How I Healed From Chronic Lyme Disease + Toxic Mold

First and foremost, welcome! This is my first blog post (and simultaneous newsletter) so I want to thank you for being here. As I sat down to begin writing, making lists of all the topics I could go on about, it only seemed fitting that I delve into my healing journey from chronic illness, as not only is it the foundation of Be Well but it is also the reason why I began sharing in the first place - to share my chronic illness journey, to connect with others, and to (hopefully) be a reason why even just one person feels seen and heard. So if you are struggling with chronic illness, this is for you. And if you aren’t, thank you for being here anyway and following my story.

Let’s get into it.

Chronic illness has undoubtedly been the hardest, most challenging, devastating experience of my life (to put it lightly). I never imagined I would spend my late teens and early twenties in and out of hospitals, doctor offices, and urgent care facilities, inside MRI machines, and on the floor of my bathroom crying and praying for some kind of miracle – not to mention, completely ditching booze, skipping late nights out with friends, and otherwise doing a complete 180 from my previous lifestyle.

With that being said, chronic illness has also been the greatest blessing of my life. Sounds weird, I know, but here’s the thing about chronic illness – it’s a teacher, a guide, and a mirror. Suffering from chronic illness led me back to myself on a soul level and forced me to do the deepest kind of self-work you can do. To do the inner work and shadow work that nobody wants to do. To not only heal my body, but to also heal my mind, work through the emotions, and get so f*cking uncomfortable with myself that I had no option but to heal on the deepest level possible.

I once heard somebody say that “those who suffer from chronic illness have a greater purpose in life.” They are here for a reason, they are healers, and they have a gift that needs to be shared with the world. I agree with this 100%. This perspective also completely changed my view on chronic illness and the devastation I’ve endured on my own journey, allowing me to have gratitude for my experience and completely shift my personal narrative – something my old victim-self could never do.

For context, I was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease and Mold illness in early 2021. My diagnoses made me strip down everything – I had to look at every area of my life and ask myself “what is no longer working for me and what do I need to change in order to heal myself?” This was extremely difficult for me, as I was 21 at the time and part of me wasn’t ready to give up my “normal life” (i.e., drinking, partying, going out, eating McDonalds at 5am, and so on). However, this also forced me to get real with myself and redefine “normal,” as I soon realized that that lifestyle was not actually “normal” whatsoever (another blessing).

Another thing you learn when you are dealing with chronic illness, especially when no doctor can figure out what the f*ck is wrong with you, is that you have no choice but to become your own healer. You have to become your own health advocate whether you want to or not. And so my quest to heal myself began – I bought every book I could find on holistic nutrition, plant-based eating, spirituality, healing from chronic illness (and the list goes on). I began reading anything I could get my hands on, listening to every podcast I could find, and following anyone else going through something similar. I became my own guinea pig and ultimately paved the way for myself to deeply heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Below are the life-changing (yet shockingly simple) tools that helped me pivot from hospital beds, MRI machines, X-ray scanners, EKG’s, and most predominantly my bed – which I couldn't move from for months – to a vibrant life full of joy, healing, and so much gratitude.

Holistic nutrition + adopting a plant-based diet:

The first thing I did was completely change my nutrition. By ditching alcohol (which I rarely drank anymore given I would have a horrible inflammatory flare-up and most likely end up at the hospital the next day) along with gluten, dairy, sugar, refined seed oils, and meat, I began to reset my body on a cellular level. When you are dealing with deep seated inflammation, stripping down your diet to the basics (fruits, vegetables, and other one-ingredient foods) can catapult your body into deep internal regeneration. Following a plant-based diet focused on whole foods from the earth and prioritizing cellular hydration and alkalinity has been a catalyst for change and healing for me and will remain a non-negotiable in my healing journey because, as they say, food is medicine.

Detoxification:

Detoxification is one of the most (if not the most) critical aspects of healing chronic illness. Getting to the root of all things and peeling away the toxic layers one by one. For those struggling with Lyme, mold, and various autoimmune conditions, unfortunately, a plethora of other issues come along with them, including, but not limited to, viruses, parasites, and heavy metals. In order to begin healing on a cellular level, opening up drainage pathways and beginning to gently detoxify your body is a crucial element to ridding your body of the toxins. Tools that have been helpful to me include daily infrared sauna, dry brushing pre-sauna, lymphatic drainage massages, colonics, detoxifying supplements like NAC and glutathione, and IV (intravenous) therapy (more on this soon).

Meditation (& just slowing the f*ck down): 

While I know it may seem woo woo to many people, meditation has had the most profound effects on my life and created the most monumental shifts within me both physically and mentally. When we create shifts in our minds, we create shifts in our bodies. That said, once you quiet the mind, you will simultaneously begin to calm and further regenerate the body. Once I began meditating daily, consciously focusing on my breath and cultivating stillness around me, physical healing came naturally – my nervous system reset, cortisol lowered, stress response came to homeostasis (and this list goes on as well). For those who don’t believe in the power of meditation – try it for a week and come back to me. I promise, you will begin to feel the shifts immediately.

While these tools may sound simple (because they are) they’ve brought me so much healing. Crowding out the toxic parts of my life- in my internal and external environments and within my lifestyle- and tuning back into myself, listening to my intuition, and leaning into simplicity has allowed my body to reset and begin to regenerate on such a deep level. 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my healing journey, it’s that healing isn’t linear (especially when it comes to Chronic Lyme Disease). You don’t know how you’re going to feel on any given day and that’s simply the nature of the beast and something you have to accept. However, we all have the innate ability to heal, as it’s our birthright and our natural form. Healing is more than just going from “sick” to “well”. Healing is doing the 180 lifestyle shift, going deep within, connecting your mind and body, connecting with others, having gratitude, changing your own narrative. We can all heal, we just have to put our bodies in the right environment to do so.

I’m so excited to have (finally) created this space to share on a deeper level. To share my stories and to connect with each and every one of you. I could go on and on about healing chronic illness – and I will go deeper eventually. But for now, I’ll leave this here. I hope you take away something from this, whether it’s to begin eating more whole foods or inspirational insights for your own healing journey. 

More to come soon!

Xx,

Bella