I have been suffering from asthma since a toddler, varicose veins requiring surgery and custom compression stockings since my first pregnancy, and severe morning sickness with all of my pregnancies.
Health Challenges Faced By Nancy
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis 17 years ago and severe constipation after taking Calcium supplements for the osteoporosis while maintaining a healthy version of the Mediterranean diet. I have had a big garden and used very little processed food, and I ground my own flour and became an expert home whole grain bread maker in 1977.
Constipation And Osteoporosis
I had to stop using Calcium supplements, but constipation persisted with menopausal onset. I tried eating prunes, more butter by the spoonful, figs, more fibrous vegetables, more fresh fruit, and of course, lots of whole grain bread and porridge every morning.
I eventually resorted to eating extra bran and then soluble vegetable fibers from a bottle, but now I had terrible problems with bloating and gas, which inhibited my social life extremely. Who wants their health problems to be the brunt of jokes and eventually a definer of one’s identity?
Swollen Toes And Diagnosis Of Hypothyroid Disease
About 12 years ago, my toes began to swell badly on my left foot. Towards evening and after a good walk, they would swell, turning red with purple tips, and often would develop a crack on the tips of my toes. The pedologist said it was frostbite, even though it was summer and I had never had frostbite before!
I had another bone scan about 12 years ago and was told that I had a 100% chance of breaking my hip within ten years and was prescribed Fosomax, to which I had a very serious reaction due to very low calcium levels even though I was eating dairy and making yogurt regularly.
Insoluble fiber depletes one’s body of Calcium as well as other important nutrients, so I stopped eating bran and drank more milk as my Doctor suggested. Soon after, a different doctor ordered some tests and discovered that I had Hypothyroid disease.
Intestinal Infections, Rashes, And Hashimoto’s Disease
One Christmas, I got a bad stomach flu and diarrhea, which emptied my gut, and my husband wanted to try a herb cleanse, but after researching, I suggested using lemon juice instead which was great and became a part of my daily diet since it helped to promote digestion and to reduce bloating.
Since then, I have suffered several intestinal infections and had to take antibiotics and then started to take probiotics regularly. I could control symptoms by eating very little meat except for salmon and taking daily lemons, probiotics, and a 4-hour fast before drinking >4 cups of milk in the evenings.
Last summer, my skin broke out in 5 different rashes, including ringworm which was not diagnosed until October. I had to plaster my body with the anti-fungal, and since most of the rashes were unaffected, I was given an oral anti-fungal for four weeks. Still, 4 of the rashes remained. I had some relief and researched Hashimoto’s disease with the prodding of one of our daughters.
Transition To A Carnivore Diet And Its Impact On Health
The Doctor ordered further blood work, revealing low sodium, low T3, normal T4, and very high antibodies (99). He said to cut out dairy. “BUT WHAT ABOUT MY BONES?” He said to reintroduce it again in 4 weeks and that it would not deplete my Calcium levels significantly.
Trying The Autoimmune Protocol Diet
But after more research, I decided to try the Autoimmune Protocol diet. It did help with a lot of the bloating and gas, and one of the rashes faded slightly, but my toes were still extremely painful and swollen by the late afternoon.
Considering The Meat Only Diet
I had heard of Jordan Peterson and his daughter and the meat-only diet and had wished that I could do that. Still, I was so afraid of not getting enough Calcium and concerned about getting constipated and being hospitalized. Since I was 139 lbs and 5′ 10,″ I was sure I would wither away to nothing, and so was my family.
And I was already following an unusual diet. But after ten days on the Autoimmune Protocol diet, I WAS DESPERATE, much like Doreen in her amazing YouTube videos!
The toe pain was excruciating, the leg rash was burning and bright red, and my cheeks were aflame, and lo and behold, I got a new and different mottled rash all over my face.
Adopting The Carnivore Diet
And so I am now a Carnivore. I decided to continue taking lemon before eating in order to hopefully prevent constipation, and I haven’t had any problems since quitting the vegetables. I cut back the black coffee by 50%, and I thought that in order to get enough fat while using leaner cuts of meat from our freezer, I would use butter while cutting out all other dairy.
Eliminating Supplements And Adopting The Full Carnivore Lifestyle
From the start, I took my supplements as well, but with encouragement from the Carnivore community and especially due to Dr. Shawn Baker’s work, after two weeks, I eliminated all of the vitamins, butter, and lemon and am now eating only beef with some lard so I don’t fade away and water and salt and black coffee.
I am so encouraged by my health’s progress so far. The rashes have almost disappeared except for the occasional flare-up due to the silicone band on my compression stockings.
Positive Impact On Health
And my facial skin looks better than it has since I was a kid. My tummy is as flat as a pancake except for the overly stretched skin from so many years of bloating, and the mucous in my sinuses and bronchial tubes has healed.
Even though I have several bulging and herniated disks and have been suffering from sciatica and other pinched nerves, with shooting pains and numbness in my feet and legs and arms and hands, those aches and pains have greatly diminished, I am able to sit and type this out in one sitting. Before I started the Carnivore diet, I had to keep moving because of numbness and pain.
Progress And Hope For The Future
It is now 3 1/2 weeks since I started this delicious Carnivore lifestyle. I hope my inevitable progression towards even more compounding problems with antibodies triggering worsening Autoimmune complications will be abated. And for the last two days, my energy has been increasing, and I don’t have to lie down several times during the day.
I am 68 years old and found myself running behind the shopping cart as I left Costco 2 nights ago. I was down in weight again this morning, 123 lbs, but I am working on eating more fat plus at least 2 lbs of meat/day.
Thank you so much to all of you for sharing your experiences.
