About Leilani
MY WELLNESS JOURNEY
Growing up, I always had something that felt off with my digestive system. Whether it was going between bouts of constipation and diarrhea, or stomach pain, or acid reflux and heart burn, I didn’t realize how much it impacted my life. Since this started early on in childhood, I never thought much of it and deemed it to be just another ‘normal’ part of life. It never occurred to me that I could live a life where I didn’t have these symptoms because they increased gradually. And it was never taken seriously. It was determined that it was a part of growing up, that I was getting used to different foods and to continue eating them so I get ‘used to it’, or was given the diagnosis of IBS. I believed it, and so did my parents.
It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I was taken seriously. Endoscopies revealed acid reflux, so at around 14 years old, I was prescribed prescription medication for it. However, I wasn’t given any guidance about my nutrition choices and how that could be impacting my health, except for not eating spicy foods which could be causing my symptoms. I rarely ate spice despite growing up in a South Asian household, because it never made me feel well. I could never tolerate it.
I never took the prescription medication for the acid reflux, but would sometimes have over the counter things for relief like tums to help with symptoms. The IBS diagnosis continued for years, and I continued to suffer as a result, just accepting this was reality.
Over time, it didn’t get better and I started having even more tests done, such as ultrasounds and endoscopies, which resulted in the removal of my gall bladder because of a suspected gall stone at 18 years old. Not much changed overall, but it stopped feeling like suffering and started feeling normal. The gaslighting didn’t help because the bloodwork was normal. I didn’t know I could feel any other way.
As the years passed, my digestive symptoms worsened, and I started having body aches which was diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Looking back, this was partly attributed to shifts that were taking place in my life which also led to anxiety and depression. I was started on anti-depressants, and started going to therapy. Cumulatively, this only led to the worsening of my symptoms, which led me to be bounced around the medical system from respirologists to gastroenterologists to neurologists.
With the worsening of pain in my liver and stomach, I began down the road of diagnostics. From repeated bloodwork, to ultrasounds, to CTs, to MRIs, to more endoscopies, which ultimately led to a liver biopsy due to a suspicious mass. Turns out it was from taking birth control pills.
During the process of all of this, a number came back extremely high and abnormal on my bloodwork. It was lipase, which is an enzyme produced by the pancreas. I was rushed to see a gastroenterologist within the next 2 days, who diagnosed acute pancreatitis. I was admitted to the hospital, where further diagnostic testing revealed that I had a birth defect known as pancreas divisum. This is where during gestation, the pancreatic tubes which normally merge into one larger tube fail to do so, thereby leaving, 2 narrow tubes making fluid draining difficult, and therefore, backing up into the organ. This leads to the attack and breakdown of the organ itself from within, causing inflammation and scarring.
By the time mine was diagnosed, it was already at the point of chronic pancreatitis, which means it had been going on for a long time. It was concluded that the pain and other symptoms I had been having were likely acute attacks, but since it continued to be misdiagnosed, it had evolved into a chronic state. I was transferred to the biggest critical care hospital in the province, and seen by the head of GI. He attempted to place a stent but failed. He said it was one of the narrowest openings he had seen and refused to try again because of the level of risk. The procedure led to another acute on chronic attack, lengthening my stay at the hospital. I stopped working and went on medical leave.
I left the hospital with a bag of medications, and a prescription for bloodwork every 2 days since my lipase continued to remain very elevated for weeks.
My pain continued to worsen, I got weaker, and I barely had an appetite. I became fearful of eating because the smallest amount of food caused debilitating pain. It got to the point where drinking a glass of water put pressure on my abdomen.
I felt there was more, but everything I read online or was told my doctors was that the only option is management and eventually, the removal of parts or the whole pancreas. So I flew to Toronto, where I was seen by another head of GI through a family friend. He said he would attempt to put a stent. He put the smallest stent in with a lot of force, but unfortunately, it came out within a couple of hours and also led to another pancreatic attack and week long hospital stay. He also told me the same thing, that a stent could not be placed and he would not risk trying again. And I was ultimately given the same prognosis as the other doctor.
As I felt weaker, I started spending more time in bed. I was unable to do much, which led to my husband starting to work from home and become my primary care giver. I started smoking medical marijuana, in hopes that it would help with my appetite and override the pain, which it did at that time, only to later realize how much it impacted my cognition and long term memory.
I continued to look for some alternative. I knew there must be one, but I couldn’t seem to find it. My family doctor at that time was very supportive of my condition and was open to me trying any other option I could find. I went to massages often to help alleviate any pain that was possible, slept most of the day, stopped going out because I didn’t have the energy. But I continued to pray, open to any and all possibilities to reclaim my health and get my life back.
At 35 years old, I found Liana Shanti, who founded HMI Wellness – a school based on 50+ science-backed nutrition education. I knew in my soul it was the answer and I signed up immediately. I started implementing what I was learning into my life, and I started to feel better. I made nutritional and supplemental changes, and one by one, I came off every single medication, my appetite began to improve, I started having more energy. I found myself again. It was like I had been restored and renewed.
I transformed my life through her work and school, and that became my testimony, and I am now ready to help walk with you on your health and wellness journey.