This is me

You might be wondering who I am and why I decided to start a blog. It's been on my radar to do since I was diagnosed over 6 years ago with Hashimoto disease. The thing is, it was overwhelming on where to begin. I was always told I was a great baker long before I went gluten free, but never really thought much of it.

Then the day came in the Fall of 2019 that I was asked to be a part of a Health Expo. They had known of my baking skills and wanted to have me there to sell snacks for the visitors. I jumped on the chance and started to bake ...and bake. This was my chance for people to get to know me and finally start my blog. It was two days before the big event; I was so excited to be a part of it, and a little nervous that people would not buy everything I made. I had spent countless hours shopping for ingredients, baking, prepping & slicing… and then the call came in. I could no longer sell my baked goods at the Expo due to the fact I was not cooking in a commercial kitchen.

After a few panicky moments and tears, and with the help of my incredible daughter who runs a social media company, we posted about the products to sell to family and friends and within 24 hours everything was gone. I was delighted and then the messages started to come in about when I would be baking and selling again. Here’s the thing... I never wanted to be a full time baker. I do it for the love of it and the necessity to eat gluten free. So this brought me to the moment, finally taking the plunge and seeing if people were interested in who I am and what I have to offer. 

So now let's back it up to before I was diagnosed. I am a wife and Mom of two beautiful hard working daughters and I run a mobile beauty service for seniors. And for the better part of the past 25 years, that’s how I identified myself. I looked after the house, my husband, my girls and my clients. Yes, it may seem old fashioned but I loved every minute of it, and as you can probably tell, I am a caregiver by nature. My whole world revolved around caring for everyone except myself. I ran on coffee, very little sleep and not the best diet. And sure it worked for a long time, but eventually my body started to pay the price. You can not burn it at both ends and get away with it forever.

I was in my 40’s and starting to notice things - weight gain, chronic illnesses like colds, respiratory infections, UTI’s, hair loss and emotional swings, horrible skin breakouts, constant bloating, chronic fatigue, the list goes on. This was not normal, so I booked an appointment with my family doctor and told her everything. She ran bloodwork and a few days later I went back to see her. She told me it was simple, I had a sluggish thyroid which is normal by this age and she put me on Synthroid. I was told it’s a drug I would be on the rest of my life but it would fix everything and on my way I went. At first a few of my symptoms improved but that didn’t last long. She kept increasing the dose and slowly I had other symptoms - heart palpitations, feelings of panic attacks, tired but wired feeling, and afternoon crashes that left me needing to lay down in the afternoon.

By 2013 things were spiraling out of control. On top of feeling like crap most days, I was dealing with a lot of added stress - my husband had lost his job after 23 years with a company, my Dad was battling cancer and my best friends husband lost his long battle with the same horrible disease. I was trying to be there for everyone and the stress kept building. By the summer I had been on antibiotics several times to clear ongoing UTI’s that wouldn’t go away. That fall, I was prescribed a drug that left me in a horrible state, the reaction was so bad I ended up at the Doctors several times. My gut was completely destroyed, it hurt to eat, I couldn’t keep food in and my weight was plummeting. Friends started asking what was wrong as I looked so drawn and sickly. I had several visits to the ER and left with no answers. My family doctor sent me to a psychiatrist thinking I was having a nervous breakdown, which only lasted for 3 visits. The psychiatrist told me it had nothing to do with “having a breakdown”, it was because I was not getting answers on my health.

Finally on the last visit to the ER, I was scheduled for an MRI of my abdomen and my doctor requested a scope and colonoscopy. That day, my sister Jenn, who is a health and wellness guru, showed up at the hospital. She said she had never seen me looking so bad and knew something had to change. We talked about seeing a Naturopathic doctor and taking a different approach. I agreed it was time to take my health into my own hands. So back to my doctor I went to get all the test results and talk about other options. 

This time I had information in hand on Autoimmune thyroid conditions and leaky gut, and requested to see an endocrinologist. After being bed ridden sick for the past few months I researched what else could be causing this. I had more questions that needed answers and I wasn’t going to get them with a regular GP or be cured by another prescription drug.

Finally that December, I met with my endocrinologist and he had answers. I cried when he told me that I had Hashimoto disease. The tears came out of pure relief; I finally knew what was wrong and now I could start my healing journey.

That same month, I met with my Naturopathic doctor and I knew it was where I belonged. She assured me I could heal; that it would be hard work and it wouldn’t happen overnight. My body didn’t get this way in a few months so healing it would take some time, but I was up for the challenge. So we looked at everything - my bloodwork from the past years with my GP and from all the visits to the ER. My MRI, scope and colonoscopy results as well. I met with her several times a month to start and every visit I left feeling empowered, knowing that I was in control of my health this time. We talked about managing stress, supplements and the big one...what I should and should not be eating. And this is where my gluten free life began.

I am not celiac but there is a strong connection with autoimmune disease and gluten. So I took the giant leap and completely removed it from my diet, at the time I also decided to remove all dairy, caffeine and alcohol. Yep, it was a huge leap but within the first month I started to feel better. Slowly my sleep started to improve, which was huge as I was barely sleeping more than 3 hours a day. My stomach and digestion started to get better, I actually felt hungry and could keep food in. The biggest improvement was my energy. I could make it through a day without napping. So I knew I was most definitely on the right track. After a few months of these lifestyle changes, my Endocrinologist and Naturopath made the choice to begin slowly weaning me off of Synthroid. After a year of this process, I was completely off of Synthroid. My Endocrinologist was doubtful that I would be able to stay off of it by just changing my diet and taking natural supplements. But by the end of year two as I sat in his office, his words were “you have proved me wrong and you have made me rethink the connection of gluten and gut health and how they affect the thyroid”. This was such a proud moment. He went on to tell me I needed to write a book. So this was when I started thinking, do other people really want to hear my story and could I help others who are sick find answers and teach people how to bake and cook gluten free? For the next few years I sat on this idea, until this past fall came and I finally decided to take the leap.

And here we are, not a book quite yet, but a monthly newsletter and blog. I really hope you all enjoy the recipes and my insight into living with Hashimoto Disease and a gluten free life.

Wendy xo

P.S. When I was first diagnosed, it was reading about someone else’s story and experience that gave me hope that there is a way to live a happy and healthy life again. If you know someone who is going through something similar, I encourage you to send them this way. A strong support system is everything. It’s time to take back your health!