Kimberly’s Autoimmune Story

MEET KIMBERLY

I am Kimberly, 29 years old, I am Swiss living in Tallinn (Estonia) with my fiancé and my Greek rescue cat.
I am a nutritionist and health coach.

 DIAGNOSIS

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in November 2017 after years of struggling with different symptoms.

I went to see my Doctor because of hair loss. Whenever I washed my hair, it clogged the bathtub drain.
Due to my vegan diet, my Doctor’s first thought was, I might have an iron deficieny but it turned out, iron levels were just fine.
I guess I was lucky that soon after, my Doc knew it has to be a thyroid issue. I had to stand on the scale and it was a wake-up call; I was overweight back then. I wasn’t really aware of that but over the years, I was slowly gaining weight.
I made quite a few lifestyle changes since then. I started to avoid gluten and work out around 4-5 times a week. I managed to lose 44 pounds and feel happier and healthier than ever. I see my Doctor regularly, every 3 months to make sure, I am on the right dose of Levothyroxine.

Therefore I tell people that diagnosed with my disease was the best thing that could have happened to me.

It also inspired me to become a nutritionist, specialized on autoimmune diseases. I am now helping other women achieving their goals. I see it as my calling, helping others is my passion, therefore, as weird as it may sound, I am almost thankful for having Hashimoto’s.

 LIFE CHANGE

Looking back, I realize how tired I was all the time before I got diagnosed. I remember I couldn’t even stand in front of the mirror to do my make-up in the morning. I had to sit otherwise I would have probably collapsed.

I felt exhausted, bloated and was sad most of the time. Also the weight gain, immense hair loss and mood swings.

 HEALING

Working out helped me a lot. But also listening to my body and knowing my limits. I am a passionate runner but I definitely have days, where I need to remind myself to take it slow.

Also I use the Sauna regularly and learned to actively relax and I make sure to get enough sleep.

When I became a nutritionist, I also started to understand the importance of antioxidants in my diet, therefore I often drink homemade smoothies.

 STRUGGLE

Finding the balance – I guess like so many women we want to do it all and be “perfect”, even though I know no one is. I tend to be hard on myself. It is an ongoing process, a journey to selflove 🙂

INSPIRATION

On my health journey, I thought a lot about other women struggling with the same issues and how hard we tend to be on ourselves.

Before I knew I was chronically ill, in my head I talked bad about myself and said to myself I am lazy and not worth a lot. Looking back, this brings tears to my eyes. I often wonder how many other women out there aren’t kind with themselves, therefore I want to encourage them and also spread awareness.
I waited too long to see a Doctor, because, like I mentioned before, I just thought I am lazy and how I feel therefore is my own fault.

Find Ash | @kimbenker