My Health Story

I'm a firm believer that you don't get sick over night, but it sure felt that way for me. I woke up one morning in June of 2018 and knew something was terribly wrong. I proceeded to go 17 days without having a bowel movement and to say I was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

I was convinced I had a small bowel obstruction and brought myself to the E.R. They were ZERO help. They did their scans and shrugged their shoulders. They told me I was constipated (like I didn't already know that) and wrote me a prescription for an enema (like I hadn't already tried that) Another sting- I worked at that hospital and I wasn't impressed with the care I received. 

They connected me to a gastroenterologist with a 4 month waitlist. So I was incredibly uncomfortable for 4 months while I waited. When I finally got to my appointment, the GI doc was ZERO help. He told me my labs were normal and I wasn't sick. He grinned and wrote me a prescription for a laxative and sent me on my way. Meanwhile, my overall health sinking FAST and more unwanted symptoms were rearing their ugly face. I knew rock bottom wasn't far away and I needed to change my approach. 

I'll cut to the chase. What was my root cause? Black mold. I was living in a brand new apartment in Nashville that was poorly built and had water damage. Four gastroenterologists later, can you think of how many of them thought to test me for mold? ZERO. By this point I had been suffering for 2.5 years and spent tens of thousands of dollars on disappointing doctors and unnecessary medical procedures. 

This is how I got into functional medicine. I realized I needed outside of the box thinking and better lab testing. That is the genesis of Stephanie Center Wellness.