The Scenic Route to Health - from ER to Autoimmunity

From saving lives in the ER to saving my own health

The Beginning - from ER to Autoimmunity

My Accidental Awakening

One swollen finger on a busy ER shift.
A resuscitation. A dog bite. A dislocated shoulder.
And yet... all I could think about was:

What is with this finger?
Why is it so swollen?

An inconvenience, yet… odd.
It wasn’t painful. It wasn’t red.
Just… swollen. Like a sausage.

Infection? No warmth.
Trauma? I don’t remember doing anything.
I pushed it to the back of my mind.
And to my great joy, it went away.

Only to have another finger swell a few days later. Same odd pattern.
That’s when I knew.

Autoimmune.
RA? Lupus? Psoriasis? Lyme?
I didn’t know which, but I knew it was something I didn’t want.

Time to see a doctor.
The doctor confirmed my worst fears.

Systemic lupus.

How is that possible???
I’m healthy.

Welcome to the beginning of my autoimmune adventures.

It started as curiosity.
Turned into terror.
Then total blindside.

I hadn’t seen it coming.
I walked out of the rheumatologist’s office in tears.

Not me.
Not the one who exercises. Has a strong purpose. Takes care of others.
But yes—me.

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When Medications Aren’t Enough

What followed was a cascade of medications meant to tame the fire inside me.
But the fire didn’t go out. It spread.

Knee. Ankle. Chest. Wrist. Cartilage. Fingers. Kidneys.
Fatigue. Rashes. Pain.
Up to six medications—and still, I worsened.

So I turned to what I could control.
I researched everything.

Maybe it was gluten. Maybe nightshades. Maybe I needed more turmeric.
Or less stress. More sleep. More greens. More belief in miracles.

I fasted. I feasted on vegetables.
I meditated. Journaled. Juiced.
I stretched. Sweated. Slept.
I sought experts. Went on retreats. Immersed myself in nature.

And yet—better in spurts. Worse in an instant.

I learned that healing isn’t linear.
Or predictable.
Or always logical.

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The Turning Point

When the outside answers didn’t help, I turned inward.

For the first time,
I got quiet.

I listened.
Not judged.
Not feared.
Just… listened.

And when I did, I realized:

This wasn’t just the beginning of a diagnosis.
It was the beginning of a transformation.

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The Body as Messenger

Chronic illness strips us bare.
But if we let it—
It rebuilds us.

It asks:

“What are you feeding yourself?”
Not just food. But thoughts. Stories. Boundaries.

It asks:

“What do you want to come home to every day?”

And if you’re like me—
Someone who once survived on granola bars and adrenaline in the ER—
You might find the answer isn’t more hustle.

It’s more health.
More joy.
More truth.

Those swollen joints?
They became my GPS.

Not just warning signs—
Directional signs.

Pointing away from symptom-chasing.
Toward actual healing.

Healing that begins in your cells, yes—
But also in your spirit.

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The Scenic Route to Health

My joints? Better now.
My energy? Back in abundance.
Not all at once.
Not without setbacks.

But I’ve been rebuilding.

This is The Scenic Route to Health.

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And if you’re in your beginning right now—

Swollen joints.
Strange fatigue.
Mystery symptoms.
Blank stares from doctors—

Just know:

The beginning feels like falling apart.
But it might just be the start of falling into place.

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💜 Thank you for reading my first post on Substack. If this resonated with you, you’re not alone—I hope to inspire you on your own scenic journey. Subscribe below to follow along on this journey of healing, science, and soul.