Living The Dream

I never dreamed I would start my own business at the ripe old age of 44 but here I am, living the dream!
Let me introduce myself: My name is Monnie and I am the owner of 3 businesses that have changed my life completely. And by completely I mean: the quality of my daily life, my mental well being and even my finances.
So let me back up a little~
When I was 31 I was diagnosed with a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease called Ulcerative Colitis. I spent 7 years on various medications before my colon said enough and quit walking out the door giving me the finger. My next option was an ileostomy: Ileostomy is a stoma (surgical opening) constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine (the ileum) out onto the surface of the skin, or the surgical procedure which creates this opening. Intestinal waste passes out of the ileostomy and is collected in an artificial external pouching system which is adhered to the skin. Ileostomies are usually sited above the groin on the right hand side of the abdomen.

This little bag I wear on the left side of my abdomen was a bit (understatement) overwhelming at first. I eventually figured out the tips and tricks that helped and found that what I thought would be awful was actually my ticket back to living life again! I was finally able to do things that didn't revolve around the nearest toilet. 

Fast forward 3 years and I began experiencing severe nausea, diarrhea, dehydration and massive abdominal pain. It took 4  hospital stays (over 75 days total) and a ruptured bowel to figure out my diagnosis had changed to Crohn's Disease (another form of IBD). The difference between Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's is UC is in the large intestine and colon while Crohn's affects the entire digestive system from mouth to rectum. It's like UC's bigger, meaner, uglier brother.

Well long story short, I needed to figure out how to live with this. It took me a couple of years and I'm still working on it day by day but at least I have a plan and my health is pretty stable now. 

After the Crohn's diagnosis I sank into a very deep and very dark place with a very consuming depression. I wasn't sure I could come out of it alive. Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to...

I still have my moments where I struggle however, I have a renewed hope. After 2 solid years of various narcotics (hydrocodone & fentanyl ) for pain, benzodiazepines (ativan) for anxiety and 9 months on prednisone to help bring the Crohn's symptoms under control I was a complete mess mentally and physically. My body was dependent on the narcotics and I was experiencing even more physical pain. A decision was made to stop all of the narcotics and benzos. 

Fear is not a strong enough word for what I felt about this.

I was living in a 24 hour pain cycle of a 7 on the scale of 1-10 WITH the "aid" of pain killers. My anxiety level equaled the height of the Empire State Building and now my doctor said I needed to stop them. I welcomed death at this point because I could not imagine how bad my pain was about to get with out the medicines that were designed to help me.

It was explained to me that I was suffering from Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia: this is a heightened sensitivity, or hyper-sensitivity, to pain induced by opioid medications. It occurs due to changes in the nervous system. These changes can occur in the peripheral nervous system, the central nervous system, and/or the autonomic nervous system. Bonus.

It was strongly suggested I either stop the opiates to see if things improved or go into palliative care which is basically hospice. The issue with palliative care is the patient is not given life sustaining medications, only those to help keep the person comfortable until the end. I was and still am taking Humira to keep Crohn's under control and with palliative care, that would not be an option. So I decided I would go off the narcotics and if my the quality of my life was still at a 2 on a scale of 1-10 I'd be standing at the door of the palliative care place ready to sign up. 

Well slap me silly with a rubber chicken because what do you know, my pain dropped to a 3 as soon as all the opioids were out of my system! This is what brought me back to life both physically and mentally. I now had the desire to live again. Let me rephrase, not just live but THRIVE! I now needed to figure out how to handle my disease symptoms like abdominal cramps, joint pain, body aches etc... with out narcotics. I needed to know what do when anxiety creeped in and brought it's friend depression. 

I turned to holistic medicine and practices. I meditate, do stretching and yoga exercises, color, walk and even run a little but most importantly, I changed my diet, weeded out processed foods, stopped drinking sodas all the time, avoid fast food as much as possible and added a slew of supplements, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, plant based protein and a fruit/veggie powder that rocks. I incorporated essential oils into many of my daily routines. I'm not hard core, I cheat with some foods and have a Coke every now and then but I stay true to the vitamin and mineral supplements as well as the essential oils. Yes they make that much difference! I am not pain free, I do have bad days but I am able to get through them and still be productive now. This is why I have chosen to these 3 internet businesses. 

All of that is to explain why I decided to start my own business. I found products I really believe in and have proved beneficial to me as well as others. I want to share this with people who find themselves searching for quality of life while dealing with issues such as autoimmune diseases like IBD. I want to offer a beneficial products that help, not just the sick but also the healthy person who is looking to stay healthy. I opened 3 online stores that offer many options for holistic self-care. 

AllGutLove.com is specifically designed for those diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. However, you will find a variety of products including Essential Oils, vitamins, and other supplements beneficial to anyone whether diagnosed with an autoimmune disease or not.

It Works is another company I am proud to be a part of. They offer so many products that I use on a daily basis. I take the vitamins, minerals, fruit/veggie powder routinely and I can tell if I skip these. You can check out those and other products here: monnieburdett.myitworks.com

Young Living supplies my favorite essential oils. A few of these can be found on AllGutLove.com but my individual page includes all of their products. These are the best and purest oils on the market in my opinion. They use only the unadulterated ingredients and do not add chemicals to enhance the smell. 

Not only am I a believer in these products but I am free to work in my pajamas on a bad day, even lay down and nap if I need to. On my good days, I can work around things I want to do: I can handle business from my car, the gym, the doctor's waiting room. And my favorite--I can travel anywhere at anytime and still bring home the bacon! I can manage it all on my phone or tablet. Gotta love technology!

The toxins we are exposed to, the food we eat, the lifestyle we lead affects our bodies in so many ways. We don't always get the nutrition we need for the body AND the brain to operate at it's best. Therefor, it is so very important that we be proactive in our health. Don't wait until something starts to go awry, make the change for a healthier happier you!