Julie Flygare is my #womancrushwednesday! Check out her episode on the @arinuplifted podcast where she talks all about…NARCOLEPSY…here!
(Photo via @remrunner.)
Trigger warning: eating disorders. With a heaping side of bitterness.
It took me a while to process this interview because it’s heavy on the food and exercise talk. You see, food and I have a thing. And Julie does a great job countering the idea that food and exercise could play any role in reversing narcolepsy. *standing ovation*
Narcolepsy is a neurological disease caused by a lack of cells in the brain that release the neuropeptide orexin/hypocretin. These cells are suspected to ether be missing from birth or to be killed in an autoimmune process.
While I was having symptoms as early as 8 years old, I wasn’t diagnosed until 20 years later. My whole life I thought that I had a behavioral disorder; I thought that I was lacking willpower and motivation, that I was “floppy” because I had no self control, and that my eyes were burning because I had the “declining vision of an 80 year old” (actual comment from an eye doctor). I spent years trying to manage my mysterious symptoms through diet and exercise before my diagnosis. Despite already being in peak physical condition as a college athlete, I thought that I could – and SHOULD – do more. After all, I was being tested up one side and down the other and everything came back negative. Therefore, I was perfectly healthy and was bringing this all on myself.
It won’t take a genius to figure out where this is going. Headlong into an eating disorder. Yes. I eliminated all foods that I could link to my symptoms, until I was eating chicken, avocado, and frozen broccoli for three meals a day, every day. Being in social situations became impossible and I was still sleeping under my desk at grad school.
Only after fighting back from a rampant eating disorder can I say that at the height of my autoimmune paleo protocol neuroses and physical strength was I still experiencing daily symptoms of cataplexy and excessive sleepiness. Like most humans, I feel better when I’m eating real food than when I’m eating crap for every meal. But no amount of gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, nightshade-free nonsense is going to cure my neurological disorder. Going back to my #wcw, it was so incredibly healing to listen to someone I admire and respect say those words. Thank you, Julie!
I absolutely agree that restrictive diets can be beneficial for many people. For me it was mentally and physically unhealthy and I’m grateful to be out the other side of that dark time.
This is us these days. 