From Surviving to Thriving: Lizzie's Journey from Barrett's Esophagus to Her First Art Exhibition

Lizzie Mae remembers exactly what life felt like when her body seemed to be working against her at every turn. "I had a lot of quite serious gut problems," she recalls. "I had acid reflux as well with Barrett's esophagus. I had all sorts of sleeping problems. The gut problems, energy levels were very low. My skin and my hair were very dry. All sorts of postmenopausal nonsense going on." The 58-year-old woman wasn't just dealing with one or two symptoms – she was drowning in a sea of interconnected health challenges that had accumulated over years. Barrett's esophagus. The words alone carry weight – a condition where the lining of the oesophagus changes due to chronic acid damage, requiring careful monitoring. Add to that a hiatus hernia, hyperlipidemia, osteopenia, and lymphopenia. Her body had become a collection of diagnoses rather than a vessel for living. But the physical symptoms were only part of the story. "And I was quite depressed because of all of these things," Lizzie admits.

Living alone whilst supporting her daughter and two grandsons, Lizzie found herself constantly drained. A mental breakdown three years prior, linked to childhood trauma, had left its mark. Clinical depression. Anxiety that sat at 6 out of 10. An eating disorder (EDNOS) that complicated her relationship with food. Sleep that was nearly impossible to initiate or maintain – she'd fall asleep at 10pm, wake at 2am, and struggle to drift off again. Her bowels were unpredictable: regular for a week, then four days of constipation with hard stools. Bloating. A burning sensation in her throat and nose. Sinusitis that flared monthly. Vitiligo patches appearing on her face and back – possibly autoimmune, certainly stress-related.

Despite being a trained kundalini yoga teacher who walked for an hour daily, despite her genuine commitment to wellness – Lizzie felt like she was losing the battle. That's when she found Nirva Health.

Within weeks of starting the full health programme, the impossible started happening. By mid-December, her nausea was absent. The acid reflux that had contributed to her Barrett's esophagus? Gone. Her stress levels, while still present, began to ease. And sleep – that elusive, precious commodity – started to improve.

"Improved, 6 hours, woke up only once last few days," her health coach noted at the end of December. For a woman who had been waking at 2am and struggling to fall back asleep, this was remarkable progress.

The hard stools that had plagued her? Improved to grade 2. The fatigue that had left her energy levels "very low"? Beginning to lift. Her body was responding to the right support, finally getting what it needed.

"I started working with the Nirva Health team back in December last year, early December," Lizzie explains. What she found surprised her. It wasn't just a programme – it was a team of people who genuinely cared. "It was lovely to have the recipes, the shopping list, the dietary guidance," she shares, her voice warming at the memory. "The sessions with this wonderful doctor, weekly session with the health care coach – he's brilliant."

For Lizzie, who had been managing her conditions largely alone – even discontinuing her hyperlipidemia medication and vitamin supplements – having a dedicated team felt revolutionary. "I've never had so many people being truly concerned and caring about my health."

Her body constitution was identified as Vata-Pitta (as per Ayurvedic identification), helping guide a personalised approach that understood her unique constitution. The team didn't just see her diagnoses – they saw her: a woman supporting her family whilst neglecting herself, craving sweets when anxious, struggling to sleep, fighting a body that seemed determined to break down. For the first time in years, Lizzie felt seen.

Healing isn't always linear, and Lizzie's journey proved this truth. February brought some setbacks. Sleep became disturbed again "due to issues" – life stress, as Lizzie later noted, "comes to us all, doesn't it, frequently." The hard stools returned to grade 8. Hot flashes, a constant companion of postmenopause, fluctuated in intensity.

But Lizzie had something she'd lacked before: a support system. "I can just message my health coach," she explains. "And in fact, she checks up on me at important times." By early March, despite stress reaching severe levels (intensity 4), the nausea remained absent. The acid reflux stayed at zero. Her yoga sessions – "tailored just for me" – became her anchor.

The gut that had caused her "quite serious problems" was healing. The acid that had damaged her oesophagus was under control.

By April, Lizzie's body had fundamentally changed. The symptom tracker told a story of sustained improvement: - Nausea: Mild to Absent - Acid reflux: Consistently Absent - Fatigue: Moderate and manageable - Hard stools: Mild - Hot flashes: Mild - Stress: Moderate - Sleep: Moderate But the numbers don't capture the most remarkable development. "My last endoscopy quite recently showed the Barrett's esophagus is – I'm negative for Barrett's esophagus basically," Lizzie shares, her voice carrying the weight of what this means. Negative. For Barrett's esophagus. A condition that requires careful monitoring, that carries risks, that had been part of her medical identity – gone. Reversed. Healed. "There's no acid reflux," she confirms.

Nausea : Absent

Acid reflux : Absent

Hard stools : Moderate

Hot flashes : Absent

Stress : Mild

Sleep : Absent Issues

I've now transitioned to the maintenance programme, and I have to say, it feels like such a testament to how far I've come and the foundation I've built. My last endoscopy, quite recently actually, showed that the Barrett's oesophagus is – I'm negative. I still can't quite believe it when I say it out loud.

I arrived at Nirva Health managing multiple chronic conditions largely on my own, and now I've become someone with a team, with tools, with a transformed body. More than that, I've become someone with a future to look forward to. I've been in great shape now, and I'm just about to join my first big art exhibition, which is really exciting. The team at Nirva have been amazingly supportive around all of this. Incredible.

From depression to art exhibitions. From Barrett's oesophagus to negative. From exhaustion to energy. From surviving to thriving.

Because as I've proved, even Barrett's oesophagus can be reversed. Even the most complex health pictures can improve. Even when you feel like everything is falling apart, healing is possible. Highly, highly recommend.