravings and appetite. Three weeks in I had lost 3 pounds. Not too shabby. I have now been on the products about 5 weeks and my weight loss has not been great, but my energy has been amazing. My endurance has been amazing. For the first time in 6 years I am able to exercise 5 times a week without feeling like I got hit by a truck. I have given up a diet coke addiction. I have one cup of half caf coffee in the morning. I don’t have a 2 pm energy slump. And my husband has told me several times that he notices changes in my body that the scale may not reflect …yet.

I can not give Plexus all the credit for my success because that would be untrue. I have been a journey to look at and treat things in my life in a “whole body” approach. I credit wonderful patient practitioners who were willing to work with me. I am so thankful for an army of thyroid patient advocates who helped me learn and understand the science of how the thyroid works in your body. I am grateful to conventional medicine throwing me a lifeline when I was in a place so dark I could not tell up from down. Most of all I am grateful to God for having my back and best interest at heart through this whole journey. I am thankful he made me the kind of person who is not content with a “band aid” but wants to solve the root issue.

So, for those who have been annoyed by the Plexus posts I want you to understand that this is important to me. This is something that has helped me achieve my hearts desire to be active and fit again. It has helped me overcome addictions to sugar and to soda. And I am thankful for the having the opportunity to share it with others.