Ways to Boost Your Body's Immunity
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May 12, 2020 - Episode #18 - An Athlete's Story: Turning Tragedy into Hope with Riley Duzenack
Today’s podcast is truly a story of tragedy, brokenness, and challenges emerging into a journey of healing and grace. Riley Duzenack was a D1 college athlete with a promising athletic career ahead of her when a health disaster struck. Numerous surgeries, complications and infections ended her promising athletic career. A story that had a vastly different ending than what was planned or anticipated. Her story will inspire you and remind you to embrace hope for the future even when all seems bleak. If you have a child navigating the complexities of mental health within sports, you’re personally an athlete overcoming an injury that has put you on the sidelines, or you simply are looking for encouragement, you’ll love this podcast! On today’s episode of Healthy Harmony, we discuss how a D1 female-athlete navigates mental health, performance-driven pressures, autoimmune disease, healing from injury, and how she practiced resting and restoring her body after several medical procedures. We discuss the process of becoming your own best health advocate in a healthcare system that is looking for the quick fix. We talk about how important it is to take care of your own body, by looking to create healthy lifestyle changes instead of following a check-list. You are going to want to listen to this podcast to be inspired in the empowerment of a young athlete through an unprecedented health situation. Navigating an illness or injury is never easy. Riley decided she needed the support of a Health Coach, I was honored to work with her. Here is what Riley said about her experience with me as her coach..."Jennifer not only has so much knowledge when it comes to health & nutrition, but she truly empowers you to be your own best health advocate. She listens, empathizes, and helps you create a plan that truly leads you to success, NOT burn out. Immediately upon talking to her you feel comfortable sharing your struggles, frustrations, and needs for overcoming barriers in your health journey. She helped me overcome digestion issues, brain fog, and chronic fatigue through small changes in my nutrition and lifestyle. I would recommend Jennifer for ANYONE seeking to improve their life through a holistic approach to health!" If this resonates with you, consider booking a coaching session at https://www.inspirehealthyharmony.com/coaching.html#/ __________________________________ Today's Guest: Riley Duzenack Riley Duzenack is a former D1 volleyball player who endured a career ending knee injury. While navigating the four surgeries, and more health issues because of the surgeries, she had an awakened passion for the true meaning of health. Her greatest desire is to empower others to see physical fitness from a holistic approach. Riley is currently a fitness coach who seeks to encourage her clients to see how movement is medicine and the amazing benefits it has for the mind, body, and spirit. You can find Riley at @a41fitness. Read Full Transcript below Where else to listen: (note: Google is only available on android devices)
FULL TRANSCRIPT May 12, 2020 - Episode #18 - An Athlete's Story: Turning Tragedy into Hope with Riley Duzenack - A promising athletic career comes to a sudden end. Surgeries, medications, complications, deteriorating health. A story of tragedy, turning into hope. This is what you will hear today on Healthy Harmony. Welcome to Health Harmony, where we help you clarify and discuss health tactics to harmonize your life. I'm your host and health coach, Jennifer Pickett. And today, my guest is Riley Duzenack. Riley is a wonderful friend of mine. She is a former D1 collegiate volleyball player. Her career came to an interrupt end after injuries and surgeries and complications and medications and deteriorating health. I have been honored to be her health coach, and now we work together inspiring others towards better health. Riley, thank you so much for joining me today. How are you? - I'm great. Thank you so much for having me on the show today. I'm so excited just to talk about health and all of that fun stuff. - We have a lot to cover. So Riley, you were at the absolute top of your game. You've been a star athlete for literally most of your life. You were a D1 college volleyball player, and then tragedy struck. I want to hear your story. - Yeah. So I was playing volleyball at Mississippi state, and things were just kind of off. Things weren't going the way that I had kind of planned for them to go. So I decided to go ahead and transfer to Dallas Baptist University. And in transferring, a big part was just being closer to home, kind of taking a step back on the volleyball career and just focusing a little bit more on academics and all of that and changing to the D2, and as I was going through the off season at that point, because I transferred after our season. I was just in a normal team practice. It was my first one, and I ended up tearing my ACL. And with that, obviously I had to have surgery to restore that, but I ended up having several more surgeries than just the one to reconstruct the ACL. I ended up having another meniscus tear, and then I actually got a knee infection deep into the joint. And so I ended up having to have another surgery, get all that cleaned out and ended up being on IV antibiotics for four weeks afterwards. So it definitely was a struggle and it kind of was the Lord just saying, "You know what? I think it's time for you to go ahead and take the shoes off, take the kneepads off and just finish up your career right here. So. - I cannot imagine how emotional that was. Let's go back to your injury. An ACL, I'm sure you thought, "Hey, I know I'm going to have to have a surgery, but I'm going to bounce right back." What do you think happened? What went wrong after that initial ACL surgery? - There's really no telling of what that was. I think there's a couple of different facets of what could have happened. I think a big part was that I was pushing my body a little too hard. I was trying to take the healing process into my own hands and push harder, do more workout more, try to eat healthier from what I viewed as healthier. And I kind of wasn't taking care of my body the way that it probably should have, and I was just increasing the stress that was being put on it instead of decreasing that to be able to give my body the ability to heal. And then on top of that, I ended up being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease later on through the healing process. And so I think that was a huge component of not really being able to fight off just the tissue damage and all of that that came with ACL tear. - My goodness. So you said that you really just kinda took that healing process into your own hands and really felt like you pushed yourself very, very hard. So what were you doing during that time to just kind of speed up that healing process? That sounds like a mentality thing too, like, hey, let's kind of rush through this and get this healing over with. Tell me some of your thoughts during that time and how you pushed yourself. - So I think a big part of just being an athlete is obviously being very performance driven, and with that in my head, it was speeding up the timeline. It was, oh, I'm going to be the person that gets back from the ACL injury in six months instead of nine, and I am going to be back on the court, and I'm going to be one of those stories where they come back stronger or even better of an athlete than they were before. And so I was working out pretty much twice a day and going through physical therapy, and then I would come back and do the exercises a second time thinking that that was somehow going to make me stronger and faster and heal me - My goodness. - instead of resting after a workout like that or just kind of taking a break. And so I think obviously that was a huge mindset on my own part of thinking that that was going to recover me faster by any means. There was no really external pressure to that. That was all internal. And so obviously learning that, it ends up being a huge learning lesson for the rest of my team. - I'm sure. I'm sure. Looking back at that time and how you pushed yourself, what would you change? If you could change anything and do it again, what would you do differently? - I think the biggest thing would just be that I would give myself rest. I think I honestly instill working through just the amount of stress that that season of my life put on my body, not just as an athlete, but obviously trying to recover from everything that I put into my body and put on my body of just trying to heal myself. And so I think a big part would just be taking a step back and looking at the big picture and realizing that number one, I am not the healer and number two, I just need to rest and allow my body to do what it is wanting to do, instead of pushing it past a threshold that it never should go. - It's such a powerful statement to allow that rest. So I'm curious, your definition of rest. I can't imagine that that term is used a lot in the athletics community with you guys. So I mean, had you ever been introduced to that concept of rest before? - Honestly, not really. And I think that that was probably a big component of why I didn't know how to do it, even in the healing process because you have one off day during the week that you're required to have away from practice, but a lot of the times, that still came with looking through film or re-watching games, looking at stats, maybe even going to the gym and still working out, but not actually practicing as a team. And so truly the component of rest I feel like looks a lot more like choosing something external to the sport or working out or anything, whether that is going to a park and walking around or maybe laying in bed for a little bit longer than you normally do and actually giving yourself grace in that. And honestly, I still am working through that component of rest, but I think a big part is finding something that you're passionate and joyful about that is outside of pressure, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and especially mentally just because watching film is just as exhausting as it is to physically be playing the sport. - I can see that. And it sounds like rest was certainly a novel concept to you in looking back and something that hadn't really been focused on. I do think we find this more often than not when we speak to folks who are trying to recover that this whole concept of rest and recovery is something that we're very unfamiliar with. We live in this kind of crazy busy society. We're used to going in that stressed out mode, and when someone says the word rest, we're like, "Okay. What? What does that mean?" So I love how really looking back, you defined what that rest would look like and what it would not look like. You've referenced the use of antibiotics. Clearly you had numerous surgeries, you had a very specific complication and then you had antibiotics. I want to hear that part of your story. - So the antibiotic situation was just honestly interesting, and it's really not over for me at this point either with the infection that I had, it was a bacteria that is not common. And so we still really don't know where the exact infection came from. And so with that, since it wasn't uncommon bacteria, I ended up having to take a very strong antibiotic through a PICC line for four weeks. And so with that, it just kind of destroyed my gut health, it destroyed a lot of my mental health. I ended up having a lot of chemical imbalances where depression and anxiety manifested itself into my story in a way that I just felt stuck. And now even with all the... I got my wisdom teeth out about I guess eight months ago at this point and I still had to be put on antibiotics for that surgery just because nobody knows where that infection came from. And so just kind of being marked by those different things is difficult, and I have a really hard time also just justifying the idea of all these medications that are thrown at us. And while in the moment of fighting off the infection, antibiotics were clearly the answer that was needed. I find myself in after being diagnosed with the auto immune disease and just all sorts of other random health complications that the immediate answer is always, "Hey, here's this medicine to fight off the symptoms." And I have just seen with the mental health component of things and then just my auto immune disease getting worse in different ways. Just the idea that the healthcare industry kind of just looks at medication as the quick fix or the-- - It's amazing, isn't it? It is. - Yeah. - It's a quick fix. And I certainly wanted to further explore that topic of medications and how that works in our healthcare system. But you said something, and I really want us to pause here and unpack it a little bit. You said something about gut health and antibiotics, and I know for many folks, these are still some things that might be unfamiliar. So how do you think those antibiotics affected your gut health and what even is gut health? How Would you describe that? - So from my viewpoint, gut health, there's so many facets to it. It is kind of just beginning to become more of a topic that nutritionist, dieticians, health coaches, all of that are exploring a little bit deeper in the fact that our health is not dependent on how many calories we're eating and this and that, but what are we absorbing and is something leaking out of our guts, so the term leaky gut. And essentially it's your GI track and the way that you are digesting foods and all of that. And so with all the antibiotics in my system, essentially, it just destroyed that. The bacteria, the microbiome inside of my gut was completely off. And that was a huge part of what was messing with my mental state. It was definitely making me sad, depressed, angry. There was a lot of emotions that were in combination with just the overall state of my body internally than just the external health of, "Oh, my knees functioning," and whatnot. And so that's kind of my basic definition in regards to that. - I think that's fantastic, just a good definition. I love how you see the link of how those antibiotics really did affect your gut health. And what we know is that antibiotics, even though they are medically necessary at times, and certainly in your case they were, it does have a tremendous impact on your microbiome, your gut health. And when we use those words, we're talking about this balance of good and bad organisms, good and bad bacteria to kind of sum it up, and we know that antibiotics can really wipe out that healthy bacteria. I love how you see the link between how that affected your nutrient absorption, for instance, how it affected your immune health and made you more susceptible. But you also said something very powerful that you saw a little bit more depression and anxiety in there. And I wanted to remind our listeners when we talk about gut health and how we feel, I think sometimes we've made a disconnect between gut health and brain health, and those two work hand in hand. So most of your serotonin, that 95% of your serotonin, that feel good hormone is made in your gut. So your specific case, Riley, I'm amazed at how these antibiotics really led to several disastrous health effects in you. And kind of one thing led to another. You referenced the diagnosis of an auto immune disease. So tell us about receiving that diagnosis. - So honestly, this was all in the same season of life. It was as I was fighting off the infection. I actually had to have home healthcare nurses go ahead and come to my house every week to take my blood, just to be able to tell kind of where the infection was at, where the bacteria was in my bloodstream, and just if the antibiotics were actually working. And so before I could get my pick line out and get off the antibiotics, it was a requirement for me to have clear tests. And so one week, whenever the home health care nurse came out to do my blood test, she realized that she couldn't even get a pulse on my wrists. And she realized my hands were really cold. My whole body honestly, was just rigid and it was - My goodness. - warm time of the year. And so she was like, "There's something going on here. "I really think that you should go to a rheumatologist "or a cardiologist, kind of figure out what's going on. "I feel like there's something else underneath all of this." And I had honestly always kind of had cold hands. My dad has cold hands, so it wasn't something that was like, "Oh my gosh, this is a problem," but I definitely felt off, and I think the antibiotics were really creating more of an awareness to it just because I was having to be overall more aware of my body. And so I went ahead and went to that rheumatologist that she suggested and was diagnosed with an undifferentiated connective tissue disorder. And so essentially I had the symptoms of three different autoimmune diseases but not enough to manifest into a diagnosis of specifically one of them. - My goodness. - And so that was difficult, especially even for the doctor because there's different protocols for each one, but to find middle ground in what medication would work and what all of that look like, it was really difficult even for the doctor to declare. And so she ended up throwing me on two different medications to see if both in conjunction would work. But the problem is that they did not work well together of course. And so I got off that medication within three days because I felt like I was going to pass out and my blood pressure was so low. And so I honestly just kind of let it be, and that was where all of a sudden my idea of looking further into what nutrition had and the impact that that had in regards to healing auto immune diseases or just overall preventative health kind of all of that came together for me. - I can't imagine how challenging that was for you to go from literally being at the top of your game and in amazing shape, and then having an injury and surgeries and complications and then all of the medications. You so absolutely described home health nurses coming to your house. How did that make you feel in the middle of all of this where you have got home health nurses coming to your house to check on you and check your blood levels? How did that make you feel? - Honestly, I had to just block it out. I tried to just laugh about it because it was just one thing after another. And I had basically either between the home health care nurses coming to my house or going to doctor's appointments. I had gone to 29 doctors appointments in about 35 days. - That's a lot. That is a lot of doctors appointment. - Yes. It was a lot. And so honestly, there was just a lot of frustration. I was pretty angry at the Lord with everything that was going on. I just felt empty and confused as to what was even going on. I just kind of almost felt like I needed to put my head down and just keep walking, even though every single step was harder and harder because it was a new diagnosis or a new doctor's appointment and all of that. That whole season of life was just dark and difficult altogether. - I can't imagine how challenging that was. I wanted to talk about another area. You you referenced this earlier. Through the course of this very difficult journey, you were put on a lot of different medications. Did you ever feel like you had a choice or that there was any other way? There was a lot of medications here. I just want to hear your thoughts about that? - I think at first, I didn't really feel like I had a choice, especially with all the painkillers and the antibiotics especially. I felt like that was the fix that was the only way, honestly, to get through it. And it took until really the auto-immune diagnosis of sitting down with my parents and being like, "I just feel off. This is awful. "I don't enjoy the way that I feel on this medication." My emotions were it's making me feel deeper into depression and my anxiety's worse and all of that. And I just remember my dad looking at me and be like, "You're the one that has to swallow the pill. "If you don't want to swallow it, you don't have to." So I think that that realization of that they don't have the-- A doctor can prescribe you medicine, but it's still up you whether you want to take it. And if it is a life or death situation, obviously my infection wasn't life or death, but at the same time, the infection was deep into the joint and in my bloodstream. And so I viewed that one as something that was a little bit more life or death and that I needed to work through that, and the only way to do that was to take the medication. But as I kind of progressed in getting different diagnosis and stuff, I just kind of learned that I don't have to take the medication, I can take a different way. And healthcare is a little skewed right now in regards to just the medications and all of that. The industry is pushing towards just the quick fix, get in and out of different doctor's appointments and all of that. And so I'm looking at it from a different perspective was definitely awakening for me and made me realize that I don't have to take medications whenever I'm prescribed to them if it doesn't make me feel good or it doesn't help the situation. - I hear that. That sense of empowerment that you experienced on this journey as you started to realize, "Wait a minute, there has to be better way. "I need to investigate this further." But also I hear that that level of self awareness and admitting to your parents, "Hey, something is off here. "Something is not quite right. "And can it lead back to the fact "that I've been on a lot of different medications." So what's the most important thing that you learned during this tremendous journey? - I think the biggest thing is definitely that sense of self awareness and also doing your own research. I think there is so much information available to us just on the internet itself and being able to research and test things out and do your own research and experiments and all of that. Because everyone's body is very different. And so what is okay for one person to take or to eat or something, might not be the same for yourself. - That's a great point. - And so creating your own regimen of health is very important and finding your own middle ground and standing on it is so important. And so I think that's kinda been my biggest lesson is that my story doesn't look the same as someone else's, and so I have to be very aware of that and be okay with taking a different path in health and all of that. - Again, I love the empowerment that I hear in your voice and how you really took control of your own health, even though you're very young, Riley. And a lot of times we don't have these aha moments until sometimes we're older. And you certainly had these moments and you learned from 'em but you really embraced your health and you took a very personalized and customized approach to getting health back on track. So you and I have worked closely together. I have loved being your health coach. What have you learned during that process of us working together? What's been probably one of the biggest takeaways from us working together? - I think ultimately it's just been taking a step back and looking into the health industry a little bit more and just seeing the different parts of where marketing is a huge component of why we think some of the things that we think in regards to health, and also that health is not just a number on the scale, it's where are you at mentally, where are you at spiritually, where are you at emotionally. And I know that through our coaching sessions, we wouldn't even get to nutrition until the end, and we would talk about the wins of the week and the different things that might have been derailing or difficult during the week. And a lot of the times they were emotional components that led to a nutritional decision of some sort. But it was a lot of the times a lot deeper than just, "Oh, what foods am I putting in my mouth?" And I think that that was just a huge part of our coaching that was so beneficial to me. And just looking at also, there's so many other ways than what is presented when you walk into a doctor's office. And so getting to redefine my sense of health and redefine my ideas on nutrition and all of that and do my own research has been really cool and really awesome just to see the integration of faith into all of that, as well as I know that it is difficult to see faith integrated into the healthcare industry. And obviously that's been a huge passion of my own. And so getting to see you do that has been really cool. - I love how you put that we really took that holistic approach and looked at all facets. And it's been amazing to see you really become your own best health advocate and having your eyes open to a few things. So the last topic that I really want us to get into is one about being an athlete in this performance driven world that we live in. So how much pressure is put on you as an athlete, but how much pressure is put on you as a young woman? - I think it is so difficult to even explain the pressure that is put on you as an athlete because externally, people just come to watch you perform, And if you're not performing, you're not on the field, and if you're not on the field, you're almost worthless to the viewer. And that is obviously a perspective that is unsaid. A lot of the times nobody necessarily declares, "Oh my gosh, this is exactly what it looks like." But if you read between the lines, that's kind of what the sports industry put sports. And so those kinds of pressures are really difficult to work through because you have to remember that your worth is outside of the sport itself. And if you have a bad game and you get pulled from the game or anything like that, that doesn't derail who you are, it's just that you had a bad day. And so I think that there's so much pressure on athletes, especially mentally that is not necessarily always addressed. And so definitely, I'm a huge advocate for mental health within sports just because it's so difficult to work through, whether it's a coach telling you or a fan in the stands that's heckling you over something. There's just so many different components of it that are difficult. And then obviously as a female, any female sports especially, it's really difficult because there's that component of body image, and you have to look this certain way, but at the same time, the athletic build isn't what our traditional society looks at as attractive. And so fighting those mental battles as well has been a very difficult pressure that I think I never really addressed until after I was an athlete and just seeing that we're in the weight room, bulking up and getting stronger. And then you would go and compare yourself to the person on the front of a magazine and you wouldn't look the same. And your pressures were over completely different components, but. - And that comparison is truly the thief of joy. I'm sure you had certainly seen that. You referenced something, and I wanted to ask you, when it comes to mental health, is this discussed with athletes, is this focused on? - I think that it's a growing field. I think that there's more people that are becoming aware of the situation that it has been unaddressed for so long, but I think it's just kind of thrown under the rug. It's almost the, oh, tough it out, you're going to be fine kind of mentality. And it's slowly becoming more of a conversation between athletes and their coaches and having counselors or other sort of mental health staff within these different universities especially. But I think even at the high school level or middle school level, people just think, "Oh, they're getting out on the court. "They're getting out on the field. They must be okay." When in reality that could be a numbing agent or it could be just you put on that front because you have people looking at you, and behind closed doors, your mind is in a whole different place. And so I definitely think it's often overlooked, but I think it's a growing industry and field. - I'm glad to hear that it's growing. So as we wrap up our time together, how would you offer some encouragement to the guys and the girls out there who are in college, they might be an athlete? How would you encourage them to take control of their own health and not just focus on performance? - I think the biggest thing, especially if I was still an athlete right now, that I would tell myself is kind of do your own research. Maybe not look into what the strength coach is telling you or what your coach is telling you of, "Hey, you need to be doing this and this," and making it less of a checklist and more of a lifestyle, and whether that is the nutrition that you are focusing on or your workouts or your rest and all of that, kind of really just owning it yourself because the person next to you is not the same person as you. And I think as a team, a lot of the times, they want to almost create this cookie cutter image, and in reality, that's not how our lives are supposed to be. So owning your own health in a way that you feel comfortable walking out on a court or a field, and if that means you need to spend a little bit more time with a counselor in order to work through some of the performance-driven pressures or maybe spending a little bit more time feeding yourself nutrition that is different than the person next to you as well. Just taking those different components and owning it and walking in your own ways that will benefit you the best is important. - That is absolutely fantastic advice. I love how you said that it's less of a checklist and more of a lifestyle and just owning it yourself, owning your own personal health journey and seeking help, maybe paying attention to that mental and emotional component and seeking help from a trusted counselor I think is just fantastic advice. So, Riley, I knew we would have a great conversation today. Thank you for sharing with us your story and your insight, what you have learned along the way. I know I'm going to get a lot of folks who want to connect with you. So tell us, how can they connect with you? - So I have a couple of different things. My social media accounts on Instagram or Twitter, it's just Riley Duzenack, so R-I-L-E-Y D-U-Z-E-N-A-C-K. But I also have another Instagram page that is Faith Fruit and Fitness. And that page also is just a place where I love to share tips and information in regards to nutrition, my faith or workouts. And so either of those different accounts is a good way to get in contact with me. - That is fantastic. Thank you so much. Guys, also remember to subscribe to us on your favorite platform of choice, like us on Facebook, on Instagram at Inspire Healthy Harmony. You can also join in the discussion about a performance-driven world on our Facebook discussion group. And you can check us out at inspirehealthyharmony.com. So until we meet again, I hope you have a great day. Bye y'all. Navigating an illness or injury is never easy. Riley decided she needed the support of a Health Coach, I was honored to work with her. Here is what Riley said about her experience with me as her coach..."Jennifer not only has so much knowledge when it comes to health & nutrition, but she truly empowers you to be your own best health advocate. She listens, empathizes, and helps you create a plan that truly leads you to success, NOT burn out. Immediately upon talking to her you feel comfortable sharing your struggles, frustrations, and needs for overcoming barriers in your health journey. She helped me overcome digestion issues, brain fog, and chronic fatigue through small changes in my nutrition and lifestyle. I would recommend Jennifer for ANYONE seeking to improve their life through a holistic approach to health!" If this resonates with you, consider booking a coaching session at https://www.inspirehealthyharmony.com/coaching.html#/ |
