Mobile Menu

  • Home
  • A little about me
  • Be Inspired
  • Need Help? Work with me
  • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Products
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Emotional Autoimmunity

Therapy solutions to the emotional issues of chronic illness

  • Home
  • A little about me
  • Be Inspired
  • Need Help? Work with me
  • Blog
    • Podcast
  • Products
  • search

Episode 22 Krista Rowan: Finding the possibilities after 20 years of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

You are here: Home / Podcast / Episode 22 Krista Rowan: Finding the possibilities after 20 years of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

September 18, 2019 //  by Kerry Jeffery//  Leave a Comment

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Twenty years ago, Krista Rowan went to bed one night feeling perfectly normal and woke up the next day in a full body flare. Everything hurt and she was not able to even get her shoes on.

Luckily when she got to her GP he did recognise the significance of her symptoms and gave her a referral to an emergency waiting list for a Rheumatologist. Two weeks later she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Krista was engaged to be married, starting a new job and buying a home with her future husband and her focus became all about getting functional again and fitting back into her old life so she embarked on medication.

Some of the medication gave her blips of hope but eventually, that medication stopped working and it was onto the next round of meds. A few years later, new symptoms began to appear but she put it down to the RA and kept on going, working hard, trying to prove that she could still do all the things she did before.

Eventually she discovered that she had thyroid issues and Fibromyalgia which meant finding more medication for the new symptoms.

In 2015 Krista found herself in bed, working from home. Her fingers were fused together so she could “type like a boss” but she was falling asleep in conference calls and starting to slur her words and she knew that she had to find a way to stop and evolve into the life she had now.

She gave up her corporate career of 20 years and began to focus on her health and seeing Dr Terry Wahls book mentioned on a random Facebook post caught her attention. When she began to find out more about Terry, Krista knew that she had to see her.

She booked a trip from Canada to Iowa to attend a seminar and that was the moment when Krista began to realise the possibilities and everything shifted.

Krista had to really flip her perspective  about doctors and medication, find someone to work with who aligned with her values and goals and take her power back.

Hearing about how Krista made that change and began taking those baby steps to get her health and vitality back is so inspiring. You can listen to the podcast using the player here on the blog, or find the Emotional Autoimmunity podcast on iTunes, Spotify or most podcast players. If you know someone with RA this is a great one to share with them.

In January 2000, Krista was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis; an autoimmune disease where her immune system attacks her joints, and affects tissues, skin and organs. A few years later, symptoms of Fibromyalgia and thyroid disease also emerged. Having experienced chronic pain, disability, stress, depression, and relentless inflammation for years, she understands first hand what people experience when their health is deteriorated, and quality of life is severely impacted.

As her health spiralled deeper despite modern healthcare interventions, in 2015 she mustered strength through frustration and fear to understand why her overall health seemed to be getting worse.

With nothing to lose, she began employing a broad range of holistic approaches to address root cause drivers of illness and disease.  This shift in thinking and action, resulted in dramatic improvement to her health!

Fuelled by her new lease on life, she is now on a RE-mission to help others with chronic illness reclaim control and quality of life through shifts in mindset, stress management, nutrition, environment, and overall lifestyle improvement. Krista lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and family.

You can find out more about Krista at her website Alive to Living.

Category: PodcastTag: autoimmune disease, autoimmune disease symptoms, chronic illness, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Let’s talk about not letting the illness define you

The Pro’s and Con’s of changing how you eat to manage chronic illness

All about how people pleasing affects chronic illness and what you can do about it

Previous Post: « Episode 21 James Stratford: Rebuilding his life with Psoriatic Arthritis.
Next Post: Episode 23: Emily Souder, Motherhood, chronic illness and how you can talk about it with your children »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Kerry Jeffery, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Counsellor

I’m Kerry Jeffery, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Counsellor and Award Nominated Internationally Certified Life Coach.

I am living well with four autoimmune diseases that affect every single facet of my life. I know all of the essential skills and strategies needed to make the difference between surviving and thriving with chronic illness because I have had to do it myself.

Now, I help people living with chronic illness world wide, make that difference for themselves.

Testimonials

“The extreme anxiety the stress was causing me had become unmanageable and I did not like the person it made me feel I had become.”

Awards

Footer

How are you feeling right now?

If it’s overwhelmed, isolated and alone, with no one who really seems to understand how you feel or what is happening to you -please know that I am here to help.

Read more about how I can support you here

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 Emotional Autoimmunity · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme