Part 3: I'm Almost Ready. And For the First Time in Years — So Is My Body.

The elimination diet results, the green light from my doctor, and why I'm waiting on one more blessing before I begin.

I have a confession.

I have never liked the beach.

Not because I don't love the water.

Not because I don't love watching my boys run into the waves.

But because for years — more years than I want to count — the beach meant two things that made me dread it instead of enjoy it.

My body in a bathing suit. And what the sand and sun did to my skin.

The itching that was already a constant companion in my daily life got worse in the heat.

Worse in the sun.

Worse with sand on my skin.

And worse when I was self-conscious about how I looked standing there in it.

So I showed up. I always showed up for my boys. But I was never fully present.

Because part of me was managing — the discomfort, the self-consciousness, the invisible itch that nobody could see but I could never escape.

This summer we have a family beach week.

And for the first time in a long time — I actually want to go.

That's what this journey is for.

Not a number on a scale.

Not a before and after photo.

A week at the beach with my four boys where I am fully, completely, joyfully present.

That's what I'm working toward.

Two Weeks In — And My Body Started Talking Back

If you've been following this journey you know that two weeks ago my functional medicine doctor put me on an elimination diet.

Remove the foods my sensitivity panel flagged. Give my body a break from the triggers.

See what clears.

I removed wheat, corn, chocolate, tomatoes, cheese, and peanut butter.

And I also temporarily paused MAKE Wellness FIT.

Here's what happened.

The evening itching — those uncontrollable spasms that would wake me up reaching for Benadryl —

decreased.

Not gone.

But the severity dropped enough that I noticed it immediately. The locations are still there: ankles, top of hands, elbows, knees, thighs, lower back.

But the middle-of-the-night desperation? Less.

That alone told me something important. My body had been reacting to something I was putting in it every single day. And removing those things — even imperfectly, even in just two weeks — already

started shifting the response.

About pausing FIT — I want to share this carefully because I have clients who use FIT and it has been

genuinely valuable for them and for me.

FIT was a tool I leaned on heavily during one of the most demanding seasons of my life. Navigating my responsibilities as a mom and a business owner.

Our Guatemala missions trip.

The fatigue that comes with doing a lot and giving a lot and still trying to show up fully. FIT helped me stay focused. It helped me combat that heavy wanting-to-sleep-all-day feeling that was making it hard to function at the level I needed to.

It did what it was designed to do. And for a long time it did it well.

But something shifted as I moved deeper into the elimination diet process.

My sleep started being disturbed. Not dramatically at first — but enough that I noticed it. And that was new.

This wasn't something I had experienced before even when I was taking a full dose.

Something had changed.

What I came to understand is that right now — with my immune system in a highly reactive and

sensitive state — poor sleep was one of the worst things I could add to the equation. When your

immunity is already running hot, broken or restless sleep makes everything worse.

More reactive.

More inflamed.

More of everything I was trying to calm down.

So I made the decision to pause FIT for now — not because there is anything wrong with it, but

because my body in this specific season needed sleep quality above everything else. And once my immune system is more regulated and calm I can revisit with the caffeine-free FIT.

This is what I mean when I say this journey is not one size fits all. The same tool that serves you well in one season may need to be paused in another.

Listen to your body. That's the whole message.

The Cheese Experiment — And What My Body Confirmed

After two weeks of elimination my doctor gave me the green light to start adding foods back. One at a time. Every three days. Enough space for my body to react if it's going to.

The first food I added back was cheese.

I used to eat multiple cheese sticks a day. Cottage cheese daily. It was such a staple for me — easy

protein, convenient, something I genuinely enjoyed.

Within the first day of adding it back the itching came back - not with a vengeance, but enough that it was obvious.

Top of my legs around my quads.

Ankles.

Sides of my back around my love handles.

Back of my arms.

Not a subtle response. A clear one.

Dairy — specifically casein — is a significant trigger for my immune system. And knowing that

changes everything about how I approach eating going forward. Not just for the itching. But for

understanding what my body has been dealing with silently for years while I kept feeding it exactly

what was making it react.

The hardest part of this isn't the restriction. It's realizing how long I've been unknowingly making

things harder for my own body.

How many years of itching and fatigue and inflammation had a dietary component I never identified because nobody ever looked that closely.

Functional medicine testing gave me that. And I am so grateful, Jesus led me to push for it.

The Conversation I've Been Waiting to Have

At my two-week follow-up I told my doctor I wanted to talk about EllieMD.

Specifically Tesamorelin and KPV.

He listened. He asked questions. He looked at the research.

And then he said yes.

Not reluctantly. Not with a long list of concerns. He said EllieMD was a reputable company and if I

was willing to try it he would be genuinely curious to see how KPV impacts my ANA testing over time.

Let me say that again. My functional medicine doctor — who has reviewed my full picture — is

curious to see what happens to my ANA when I add KPV.

That is not a small thing. That is a provider who is engaged, who is tracking, and who sees the same

potential I do.

For those who haven't been following from the beginning — my ANA came back at 1:160 and then

climbed to 1:320 at a follow-up, with all major autoimmune antibodies coming back negative. What

that tells us is that my immune system is highly reactive without a confirmed autoimmune diagnosis.

KPV works directly on the inflammatory signaling pathways that drive that kind of reactivity.

The possibility that it could actually move that number — that my body could become measurably less reactive — is what has me the most excited about this whole protocol.

And Tesamorelin addresses the other side of the equation. The body composition piece. The visceral fat that has not responded to training and clean eating. The lean muscle support. The metabolic function.

All of it working together with my own biology instead of against it.

How EllieMD Actually Works — Because I Know You're Wondering

One of the things I appreciate most about EllieMD is how straightforward the process is. This isn't

complicated. This isn't intimidating. Here's exactly what it looks like.

You visit the link, create a client profile, and select the peptide that fits your health goals. Then you fill out a health intake form — detailed, thorough, the kind of intake that actually tells a provider what they need to know. You provide your ID and submit payment.

FSA and HSA are accepted which matters for a lot of us.

From there a licensed MD or DO reviews your intake and creates a treatment plan personalized to you.

Not a generic protocol. Yours. Then your peptides are compounded at a 503a licensed pharmacy and shipped directly to your home.

From purchase to injections arriving at your door — seven to ten days.

A concierge patient portal keeps you connected to your provider throughout. Unlimited messaging.

24/7 support. No waiting rooms. No gaps in your care.

Prescription-only. Medical oversight built in. Shipped in a three-month supply so there's no lapse in

your protocol.

This is the model I trust. And this is the model my functional medicine doctor trusts too.

The One Thing I'm Still Waiting On

I want to be honest with you about where I am right now.

I'm ready. My doctor is ready. The research is done. The company is vetted. The process is clear.

I'm waiting on my husband's blessing.

And I want to talk about that for a second because I think it's important — and I think a lot of women

reading this are in a similar position.

James is not against this. He's cautious. He's a good steward of what we've been entrusted with and he takes that seriously.

We have four boys — all heavily involved in travel sports, basketball and soccer

— and these next couple of years are a significant season financially. I respect that he thinks carefully about every decision.

What I also know is this...

I have figured out how to make this work without it touching our personal household budget. And I want to share how — because I think this is a conversation more women need to hear.

I have run my Norwex business for years. It has been my bread and butter. It has been the thing that has allowed me to contribute to our family in a way that also gives me flexibility and purpose.

And one of the things nobody tells you when you start a business — any business — is that legitimate business expenses are tax deductible.

My market research is my business. Sharing what I find so that others can make informed decisions for their own bodies — that IS my work. Which means pursuing this protocol, documenting it, and sharing it publicly is a legitimate business expense. It does not touch what we have committed to our family.

And if you don't have a business? You still have options.

FSA and HSA accounts can be used for EllieMD — which is one of the reasons I appreciate that they

built that into their payment process. If you have one of those accounts this may be more accessible than you think.

If you don't have either — out of pocket is still on the table. And I want to be honest: that's where the

conversation about priorities comes in.

Not judgment.

Just an honest look at what you're spending and what you're not spending it on.

But here's what I really want to say. If you have ever thought about starting your own business — whether it's Norwex or something else entirely — the financial flexibility it creates is one of the most underrated reasons to do it.

Your health investments can become part of how you serve others.

Your research becomes content. Your journey becomes a resource. And yes — it can become a write-off, so make sure to check with your tax consultant about this.

That's not the only reason to build something. But it's a real one. And for me right now, it's the reason

this doesn't have to wait.

That conversation with James is coming. And I believe — because I have seen how God has led every single step of this — that the blessing is coming too.

I am not moving from impatience. I am not moving from fear.

I am remaining. And waiting for the right moment to move together.

You remain. He leads. Even in the waiting.

What's Next

Part 4 will be the one I've been most looking forward to writing.

The injections will have arrived. The protocol will have started. And I will share with you — honestly,

completely, in real time — what the first weeks actually feel like.

The itching. The energy. The body composition changes. The sleep. And yes — whether any of this

follows me to the beach this summer.

Because that's the goal. Not perfection. Not a transformation photo.

Just a woman who finally feels at home in her own skin, standing at the water's edge with her boys.

That's the whole story. And it's not done yet.

If you want to learn more about EllieMD and the Tesamorelin/KPV protocol I'm starting — reach out

directly or visit my referral link. I am happy to walk you through everything I know.

I am not a medical professional. Nothing in this blog is medical advice. All prescription-grade therapies require a prescription from a licensed provider and are prepared by licensed pharmacies. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Always consult your healthcare provider before beginning any new treatment protocol. Results may vary.