
The start of my adult life....
I am just graduating from radiography school & hired on as a cardiovascular technologist! I am so excited to have a “big girl” job!
I am actually saving lives & enjoying the journey… I would go to work & after work, I help my father with whatever he needed for that day. He was very ill & was slowly deteriorating every day it seemed, yet he was still holding on. I was beyond stressed but I held it together, you got to... right?
A couple months later… I started waking up & feeling like I didn’t sleep at all, even though I did not have a hard time sleeping nor tossed or turned though out the night. I had no clue why I was so tired!
My fingers began to ache & it became unbearable to close my hands. I figured it was because I started a new job, doing new things. “I’m just using my hands a lot more than I used to” & “It’s okay to feel tired” is what I used to say. I even figured it was because of the latex gloves, so i changed to non-latex. Nope, didn't help!
Overtime, the aches and pains intensified. My fingers started swelling to where I couldn’t take off my rings & barely could put on my shoes or open a bottle of water! My way of life was deteriorating.
I could barely bend my fingers without the swelling & the joint pain interfering & my feet and legs were so swollen, I could barely lift them or walk at a normal speed . I could barely keep up through my 10 hour shift due to fatigue & eventually I could barely walk.
I felt like my 24 year old life was no longer fun & exciting. It became quite scary, I began researching and wondered if my organs were failing or if I would not make it to see 30, Would I be able to get married, have kids, or grow old. This wasn’t the way of life!
Fast forward to when I met my current rheumatologist.
He began to tell me that he needs to run labs and that he believe I have lupus.
Lupus, is an autoimmune disease that will leave your body in complete shambles. It can affect every organ of your body. It begins to attack it as if it is a foreign object. It can be fatal if not caught early enough, or not treated effectively!
He told me to immediately start IV pushed high dose steroids that very next day.
I went every day for 3 days to get an hour long IV push. After the 2nd day I began to have vertigo. I could not sit up; I would fall to my right side if I even tried to sit or stand. I couldn’t walk to the bathroom without help, my mom had to roll me in a wheelchair to my appts. I was in a HORRIBLE state!
After 4-5 days, I started realizing that I need to change my eating habits. I started researching ways to cure lupus and ways to heal my leaky gut.
That’s when I found celery juice & juicing fruits and vegetables.
I started juicing 32oz of celery juice every morning consistently. Over time I started to come back to that vibrant, energetic, always smiling Crystal!
I started juicing everything! As the doctor ordered, I started eating things with no gluten or starch & I cut back on processed foods.
I felt like a new person and my labs started to improve!
I knew then, the importance of what you put in your body.
And THAT is what I would love to share with others through my juice bar.
Some people make juice because they taste good. But I make it because it makes me feel good. Without GOD, my physician & changing my eating habits. I would not be here today!
You can find healthy alternatives that taste good as well!
Start with a juice a day.
Eat fruits & vegetables every day.
Love your body & feed your mind.
You Got THIS! WE GOT THIS!
I am right here with you.
For any questions, contact me… I am always here to help in any way I can through this journey!
GodsSpeed,
Crystal I.
Comments