Brianna’s Autoimmune Story

MEET BRIANNA

I am 23 years old and I was born and raised in Long Island, NY. I am the youngest of 4 and have 3 older brothers. The youngest of the 3 passed away when I was 10 (and he was 16) in a tragic accident. I was a union construction worker for a year before I got really sick and had to take a medical leave of absence. During my medical leave, I realized I wanted to help people like myself who are struggling to find better days. I took a coaching course and I am now the founder of Coaching by Brie where I help people recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease enjoy life and learn to embrace the gluten-free lifestyle.

 DIAGNOSIS

I was experiencing extreme fatigue and digestive issues in 2019 so I reached out to my doctor to see what was going on. That is when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and Hashimoto’s Disease (this was in July). I made the necessary changes to cut out gluten, but after a few months I still wasn’t feeling better, in fact I was feeling worse. I was still extremely fatigued and experiencing digestive issues, but now I also was losing hair, depressed, anxious, and so weak it was hard for me to walk.

I came across a new functional medicine doctor near me on LI and set up an appointment with him in October. That’s when I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia and Heavy Metal Toxicity. My doctor suggested I try going paleo to help reduce inflammation and I have never looked back! Going paleo changed my life. It is the reason I created my Instagram to show my food and without my account, I would’ve never had to opportunity to find out my true passion in life.

 LIFE CHANGE

At first, my autoimmune diseases affected me a lot. I was always asking “why me?” and just upset that I had to deal with this. As time went on and I found out my purpose, I realized that my mindset wasn’t helping me at all! The way I see it now, I was given this hand because I can handle it and I can show others how to make the most of it as well. It may sound crazy, but I am actually grateful for my diseases because without them I would still be following someone else’s dream, not my own!

 HEALING

Going paleo has been the biggest/best change I made to help alleviate symptoms. Also, just living more holistically overall has helped me heal tremendously.

 STRUGGLE

I still struggle with digestive issues here and there, but I am always experimenting with new things to help alleviate those issues. I also sometimes struggle with some food-related issues. After finding out I had Celiac I felt like I was robbed of the view I had of food before and I took so many foods for granted and that frustrates me sometimes, but it is something I work on everyday.

INSPIRATION

You can’t live a positive life with a negative mindset.

Because mindset is EVERYTHING. I didn’t realize that until this year, but better late than never!

Find Brianna | @paleobybrie