My name is Chelsea, and I’m living with multiple chronic conditions – Celiac Disease, Interstitial Cystitis, Salicylate intolerance, Histamine intolerance, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and possibly Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I’ve also recently discovered I am likely neurodivergent.
It sucks having so much “wrong” with me, but there’s a lot about me that’s right too. I know my body is healing in small increments that will be noticeable over time. Everything takes time.
Everything That’s Happened
In January 2023, I felt a strange pain in my lower abdomen. I didn’t know what it was, but it wouldn’t go away. My family doctor had no idea. Soon the bladder pain started. Pain so intense, I couldn’t walk sometimes. The pressure in my bladder was intense, and the urge to urinate never went away. I tried overactive bladder medications, and many rounds of antibiotics, but they didn’t help. I went to the ER multiple times with pain so intense I could barely walk only to be told I probably had a UTI. CT scans showed nothing was wrong.
I met with an endocrinologist. Maybe I had water diabetes from taking Lithium for 12 years? No, it wasn’t that. Through my own research, I thought I had interstitial cystitis, a form of bladder pain syndrome. I started a low-sodium diet. This helped somewhat, but I still experienced flares and had pain every day.
In January 2024, I met with a urologist. He performed a cystoscopy and found bladder cancer. Unfortunately, the bladder pain persisted even after the tiny tumor was removed. I restricted my diet even more to avoid bladder irritating foods, plus I avoided all caffeinated, alcoholic, or carbonated beverages. I was put on 2 different kinds of medications for interstitial cystitis, but neither worked. I had 12 weeks of bladder installation treatments where medication coats the bladder walls, but that didn’t work either. I also had pelvic floor physiotherapy during this time. It helped a lot, and the bladder pain reduced after physio sessions, but the pain never fully went away.
In June 2024, I started seeing a naturopath. She started me on several supplements to help reduce inflammation in my body. We discussed my bipolar symptoms, my extremely painful menstrual cycle and symptoms of estrogen dominance, plus the various reactions I was having to food. I told her I have had low iron my entire adult life, but no doctor had ever bothered to investigate why.
In September 2024, I started taking weekly yoga classes. Coincidentally I also started to see blood after bowel movements. In December 2024, the abdominal pain got so bad I thought I had appendicitis. The CT scan didn’t find anything. The digital rectal exam did not find hemorrhoids. The pain would come and go depending on where I was in my menstrual cycle. Maybe I had endometriosis?
In April 2025, I met with a gastroenterologist and had an endoscopy and colonoscopy after a blood showed my tTG-IgA was off the charts. I probably had celiac disease, but I needed to keep eating gluten until my scopes. Even before it could be confirmed through biopsy, it was apparent the damage from celiac disease was severe, likely starting in my childhood. I was ordered to start a gluten-free diet immediately after the procedure. The constant inflammation and chronically low iron made sense. My body wasn’t absorbing nutrients because of celiac disease! I was hopeful this meant I was at the end of my struggles, but the bladder pain persisted.
In May 2025, I started reacting to food high in histamine and salicylates. My bladder was in pain all the time, and I was afraid to eat. I had tons of allergy symptoms every day, and was even having reactions to my toothpaste. My safe-food list had reduced to less than a dozen items. I was starving, terrified, sick, and completely overwhelmed.
In June 2025, I had a severe allergic reaction at work and had to take an ambulance to the hospital. Nobody at the ER knew what I was reacting to. I was given prednisone and sent on my way. Through my own research, I suspected Mast Cell Activation syndrome. My naturopath agreed, and she requested new baseline blood work.
My symptoms included tight throat, hoarse voice, chest ache, dizzy-sick feeling, tingling lips and gums, sinus pain, and my face and jaw had a burning sensation that felt like a sun-burn. I soon went completely scent-free at home. All cleaning, health, and beauty products were thrown out and replaced with low-salicylate, fragrance free products. I also purchased 2 air purifiers for my home.
In August 2025, I started seeing a dietician and a gut-directed therapist. I started doing gut-hypnotherapy through the Nerva app. I also did a stool test which showed I had elevated levels of candida and beta-glucuronidase. Around the same time, the blood work my naturopath ordered came back. I had copper dominance. This helped explain the estrogen-dominance symptoms that had plagued me for decades even though my hormone levels were normal when tested.
The liver conjugates estrogen with glucuronic acid for elimination, but overactive beta-glucuronidase can deconjugate this estrogen in the gut. The now “free” estrogen is reabsorbed into circulation, leading to estrogen dominance. Since my body wasn’t absorbing zinc due to celiac disease, my copper levels became elevated since there wasn’t enough zinc to bind to it to remove it from my body. Elevated copper levels can undermine detoxification pathways, recirculate toxins, and worsen conditions like estrogen dominance, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation leads to chronic pain, such as the pain in my bladder.
I started a brand new gut protocol to reduce the candida and beta-glucuronidase. Menstrual symptoms started to get better, but symptoms of histamine and salicylate intolerance continued to persist. My naturopath recommended vagal nerve stimulating exercises to try to calm my para-sympathetic nervous system.
In September 2025 I bought my very first deck of Tarot cards on a whim and started learning all about esoteric Tarot through Joe Monteleone’s YouTube channel. It was supposed to be just for fun, but I started to get really into it. My allergy triggers were starting to become more sensitive, and my symptoms were becoming more severe. I couldn’t leave the house without a mask, and I was triggered daily at work. I needed a distraction.
In December 2025 I met with an allergist who completed a breath and skin prick test. She confirmed I had no true allergies, but something strange happened. I had a reaction! (Yay, more pseudo-allergies!) My throat got sore and I lost my voice. My chest ached, I got dizzy, and I felt sick and completely exhausted. The allergist admitted she didn’t know why this was happening to me. She ordered a baseline tryptase test, which came back normal.
I don’t meet with the allergist again until May 2026.
The Chelsea Chronicles 