Kelly Klingman’s Ongoing Health Battle
Kelly Klingman began having migraines as a teenager, and gradually, they became more intense over time. Over the years, she started waking up with puffiness under her eyes and lids filled with fluid. She always felt tired, cranky, and unmotivated — and kept gaining weight despite her vigilant exercise.
The Chronic Symptoms She Struggled With
Over the years, her symptoms magnified. Despite being a lifelong athlete — high school soccer player, weightlifter, and roller derby competitor — she was gaining weight, felt lethargic, and would wake in the middle of the night with a lump in her throat, a heavy chest, and a racing heart.
On a mission to feel better, Kelly, 41, sought treatment from medical providers in the Cressona, PA community where she lives. Her family doctor vaguely mentioned something about missing thyroid hormones and wrote her prescriptions for steroids and birth control. She fought until he prescribed thyroid medicine and refused to take birth control.
The Symptoms Of Lethargy & Weight Gain Worsened
But Kelly, a lifelong athlete — high school soccer player, weightlifter and roller derby competitor — began to have worsening symptoms, including feeling lethargic, gaining weight, a lump in her throat, heavy chest and was waking up in the middle of the night with a racing heart.
Her symptoms became invasive. After landing in the ER twice, she requested several times that her doctor increase her medication dosage. She intuitively knew there were underlying conditions that weren’t being addressed. Kelly finds it frustrating the medical teams basically ignored her symptoms.
“I was feeling so out of whack, and even though a thyroid issue appeared in some of my tests, that was basically not addressed,” says Kelly, who is married and works in inside sales at Alpine Building Supply. “I really didn’t want to put all those chemicals in my body from the birth control pills.”
Seeking Help For Her Chronic Health Problems: “You have to help me.”
After not receiving a clear diagnosis, Kelly learned, ‘It was time to put me first.”
In desperation she turned to her chiropractor, Buddy Touchinsky, DC, CFMP and founder and CEO of PEAK Integrative Medicine Orwigsburg, PA .She sought care at his medical practice.
During her first appointment with PEAK family nurse practitioner, Cristin Kellett,
Kelly remembers saying: “I was desperate, and I just said, ‘You have to help me,” says Kelly.
“From my initial orientation, I knew PEAK would help.”
Being Diagnosed With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
After extensive blood tests, she was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and inflammation around her heart, along with hypothyroidism. It is a condition when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough of the thyroid hormone called thyroxine (T4). This causes the body’s system to slow down and can lead to symptoms like fatigue, feeling cold, weight gain due to fluid retention, dry skin, and hair loss.
Learning about all the personally-tailored medical, functional, chiropractic and lifestyle programs offered through the PEAK basecamp, she was eager to try new things. Her personalized direct care included a full thyroid panel and an elimination died.
A Functional Medicine Approach To Fatty Liver Disease
Fast-forward six months to today, Kelly, who answers to Rum & Coke, #555 on The Schuylkill County Scream Queens, lost 50 pounds, and her fatty liver disease and heart inflammation were reversed. The Schuylkill County Scream Queens, an amateur roller derby league when she skates with is no longer complacent about her healthcare and is driven to follow the strategy outlined by her doctors at PEAK.
The Results Of Lifestyle Health Changes For Fatty Liver Disease
She has eliminated gluten, dairy and alcohol from her diet and eats purposefully and healthy. Kelly exercises regularly through her three-days-a-week roller derby practices and competitions. And, she incorporates exercise into her lifestyle throughout the week through gardening, jogging and doing cardio or lifting weights. She’s also focused on her food preparation, making sure to plan for a week of healthy eating.
“I feel like myself again,” she says.
“I’ve learned that it is really important to listen and pay attention to your body. Food is your fuel and I’ve discovered sweet potatoes and plantains and all kinds of delicious foods that are giving me energy. “
Kelly Klingman’s Personal Health Journey
“Nothing gets me down anymore and I have so much more clarity,” says Kelly. “I’m more energetic, sleep better and my athletic performance is better than ever. Feeling so good has inspired me to take on new challenges I never would have. I’m setting new athletic goals, like competing in roller derby in Las Vegas.”
Her Advice For Others:
“You have to be your own health advocate. If you’re not getting the care you need from your family doctor, it’s time to explore other practices that treat you as a whole person, not just a body.”