In writing this post, it is hard to comprehend just how much has changed and how far I have come on my Hashimoto’s health journey. I have met others with Hashimoto’s and a lot of them ask me, “How long did it take you to start to feel better?” I never have an easy answer for that because at the time of this writing, it has been almost 10 years of trial and error to get to the point of my Hashimoto’s being in remission without ever being on prescription medications. Keep in mind — “remission” is not the same as “cure;” I definitely do not have a cure for Hashimoto’s but I do have a fairly unique experience in getting to the vibrant state that I am currently in.

Hi there I am Zola, the lupus warrior behind the instagram page @beyondlupus. I started the page motivated by many many stories of women and men who share their stories with lupus and how it affects them. 

Hi, I am Ijmal. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in November of 2015. Back then I didn’t know what that meant for me, I didn’t even know what ulcerative colitis was. In my head it was simple, I have a sickness and I was given meds and those will fix me. In my head, I believed it to be as simple as having a cold. It didn’t take long before I learned chronic illness is much different than common illness. 

Ah, the good ole’ gluten f-word. When first embarking on my health journey, sans gluten, a wave of resentment came over me. I had absolutely no positive feelings towards this new dietary adjustment.