Emotional Autoimmunity Podcast

When you become chronically ill, along with all the disbelief, medical gaslighting and accusations of "it's all in your head", you can also meet a lot of armchair psychologists.And they just love to tell you all about the deep seated issues, long hidden trauma and other weird and wonderful subconscious things that not only created your chronic illness, but will be cured it you just 'do the inner work.'Because it must be 'psychosomatic'. Given all that, it's no surprise that when you live with chronic illness , you don't consider prioritising your emotional issues or mental health because you are too busy trying to get people to believe that your illness is actually real and not 'all in your head.'In this episode, I take you through exactly why the emotions of chronic illness are not believed or supported and how your emotions really affect your body.It's going to give you some insight and strategies that will help. Have a listen. Kerry Jeffery is a Coach, Counsellor and Clinical Hypnotherapist helping clients all around the world to overcome the emotional issues of living with chronic illness. She lives in Melbourne, Australia along with Hashimoto's, Celiac, Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes. Find out more about Kerry and her Therapy programs here.Book your FREE online Discovery Session with Kerry here.Follow Kerry for daily posts on Facebook here.

If you have ever experienced body hypervigilance before, then you will know how debilitating it can be. Hypervigilance is a symptom of trauma and PTSD where you are left scanning your environment constantly for any potential external threat. When you have body hypervigilance, the threat is internal and it can feel like your constant awareness and vigilance of what your body is doing right now,  is the only thing that is  keeping you alive. In this episode, I share all about hypervigilance, and body hypervigilance, my own experiences of body hypervigilance and my top skills and tools you can use  to stop it happening.  

Dating no matter what your age or situation is absolutely guaranteed to bring out all of your insecurities and living with chronic illness adds a whole new level of difficulties. How do you deal with feeling "less than" you were before?How much do you share about your illness?How do you work around dietary issues?How and when do you disclose your illness?How can you build your self confidence to get out into the dating world?All of these questions and more will be answered in this podcast about dating with chronic illness. Listen now!

If you live with chronic illness, then you have probably experienced some form of Medical Gaslighting. In fact, having an experience of Medical Gaslighting seems to be the rule rather than the exception.Gaslighting in any setting is a form of emotional abuse, however Medical Gaslighting is not only emotionally damaging, it can result in disability, unnecessary pain and suffering and even death. At the very least, it can delay a much needed diagnosis for years or even, for decades so knowing how to identify and deal with Medical Gaslighting is the most important set of emotional skills that you need to have.Want to know all about Medical Gaslighting and how to deal with it? Then you need to listen to this podcast!

So there I was, home from my second hospitalisation with Diabetic Ketoacidosis, physically frail, very underweight and emotionally traumatised. I had my diagnosis of LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) and was left to sort out my new life as an insulin dependant person. Chronic illness isn't just the physical issues though. The emotional issues can be the biggest challenge of all, especially when your life has changed so dramatically and being a Type 1 Diabetic is my biggest challenge yet.In this episode, I share how I overcame all the fear and doubt and walk you through my process and experience at what recovery and acceptance of illness is like for me.

After several months of worsening health, extreme weight loss and becoming physically unable to care for myself, I was admitted to hospital and spent 5 days in intensive care where I came close to dying.I emerged a week later with a new diagnosis of type 1.5 LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) that I had difficulty accepting, feeling traumatised by my experience and physically and emotionally exhausted.In this episode I share about the process of becoming so ill, the trauma of experiencing medical gaslighting and my experience of needing to fight and advocate for myself while being in hospital. I also share my two experiences of DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) and how I managed my very different hospitalisation experiences.

We all know that acceptance is key to living your best life with chronic illness. But how can you accept something that has so dramatically changed your life and taken so much from you?In this episode, I share with you a very special mind shift technique that I normally only share with my clients and take you through a visualisation exercise so that you can begin to change how you see your chronic illness.It's powerful, positive and life changing. Ready to change how you feel about your chronic illness?Listen now!

On one level, we know that chronic illness is life changing and that it has a huge impact on us physically, emotionally and mentally. But when it comes down to actually acknowledging that fact in the choices we make or don't make, we can so often expect ourselves to go on exactly as we did before. Recently I have experienced a severe Celiac flare that raised some important realisations about acknowledging the fears that flares trigger for me and where my priorities truly need to be. Why is it so hard to stop and put yourself first? How do you deal with a serious flare when you come to that crossroad of pushing through or stopping? Find out in this episode where I share exactly what my process is and give you some important mindset shifts to think about.

There is a lot of research including the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) studies, that show a strong correlation between experiencing trauma in childhood and going on to develop chronic autoimmune disease in later life. But what other types of research is there between trauma and chronic illness and what impact does having unresolved trauma have on your chronic illness and day to day health?In this podcast, I go through some of the research and break down why trauma is such a big issue for those of us with chronic illness and what impact it has on your emotional and physical health.

Avoiding the news and fear of the Corona Virus at the moment is pretty much impossible as the whole world goes into lockdown, panic buying is everywhere and there is so much uncertainty and speculation. But there are opportunities here for those of us with chronic illness to help our friends and family who are getting just a small taste of what we have been living with and the health fears we deal with daily. You could say that we have been training for this experience for years. In this podcast I give you some practical tips on how you can avoid falling victim to the fear and panic, help those close to you and have conversations that build an empathy bridge so that when the virus has finally passed, some understanding of the fears of chronic illness will be present in our families and communities.

When you become chronically ill, your first instinct is to fight for your life against this disease that feels like it has taken so much from you. The illness becomes the enemy, something that you need to battle against and beat.But when you have chronic illness, is this actually the best thing you can do for your health and happiness? And if fighting doesn't work, then what does and how can you help yourself feel better, emotionally and physically?In episode 3, I unpack what it actually means to make the illness your enemy and explain why going to war against your chronic illness can actually make it worse. Do you need to stop fighting your chronic illness? Find out here.

When you become chronically ill, you really want those closest to you to understand what you have lost, why the illness feels so devastating and how you feel about what chronic illness has done to your life. But needing people to understand how you feel can be a big emotional hook that you can get stuck on.When the people around you don't understand or don't seem to want to listen to how you feel or even worse, accuse you of constantly complaining, you can feel hurt, betrayed, rejected and abandoned. This is why you need to know why it's not important that they understand how you feel.In this episode, I break down why it's so difficult for others to understand your chronic illness and what you can focus on instead that will help you, your partner and your family adapt to your life with chronic illness in the best possible way for you.

Of all the emotional issues that come with chronic illness, guilt is the most damaging and the most common. In this episode Kerry breaks down the most common reasons that people with chronic illness feel guilt and why it is so damaging to you and the people you love. Stuck in toxic guilt? Then you need to listen to this episode!

Lisa Douthit developed her first cancer at age 25, having had no prior health issues before. She noticed that she was having trouble breathing when exercising and a few other worrying symptoms. A chest x-ray showed a baseball sized tumour on her heart that required open heart surgery to remove.All in all, Lisa has experienced four different cancers and has three autoimmune diseases that she now lives with and needs to actively manage which are: Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus and Hashimoto's.Dealing with the cancer had been difficult enough but it wasn't until she developed autoimmune disease commencing with Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus and later, Hashimoto's that it finally began to break her down, literally.After helping to heal her trauma, Lisa now manages her illness using twice yearly immunosuppressant chemotherapy drug which completely wipes her out but helps to control all of her AI conditions.This is such a wonderful story of transforming pain and suffering into strength and purpose and creating meaning through the experience. Have a listen.

Four years ago, Jessa Lewis was pregnant with her daughter when she received a diagnosis of Hashimoto's Autoimmune Hypothyroidism Disorder. Her body was attacking her thyroid and threatening the pregnancy, as it likely had with two prior miscarriages. Hashimoto's Autoimmune has 400+ potential symptoms with some of the most common being fatigue, sensitivity to cold, dry skin, brittle nails and hair, weight gain, muscle aches, joint pain, excessive menstrual bleeding, depression, infertility and high rates of miscarriage and stillbirths.Now, she balances her thyroid hormone levels with synthetic hormone replacement medication and, is on a mission to stay the fluctuations of her disorder through changes in food, lifestyle and fitness. She juggles her disorder alongside two earth side toddlers and a thriving online business.

V Capaldi otherwise known as "The Paleo Boss Lady" is a force to be reckoned with. V was raised in a very dysfunctional family where chaos was the norm in life. At 23 years old and 6 weeks after marrying her childhood sweetheart, V was given a death sentence diagnosis that she had an inoperable brain tumour and lived for almost 6 months believing her life was over. Then the death sentence turned to a life sentence when her diagnosis was changed to MS. As a result, her whole life blew up. The twitching and spasms in her face caused by the MS made her own Father unable to look at her. After investing all of her money and assets into conventional treatments and testing, V now manages her life and health naturally, is passionate about creating community and gives generously of her time to help as many people as she can. Warning: This podcast contains strong language.

Prior to her illness, Crystal who is single, was teaching music full time, was an avid cross fitter and weight lifter, sang with the Houston Symphony Chorus, enjoyed pottery and was a volunteer at her Church.In 2013 all that changed when a car accident became the catalyst for an eventual diagnosis of Post Concussion Syndrome and Dysautonomia. Bit by bit, she lost those aspects of herself until her life felt it had been whittled down to a very small one. Going from Doctor to Doctor and paying for many medical expenses and tests out of pocket quickly ate through her life savings until she made the choice to sell her home to help support her health.But Crystal has found a new calling and passion in helping others with patient advocacy, enjoys teaching her music students and living a smaller, but still fulfilling life. Listen to her story here.

Stacey can trace her symptoms all the way back to her childhood but it wasn't until years later that she knew she needed to figure out her health. Experimenting with food, figuring out what works for her and what doesn't has changed her life and she feels so much better. Have a listen to Stacey's story and see what you can learn from her experience of life with Reynauds and Celiac disease.

Melissa Bergstrom remembers being anxious since childhood.Her anxiety manifested with physical symptoms and it was rare for Melissa to have a full week of school. She had always had dry skin but over time, it began to turn into something worse.Melissa was formally diagnosed with psoriasis in 2014 and getting the diagnosis of an actual autoimmune disease that was for life, felt like a punch to the stomach for Melissa and created even more anxiety and a new search for solutions. How does it feel to live with anxiety and autoimmune disease? Listen to Melissa's story now.

Sigal has been living with type 1 diabetes for over 17 years. She first developed gestational diabetes when pregnant with her son. After moving to Canada from Israel when he was two months old, Sigal was busy being a new Mom, in a new country where she didn't know the language and undergoing fertility treatments to try and conceive again. One night she was taken to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain, thinking it was from the fertility treatment and was shocked to be told that she was now a type 1 diabetic. She had no idea what it meant, no idea how to deal with it and it felt like a bomb had been dropped on her life. Sigal shares her stories from feeling like a victim, experiencing multiple diabetic coma's and why and how she decided to start taking control and taking back her power to manage her blood sugars in a new way and get the best health possible for her.

Emily was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 6 years ago, but it is only in the last 9 months that she has been really feeling the impact of chronic illness. As a Mom of two young children ages 4 and 2, trying to explain her fatigue and the pain in her hands from arthritis has been a challenge. Emily shares her story about chronic illness, seeking help and how she explains her day to day difficulties of chronic illness in a way that helps her children understand and still feel safe.

One night twenty years ago, Krista Rowan went to bed feeling normal and woke up the next day in acute pain from a full body flare that turned out to be Rheumatoid Arthritis. She spent most of those years looking for the next medication once the old one failed and trying to find a way to fit herself back into her old life. It took a big wake up call including adding more to her diagnosis list to help her start making baby steps to find the possibilities available to her now.

James's first experience with autoimmune disease was when he was diagnosed with psoriasis on his scalp and behind his ears at age 14. He remembers his Dad getting mad with him and thinking he wasn't washing his scalp properly and sending him back to shower with some medicated shampoo.He also remembers the fatigue. James had trouble getting out of bed and getting to school and always felt exhausted. He tried different ointments and creams to help the psoriasis but it always came back.Eventually James was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis at just 20 years old feeling like his life was over and that he would never get better. Find out how Jame's got his life back in this episode.

When you are a young, type A Alpha female with big goals and dreams, what do you do when you get hit with Multiple Sclerosis? Robyn's initial response was to do everything she could to prove that she was "stronger than MS" by committing herself to running 20 races which only left her feeling worse. Find out how Robyn made the shift from MS warrior to MS thriver and feeling great about what she is still able to achieve.

In this podcast, we chat about Kirstie's experiences of Hashimoto's, Endometriosis, IVF, pregnancy and Motherhood. Kirstie shares openly and honestly how she prepared emotionally, how she does what it takes for her to feel like a present and resilient Mother and why she didn't discuss her pregnancy publicly until she passed the 7th month mark.

Christina was diagnosed with Adult Onset Still’s Disease at age 18 which presented with high spiking fevers, extreme fatigue, rashes and inflammation. When she was discharged from the hospital after her initial diagnosis, she realised there must be more she could do to support her health than just pharmaceuticals that were suppressing her symptoms. She began the journey to understand not just what diagnosis she had, but why this was happening in her body and it’s led her down a beautiful path of healing and deep connection to her body.

Jameisha Prescod was still in school when she began feeling tired and wanting to sleep all the time. She knew something wasn't right but her Doctors seemed to have an explanation for it all: Anemia, vitamin D deficiency, perhaps depression. Even with Lupus markers in her blood, it still took a few more tries with different doctors to get a confirmed diagnosis. So how do you live with Lupus and the uncertainty of chronic illness at 23? Listen to Jameisha's story here.

After suffering health issues for over a decade, Shanna Nemrow was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and told by her Endocrinologist that there was no cure, there was nothing she could do and had no suggestions for anything to relieve her symptoms. Shanna walked out of that appointment as a warrior, ready to do everything that she could to fight for her health and life. One of the hardest things she faced was dealing with the impact it had on her marriage to her childhood sweetheart and her children watching her decline to rock bottom. One of the best things for Shanna was that her children got to see not only her decline, but her rise. Have a listen and be inspired.

The first signs of chronic illness for Samantha were GERD and an increasing inability to deal with the stress and demands of her job as a Chef. In the quest to find work that she could manage, she found her dream job as a persona Chef, but chronic illness took away her ability to enjoy it or continue with it and finding the root cause of her increasing symptoms was still a way down the track. Find out how Samantha put herself on track to discovering her multiple chronic illnesses through research and self-advocacy in this episode.

Lori Pierce was diagnosed with Hashimoto's at age 19 and scleroderma and Raynaud's at the age of 25. She has fought hard to stay alive and live a productive life in spite of her multiple chronic illnesses. Through it all Lori feels that though it has never been easy, it has been so worth it and through the experience, she has found her purpose and passion for life.

Jaime Hartman was just 19 years old when she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. After going in for a necessary bowel resection, which later turned septic, Jaime left hospital as a frail invalid with an ostomy bag and went through 7 surgeries. How she recovered and changed her life is both amazing and inspiring.

After developing an illness on a cruise, Beth Chen's health was never truly the same. She developed multiple, severe food intolerances, that caused enough pain to send her to the E.R. However it was only after discovering that she was pregnant that the gloves really came off and the illness worsened. Find out how Beth dealt with chronic illness, pregnancy, Motherhood and recovery is this episode.

Andrea Nakayama shares her experiences of her young husband Isamu's diagnosis of a terminal brain tumour, shortly after finding out that she was pregnant. She shares how she and Isamu lived until his death, her eventual diagnosis with Hashimoto's, how these profound experiences completely changed her life and career and how she now lives with Acceptance, Recognition and Care.

At 55 years old, thinking she had decades before her, Sue Holly was given the diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis. She was told by her medical team that she was terminal and to put her affairs in order. Sue's journey back into life and improving her health is both amazing and inspiring. Have a listen.

Dr Terry Wahls shares how she began to slow the decline of her progressive Multiple Sclerosis, to become remarkably better. Terry firmly believes that our choices define who we are and shares what drove her to making those choices for wellness and health.

Bill Gasiamis experienced 3 strokes from a bleed in his brain. After surgery to repair the blood vessels, Bill then discovered that he had a thyroid condition that would leave him hypothyroid. How Bill made his recovery will inspire you.

Eileen Laird shares the changes that Rheumatoid Arthritis made to her life including how her blog, Phoenix Helix was created, how she made the emotional transition to medication and how she deals with flares. So much wisdom in this one. Listen in.

Indira Shyju remembers waking up, screaming from the pain in her shoulders, that was eventually diagnosed as Rheumatoid Arthritis. She shares her struggle to gain a diagnosis and find out how to help herself begin to heal.

Joanna Frankham shares what it was like to live with Hidradenitis Supperativa or HS, undiagnosed for 20 years, being told that she was "unclean" and feeling ashamed.

Kerry speaks with Wendi-Washington Hunt about her experiences with Hashimoto's and the many changes it bought to her life, personally and professionally.

After years of digestive issues, Jesse was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at age 19 while she was still a sophomore in college. As she was living a very active social life, getting this diagnosis hit her like a ton of bricks. Jesse shares her journey from denial to acceptance and taking control of her health and life.

Kerry chats with Alissa Frazier about her experience of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and how it changed her life and career.

Kerry Jeffery shares her experience of going from "normal and healthy" to disabled and chronically ill with Hashimoto's and celiac disease. One of the biggest challenges is coming to terms emotionally with all the changes and grief that chronic illness brings. Kerry talks about how it felt for her and takes you through her 9 phase model "Moving through the grief of chronic illness" in her very first podcast.