My First Blog Post

My Journey – Part 1

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So why Fertility I hear you ask? Good question I say!

Well it all started many years ago (I hope that you have a cuppa ready)……

I enjoyed working with clients when I first qualified as a Reflexologist many years ago, back in the good old days of 1994. I was, like everyone when you first qualify in something new, excited to be doing something wonderful for people.

I continued working full time in London and after being made redundant from a Bank where I used to control the payroll department in the Head Office. I needed something else as the Reflexology alone was not enough. I found a new job at a Security firm and embarked on new training as a Nutrition Consultant. This was because I had at that point been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) where lots of cysts are located around the ovaries.

PCOS has several nasty side effects and at the delicate age of 32 meant that I was worried about how I looked and how it affected my chances of having a family. The side effects include putting on weight as there is an issue with blood sugar, together with getting spots, yes big ones, in fact I had boils on my face and not just at the time of the month – thankfully I did have regular periods yippee…. back to the boils they just continued one after the other and became extremely painful and of course I was very conscious of them, especially when my boyfriend told me to put more make-up on DOH!! (nice guy!).

Can you guess what the consultant said to me when I posed the question about being able to have family later on?

“Well she said is it an issue for you right now?” I was now single at this point having dumped the extra make-up boyfriend who also did not like the fact that I was putting on a bit of weight…….. I came away from the consultation crying my eyes out.

So after many years of suffering I decided that nutrition was the answers so going the whole hog, started my training, a slog of 3 years or so. (I know I could have gone to a nutritionist at a fraction of the cost!). I learnt so much and gave up lots of foods to try and sort my problem, unfortunately it didn’t completely it had some effect of course, but not what I desired. I qualified as a Nutrition Consultant with ION in 1998.

I did see a dermatologist, who lovingly prescribed Roaccutane – which did work whilst I was taking them and for those of you who have also had these know that everything dries up and I mean everything where fluid should be!!! after 6 months I stopped the tablets and guess what. Yep all the spots came back. As many doctors do these days they are treating the symptoms and not what the cause was. But to give them their due perhaps they did not know the cause!!

I continued for a while doing work and having a few clients with reflexology when I could. I also changed jobs as I was yet again made redundant, this was the era of redundancies if I remember. I started working for a law firm which was really nice. I worked for several lawyers in Fleet Street in the corporate field.

In 1999 I decided to do more training in Manual Lymphatic Drainage massage. I cannot think of why I choose that but actually the universe did! The training was in London’s lovely Regents Park College and we attended for several weekends over a period of time. Of course when you are training you practice on each other, Great…… and low and behold my spots disappeared for at least 6 months or so without any medication. I was onto something maybe….

So now its 1999 and crunch time. I decided to give up full time work and work for myself and to do this I needed money and a new house (as you do!) I saved some money and bought a house as I only had a small flat (which I could not sell – that’s another whole story). I bought my house in September moved in the November and left work on Xmas Eve 1999…

Was I mad or what !!!! Oh and my step dad had been diagnosed with Stomach Cancer and it was not looking good as I was taking him for his chemo and other visits, from the hospice where he was being cared for. Oh nearly forgot darling mum had been diagnosed with Ataxia so needed more of my time. I suppose the universe really did know that I was needed closer to home.

to be continued……