From Wheelchair to Freedom: A Journey of Healing
Maranda’s health journey began long before she discovered the carnivore diet. At 14, she lost her gallbladder after a two-week hospital stay. By 18, her appendix was removed, and she was diagnosed with angina and hypoglycemia. A hysterectomy followed at 31. Throughout her life, her immunity remained consistently low.
The turning point came 14 years ago when she was bitten by a red ant in Texas. “The next day, I couldn’t move my arms. I was in pain,” Maranda recalls. This incident marked the beginning of years of medical struggles and declining health.
The Devastating Reality of Chronic Pain
Within a year of the ant bite, Maranda’s condition deteriorated to the point where she needed a walker to get around. Despite having a high pain tolerance—having given birth without painkillers—the nerve pain throughout her body was unlike anything she had experienced before.
Doctors initially suspected multiple sclerosis after finding three white matter spots on her brain. After moving to Iowa, an infectious disease specialist diagnosed her with “tick syndrome” from the ant bite, which eventually led to a diagnosis of stage 4 fibromyalgia.
The medication regimen was extensive: Lyrica for nerve pain, antidepressants, steroids, and heart medications for angina. For her hypoglycemia, one doctor simply advised her to “take sweet tarts” whenever she felt low.
Life at Rock Bottom
Daily life became nearly impossible. “I could barely read and write. Just doing the daily functions every day was so difficult,” Maranda says. “I just made me feel like I was really dying.”
Simple tasks like doing laundry consumed her entire day. She would do a little, rest, then do a little more. Without her husband’s income and support, and her teenage son helping at home, she would have been in serious trouble.
“I had never gotten my license. I had some PTSD from a past relationship, and then I was ready to, and then I got sick,” she explains. Her sons essentially had to raise themselves, with one in the military and the other at home taking care of her while her husband worked.
The Leap of Faith
About three years ago, Maranda found a blog about the carnivore diet. After trying numerous herbal and natural remedies without success, she decided to try it despite being warned against eating meat due to her alpha gal syndrome.
“I was like, I’m gonna do it. And my husband and I both were like, what if it kills you? Because the doctors told me, no meat,” she remembers. “And I’m like, I don’t care. This is killing me. I am not able to take this anymore. I want to live.”
Transformation Begins
The results were remarkable. Within just two weeks, her pain levels dropped from 10 to 6. Energy, which had been non-existent during her years with fibromyalgia, began to return.
“In about 3 months, when I really got into it, I could lift things,” Maranda says. “I call it Superman or Superwoman energy, but you get these bursts where you’re just like, wow. I didn’t even know energy existed or that I could lift things.”
Six months after starting the diet, she got her driver’s license. Today, she drives approximately 4,000 miles a month doing DoorDash and Instacart deliveries.
Living Again at 47
Now, three years into her carnivore journey, Maranda is completely medication-free. She’s lost 65 pounds and feels better than she did at 17.
“I literally now feel like I’m 17 again. I’m 47, and it’s like, wow. I didn’t even feel this good when I was 17,” she shares. “I literally wake up every single day pain-free. Every morning, I’m like, wow. I don’t have a body ache.”
Despite not having a gallbladder, she digests fat without issues. Her diet consists primarily of beef and seafood, with some goat dairy products. She typically eats once or twice a day, depending on her hunger and activity level.
Beyond Physical Healing
The mental benefits have been equally transformative. Before, small issues would overwhelm her because she was already dealing with so much pain. Now, her resilience has improved dramatically.
“You’re not thinking straight, so you get more emotional over things. Small things would get to me—I couldn’t handle any little issue that would arise in the house because you’re already dealing with your pain, and you’re barely surviving,” Maranda explains. “Now I can deal with everything.”
Her family has witnessed her transformation and become more supportive over time. Her husband joined her on the carnivore diet a year ago and has experienced improvements in his energy levels as well.
For Maranda, the carnivore diet hasn’t just improved her symptoms—it’s given her life back. “I feel like I’m finally living,” she says. “This is just life and normal and the way it should be.”
