About

Hi, I’m Victoria. I’m sarcastic, opinionated, and brutally honest. Maybe it’s the Lyme (oh yeah, I have Lyme disease) but most people seem to like me either way :). Plus, if you don’t like my personality, I make food. Good food. Well, most of the time it’s good (I mean, everyone has to fail in the kitchen occasionally!). But don’t worry, I won’t serve you the bad food (I’ll shamefully eat my disasters in the the depths of the night…. hey, you can’t waste it. I buy organic, that sh*t is expensive!).

SHORT VERSION:

So, my name is Victoria. I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme Disease in the spring of 2012. It has been one of the biggest reliefs of my life. I finally have an answer for all the pain I’ve been in for years.
I love to bake and cook. I also love  to workout. Although I have to be careful at this point so as not to tax my body and lower my immune system too much. I created this blog to 1) chronicle my recovery 2) share my recipes 3) share some of my passion for fitness. My recipes are geared to those with Lyme in terms of nutrition and being anti-inflammatory, etc. My research has shown that eating a paleo/gluten-free/low-carb diet is best for those with Lyme and although I try to stick with this I fail horribly at times. I’m a Certified Personal Trainer and I graduated from college with a degree in Sports Medicine in May of 2014 (WOOHOO I made it through school while having a chronic illness!). This blog is really about nutrition and health, geared toward those with some serious illnesses. I hope to show you how eating right and working out can make it feel like you’ve never been sick at all.

Follow along and feel free to contact me! 🙂

LONG VERSION:

Hi, My name is Victoria. I grew up in Washington DC, spent my summers at the beach in Virginia and backpacking through West Virginia, and spent a few summers in Martha’s Vineyard. These are some of the top places where Lyme Disease lives. When I was in first grade I used to get AWFUL headaches every afternoon. We believed it was allergies and I was put on a lot of allergy medication. I eventually learned to manage the headaches without meds- I used vitamin C and other herbal supplements.

Starting in 8th grade I began to get severe stomach pains. Acid reflex, bloating, distention, general pain! These digestive issues have grown and changed and been present since then. I’ve been to multiple doctors and GI specialists, had colonoscopies, x-rays, ultrasounds, etc. “It’s IBS, just eat more fiber and drink lots of water” was the answer I got every time. Well, I drink plenty of water, let me tell you! And yeah, my diet needed tweaking… fixed that up and made no difference. I’ve tried every diet- cut out gluten, dairy, sugar, this, that, EVERYTHING. It may have helped for a bit but never REALLY fixed the issues.

In high school I began participating in sports. But, I kept getting injured for no apparent reason. And once I got injured, the injury became chronic. Tendonitis I couldn’t get rid of, shin splints that have never gone away no matter how much I rest, hip issues, knee pain… well, you get the idea. I eventually also found out that I have Hoshimoto’s disease- an autoimmune disorder causing hypothyroid.

Fast forward to my third year in college, February 2012. I became exhausted and generally ill. I went to my health center who told me it was mono (my atypical lymph count was high but my actual mono test was negative). They told me to rest. I went in a week later to re-test, atypical lymphs were down and test was still negative. I still felt like crap. I was convinced it was my annual sinus infection, so they put me on Amoxicillin for 10 days. I began to feel a little better but as soon as I was off of the antibiotics, I felt really sick again. Back to the health center. They said mono, rest, and go see my doctor at home. Basically, they had no idea. I made a last minute plane flight home for spring break and saw my functional medicine doctor in DC. Her first thought was Lyme Disease. She said my symptoms matched (I have a page with all my symptoms here) and ordered some blood work. She started me immediately on Doxycycline. My blood work came back negative, but my CD 57 count was low. She suggested I find a specialist, since she was not one in the Lyme Disease area, and was convinced it was still Lyme. After calling a million doctors, all with 6-12 month long waiting lists I found one in DC who could see me in 1.5 months. WOOHOO!

So, doctor I went. Three hours later, much money spent, blood drawn, and a large baggy full of supplements and prescriptions, I left with the diagnosis of chronic Lyme Disease.

I believe this quote from my doctor sums it up best:

“I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, you have chronic Lyme. The good news is, you have chronic Lyme.”

It may suck as a disease, but I finally have an answer for all my troubles! My fingers are crossed this is it and that recovery goes well.

So here is where my life crashes together- sharing my story and recovery of Lyme Disease along with my love of baking and cooking. I’ve combined the two on this blog. The focus will be on recipes and what foods and nutrients are good + important for those with Lyme or any other serious illnesses and autoimmune disorders.

Oh, I suppose I forgot to mention the fitness part of it all. I’m a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, with speciality certifications in TRX, Kettlebells, and Spinning. As mentioned, I was a high school athlete- track, cross country, and swimming. I will definitely be sharing workouts and fitness tips, but my blog will probably be mostly food related. But, fitness is a big part of overall health!

Follow along and enjoy the journey 😉