
Hi! I’m Kat.
I have Graves Disease, an incurable autoimmune condition.
Thanks to answered prayer, fabulous doctors care, and following the SEEDS Protocol, I am completely symptom free! My energy is through the roof most days, I’m maintaining a healthy weight, arthritic pain and inflammation are gone, Candida – gone, and the seborrheic dermatitis that I had for over 30 years is completely healed.
But it’s been quite a journey.
The fall of 2014 was a very stressful time. I’d been an insurance agent for over 30 years and have always loved my job until all the changes happened in healthcare. This was the year the Affordable Care Act was first implemented. As you can imagine, no one, not even at the government level had all the answers. Open enrollment, from October through December, was complete chaos. The stress was overwhelming.
It was during this time, I noticed I was running out of breath easily running up and down the stairs. I didn’t think a whole lot about it because I hadn’t had time to exercise for a while and just thought I was getting out of shape. The weakness progressively got worse, I felt like I was going to collapse. In December I started dropping weight – 1/2 pound per day! By Christmas time I was ravishingly hungry all the time. Eating 5-6 times a day, and still losing weight. That’s when I knew something was wrong.
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I had been seeing a holistic MD for the previous 4 years, and was actually going through chelation therapy at that time (a procedure that removes all the heavy metals from your body). I had one more treatment left. I called my doctor’s office to see if I should finish my last session and was told the doctor would want to see me. He scheduled me the next day.
He started me on prescription medications immediately and instructed me to refrain from gluten, all grains, sugar, and dairy. Unfortunately, because I was SO hungry all the time, I didn’t listen. I had already been dairy free and 95% gluten free for about three years. But I added them back in, stopping at fast food joints, ice cream places, any place where there was food…I didn’t care about the quality!
My doctor ordered blood tests every week and adjusted my medications accordingly. I continued to get worse. By the middle of February, I couldn’t walk more than 25-30 feet without resting. My hands shook like I had a terrible case of Parkinson’s. My heart pounded so hard that I thought it was going to jump right out of my chest. I was extremely exhausted all the time. It was a daily struggle to do anything!
My doctor and my family were very concerned with my condition and thought I should seek another opinion. My doctor sent me to an endocrinologist and I decided to see a functional medicine doctor.
By the time I was finally able to get in to see these two doctors, I was already beginning to see some improvements. I remember waking up February 23rd and felt like I had gained 50% of my strength back overnight! It was a very memorable day because it was my daughter’s birthday and she said it was the best gift she could have received.
The endocrinologist took over reducing my medications as I continued to heal. The functional medicine doctor put me on an AIP diet and recommended I follow it 100%. She explained how I had to heal my gut, and that any cheating on the diet could set my healing back 3-6 months! She also explained how adding the dairy and gluten back into my diet was actually making me worse. I had NO idea there was such a correlation between my diet and my health.
I started on the AIP diet on March 18th, 2015 (my birthday.) This was the hardest diet I have ever attempted (and I’ve tried a lot.) I’m quite sure I did not eat one compliant meal the whole first week. There was so much to learn and look out for. I definitely became a label reader. I was determined to do this right and get well. I had NO idea the great things that would come from this.
By the end of March, my thyroid was back within normal lab range. Of course my endocrinologist then wanted to make plans to kill my thyroid with radiation. I said no way!! I did not go through all of this for it to be killed. He said no problem, but that I would have to stay on one of the medications for two years. I agreed. Two months later I was over-dosing on that medication and it threw me into severe hypothyroidism. I lost 65-70% of my hair and the pain from leg cramps was almost unbearable. It took several more months to get my thyroid back in normal range again.
In regards to the AIP diet, the only results I noticed the first month was some weight loss. At the end of three months, I was noticing some improvements and started feeling like I was getting the hang of it. I learned batch cooking was the way to go. At about 5 months I realized issues that I had for YEARS were gone – completely healed! That really got my attention about this “food thing!” And by 8 months, my “leaky” gut was completely healed, I had lost over 30#’s and was feeling better than I had in over 20 years. What a blessing! What a miracle! My transformation was, and is, unbelievable. How could I go from almost completely disabled to feeling 20 years younger in 10 months? (Just a side note, I was also going through menopause during this time. So, yes ladies, you CAN lose weight during menopause.)
During this year long journey I spent a lot of time in prayer. Of course asking God “Why?”. But as He often does in our times of trouble, I felt His love, and found comfort knowing I was in His hands and that HE was in control.
Needless to say, through all of this I have done an enormous amount of research on chronic diseases, in particular – autoimmune diseases and leaky gut. I am determined to keep my body as strong and healthy as I possible can. I want to do everything in my power to avoid another autoimmune storm.
After experiencing how “what we eat” DOES affect our health, God laid it on my heart to share this with others – to help others understand that when we just go back to eating food the way GOD designed, it actually nourishes our bodies. I now look at clean, organic meats, fresh fruits and vegetables as “living, nourishing” foods to help the body thrive, and processed foods as “dead, artery-clogging” food that zaps our energy.
I started speaking and sharing this good news in 2015. People would come up to me after the presentations and say it was great information but that they needed individual help, and asked if I would coach them.
This lead to me becoming a Certified Holistic Health Coach in 2016. I continued my studies in 2017 and became certified as an Essential Oil Coach, and in 2018 a Life Coach. I am now enjoying coaching my clients to help them Find their Strength Within by following my SEEDS Protocol.
SEEDS is an acronym for Stress, Exercise, Environment, Diet, and Sleep. By applying these protocols, my clients are reclaiming their health, seeing vast improvements in their symptoms, increasing their energy, improving their self confidence, and feeling empowered as they take control of their health.
This new chapter of my life is SO rewarding and exciting! I no longer ask God “Why?”, I now thank Him for giving me this awesome responsibility.
Here’s to abundant health!
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A Bit More About Me
As an inspirational speaker, entertainer and coach, I specialize in helping those faced with chronic diseases, Find their Strength Within and THRIVE!
- I’m on a mission to educate and empower those who are suffering and who are looking for another way to heal.
- I’m a daughter, wife, mother of three, grandmother of two, and a child of God.
- I love walking, worshiping, reading – or listening to audio books to expand my knowledge. I’m known as the “power tool lady” as I love to design, build, and decorate. I enjoy doing crafts and making handmade personal care products…check out my store at www.katscreations.net.
- I love to eat, so its a good thing I have a passion for cooking and creating new recipes. I get an absolute high from helping others. But one of the things I enjoy the most is spending time with family, especially my precious grand babies!!