Join Jaxson on his quest to heal!
As many of you know, I have been on quite the journey over the past 18 months. I have recently completed a set of surgeries called 3 stage phalloplasty. This means that I have undertaken 3 major operations within the time frame of 12 months! I have spent 20 hours under anaesthetic, taken 10 weeks worth of pain killers, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, and healed from physical trauma that equates to 5 brain surgeries! That’s a lot of blood loss, tissue damage and repair.
Safe to say, I have moved through this year with grace, my body has shown me the power of healing and I have had the honour of witnessing the fortitude of our innate intelligence. Even at times where I felt I was getting in my own way, feeling anxious, vulnerable or just so fatigued, this innate intelligence just continued to persevere and do what needed to be done - I continued to heal.
The surgeries were a success and I am now complete and my physical transition has come to its close, emotionally and spiritually I am reeling with joy and excitement about the future, feeling grounded and in love with my body. Finally, feeling at home. What a gift it is to be alive, to be embodied and to be able to be fully present.
Regardless, my system has taken a beating! physically and chemically especially! Because of this, I am now turning my focus to healing and regenerating the deeper systems that have supported me so well. Those systems are my gut, my liver and my brain. How do I know I need to focus on these areas? Because they are talking to me with symptoms and signs - bloating, poor digestion, a sense of fullness, restless sleep, lack of focus, foggy brain, poor memory recall and lowered executive functions. I suspect I have accumulated toxins, engaged pathogens, potentially shut down some vital detoxification biochemical pathways and overwhelmed other sensitive tissues (brain and nerve tissue) during my recoveries. So, what is my course of action? I am outsourcing to practitioners who know what they’re doing and can support me along the way. Sure, I have enough information to do it myself, but I want to target the areas that need the healing rather than figure it all out myself. I want to be supported and guided through the process, that way I feel it will be more effective, more targeted and I might learn a thing or two myself.
So, first up, I went to see our Naturopath, Hope McPhillips, who recently took up practice at Luminous Body. In our first session we went through and examined all systems - gut, detox, reproductive, the nervous system, brain, immune, you name it! We went there! Through her extensive questioning and examination she found that my gut would be the primary aspect to target first, seeing as the gut does so much of the disposal of waste and toxins, not just that but also supports other organs through the microbiome. Getting that up and running first is going to lead to other avenues, if needed, down the track. So, we prepared to have a Stool Test done through Designs for Health Australia. This is a kit that examines the stool (faeces) for parasites, bacteria, viruses and fungus. It also examines the microbiome as well and can indicate any imbalances in the healthy bacteria of the gut. Furthermore, the testing can indicate if one has a leaky gut, infection, inflammation, issues with digestive enzymes and can even indicate liver function issues.
I’m excited, and today I will complete the stool test and send it off to the lab. It takes approximately a month to complete so my results will come back early December. Hope also recommended a full blood test with a few extras thrown in like homocysteine (a marker for methylation, liver function and cellular function) and a full thyroid panel as well. I will see my GP this week to have these completed.
Alongside these test recommendations I was also given dietary advice. Hope recommended I eat more protein in the mornings which has improved my energy throughout the day and also helped my nervous system regulate. I didn’t realise that as my blood sugar started to fall in the later morning that my cortisol was rising leading me to feel more dysregulated and fatigued so early in the day! Hope also advised me that I needed more of a morning routine, to help curb the intensity of my type A mind. Together we figured out a morning routine that fits my lifestyle and also remedies some of the hypervigilance and overthinking that I am so ‘blessed’ with!
Creating these new habits has changed the game in as short as week. I have someone to keep me accountable, I have outsourced my issues to someone who can hold them for me, I can also rely on Hope to keep me moving in the right direction. Because of my new morning routine and the addition of protein, I have a more productive day without the ups and downs of a dysregulated nervous system. The beauty of this is that I can more accurately feel when I am becoming dysregulated and remedy that with one of my tools. Seeing a naturopath to help with my recovery is the number one way to make it more efficient and effective.
Stay tuned for more! I await my blood and stool test results and the course of action that follows. Read more about Naturopathy through our naturopathy page on this website, to book with Hope, call, text or email the clinic.