My Healing Journey Part 1

From Fatigue to Strength: My Unexpected Journey Through Pregnancy, Nutrition, and Recovery

At one point in my life, I could barely manage to wash a single load of dishes each day. Today, I can do squats with my 200-pound husband on my back. This transformation wasn’t just physical—it was deeply personal, shaped by five pregnancies, dietary experimentation, and a long search for healing.

The Turning Point

It all began during my third pregnancy. Our family diet was heavy in vitamin A-rich foods—think goulash, spaghetti, Mexican dishes, hash, sweet potatoes, and squash. Unknowingly, we were eating tomato-based meals nearly six days a week. Even before I discovered I was pregnant, I experienced constant nausea and couldn’t understand why.

After learning I was expecting, I began researching causes of pregnancy-related nausea and came across information about lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes that increases with cooking. Lycopene, a carotenoid that converts into vitamin A, can disrupt hormones during pregnancy and contribute to nausea. When I eliminated tomato sauces from our meals, the nausea vanished. Interestingly, I could still tolerate fresh or diced tomatoes—just not sauces. Even one tomato-based meal a week would leave me nauseated for days.

A Shift in Diet

During that time, we also transitioned to a semi-gluten-free lifestyle. My sister-in-law had suggested it due to her family’s sensitivity to gluten, and since it ran in the family, we gave it a try. My third pregnancy went smoothly, and I delivered without any medication or complications.

However, after my son was born, he began vomiting after every nursing session. We suspected a gluten intolerance and decided to remove gluten entirely from our diet. Almost immediately, his vomiting and mucus production stopped. A single slice of pizza that made its way into my breastmilk confirmed our suspicion—he projectile vomited shortly after nursing. Gluten was clearly a trigger.

A Cascade of Health Challenges

Although removing gluten helped my son, I began to experience symptoms of candida overgrowth, including painful nursing. This marked the beginning of what I call our “dieting days.” We tried everything: gluten-free, vegetarian, raw food, paleo, and even Gerson Therapy. While some diets brought short-term relief, none provided lasting solutions.

When my third child was two, he developed severe eczema. Even a sip of orange juice triggered a breakout. Around the same time, I developed asthma-like symptoms. Nothing seemed to work.

During the final month of my fourth pregnancy, I discovered the work of Matt Stone, particularly his book Eat for Heat. For the first time in a long time, I felt hope. I began eating more carbs and fats—everything except pork, which we had already removed years earlier. We began this shift two weeks before my fourth son was born.

Postpartum Complications

The delivery was long—24 hours in labor with two hours of pushing—but successful. However, postpartum recovery brought new challenges. A week after delivery, I experienced severe gas and needed large doses of magnesium citrate for relief. At two weeks postpartum, I developed mastitis. By the third week, I was hospitalized with multiple pulmonary embolisms and pneumonia.

Doctors diagnosed me with low protein C and protein S, two blood clotting disorders. I later learned these levels can be naturally low up to eight weeks postpartum, suggesting I may have been misdiagnosed. Nevertheless, I was prescribed Coumadin, which led to severe side effects: extreme fatigue, hair loss, and constant itching. I knew I couldn’t continue like that.

Natural Healing

My search for alternatives led me to fish oil and nattokinase, a natural enzyme that helps with blood clotting. I followed my instincts and chose nattokinase. Almost immediately, I felt better. I took biotin for the hair loss, and slowly, my energy began to return. But the journey wasn't over—I had gained 80 pounds, reaching over 200 lbs on a 5'2" frame, and my energy levels never fully recovered.

Discovering Vitamin A Toxicity

About a year before I became pregnant with my fifth child, I came across Grant Genereux’s work on vitamin A toxicity, introduced by Matt Stone. It made sense. I began researching obsessively and eventually decided to pursue the low vitamin A path.

When I found out I was pregnant again, I initially felt great. But I was taking 6–8 grams of vitamin C daily, and after reading that high-dose vitamin C could potentially contribute to rickets, I stopped. That’s when things took a turn: fatigue, breathlessness, and muscle weakness crept in. I also developed sensitivity to EMFs (electromagnetic fields).

At four months pregnant, I suffered another pulmonary embolism, followed by a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Insulin treatment was complicated—too much and my blood sugar dropped, too little and it spiked. To make matters worse, I developed an allergic reaction to the insulin, leaving large welts at the injection sites.

The Final Shift

After my fifth child was born, I felt immediate relief. But six weeks later, I had a gallbladder attack—painful enough that I would have preferred labor again. Instead of opting for surgery, I used a supplement called Cleanse Drops, which helped until I could commit fully to the low vitamin A detox.

This time, my husband joined me. I had already removed most vitamin A foods from my diet, except dairy, so we decided to go all in. That’s when my vitamin A detox journey officially began—the one that would eventually lead me from daily exhaustion to strength and vitality.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my journey: how detoxing vitamin A changed everything.

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