When autoimmune symptoms strike without warning, they can turn a person’s world upside down. For El, they arrived just as she was stepping onto her college campus, threatening to strip away everything she’d worked for as a former athlete. But what began as a devastating setback during her freshman year has transformed into a story of persistence—one that will culminate in triumph as she prepares to graduate at the age of 22.

“I grew up playing a lot of sports,” El recalls. “I can’t remember when I wasn’t on a field or a court. I ate a pretty healthy diet, and was always very active.”

After high school graduation, she went on to college in Texas to study psychology.

“I remember coming home in May after my freshman year finished and my finger on my right hand was swelling. I had had injuries in the past, but this one was persistent. I iced it, and thought it would go away; I had this mindset instilled in me that ‘I can just push through and it will be ok.’”

An x-ray done that summer showed nothing. So she ignored it for a couple of months, still waiting for it to go away.

Summer passed, and move-in day of her sophomore year (2022) arrived: “I couldn’t even help my mom lift anything. The pain had gone into my wrists and was unbearable,” she remembers.

“I got moved in, two weeks went by, and I realized … I can’t keep living like this.”

She booked an appointment with a hand specialist–a new experience in handling such appointments on her own since her mom had managed these tasks in the past. The doctor she met with suspected arthritis. Bloodwork confirmed: numbers of her Rheumatoid factor, an antibody that’s present in the blood of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), were through the roof.

“I remember getting the call so clearly,” she says of the diagnosis. “But it didn’t really hit me right away.”

A few months later, while home for a break, she made an appointment with a rheumatologist. “They prescribed pills, but they didn’t work. In fact, things were getting worse,” she recalls.

Things continued to get worse. One morning in March, 2023, she woke up and couldn’t walk to class.

“I couldn’t brush my hair, I couldn’t brush my teeth,” she says. “I couldn’t open doors–anything that you typically do without thinking about just hurt. At the end of the day, I couldn’t get off the couch.”

She was desperate for relief.

In April 2023, she started Humira, an immunosuppressive drug used to treat autoimmune diseases, which she recalls going well initially. It took a while to get regulated, but she felt a little better. Until she didn’t.

“I remember – it was October 2023 and I wasn’t feeling my best. I was anxious; I just wasn’t ‘normal’. I couldn’t work out, and I didn’t have any energy.” It was a pivotal moment.

“I’ve always been a strong believer in more natural methods,” she says. “I remember thinking, why am I pumping my body with these meds when they aren’t even doing anything?!”

Her mom had heard of Companion Health from a friend. Knowing that the medications that she was on were not a long-term solution, they wanted to try something different.

“We decided to see Anya (Wallace, PA-C). We went to the first appointment, and she had me do a hormone test, a gut test, and more.”

“El came in motivated to improve her overall health and get to the root cause of her RA.” says Anya. “Once we got the results of her tests, we went to work on decreasing the inflammation in her body, specifically addressing her gut, through nutritional changes and supplementation. We also focused on stress management and sleep improvements to better support her immune system. Starting these changes at a young age will help El be set up for a lifetime of good health.”

“All of these changes helped not only my arthritis, but also my energy. I haven’t felt this normal in years,” she says!

Because Humira (the drug she was still on) suppresses the immune system, El had found herself getting sick time and again. With a longer term goal of trying to wean off of the drug, Anya suggested low dose naltrexone, which has helped El to space out her Humira injections a bit. Together, they still maintain the focus of trying to knock down the use of Humira once El is done with school.

“I don’t really have many flare-ups anymore, thankfully,” she admits. I definitely get sore if I’m not sleeping, eating right, etc. I just feel it a little more. And stress definitely impacts it.”

Focusing on the lifestyle aspects (addressed by her health coach, Liz) has been a game changer for El.

“I 100% think that the little tips I receive from her have been helpful. Last semester, I was not sleeping great because of stress. She recommended a nighttime tea before bed – this has changed my sleeping habits. She also recommended a grounding sheet that has changed the game, as well.”

“Talking to both Anya and Liz about everything from day-to-day simple things or whenever I have a silly question is wonderful; the easy access is so great. Anya gets back to me in a day or two on all areas of health, which is so helpful.”

“There are definitely still physical limitations,” our member of the month admits. “For example, I’ve always had weaker wrists, but really right now it’s a mental game. For so long I was discouraged by trying something and it being painful. I think at this point it’s the mental game that I’m a totally different person than who I was when I started. Finding the things that feel good are still good for my health; even walking 2 miles with a friend is more than I would have done 2 years ago.”

Want to read more success stories about individuals with autoimmune diseases? Josh was able to put his Crohn’s Disease into remission through working with our Charlotte-based functional medicine clinic. And Fran, who was previously fighting lupus, is now fully thriving. 

If we can help you or someone you know get to the root cause of your autoimmune disease, please don’t hesitate to reach out for more information.