"I've Never Been the Same Since...": Understanding a Never Been Well Since Moment
Have you ever said those words? I've never been the same since. In naturopathy, we often call this a never been well since moment, a specific point in time after which your health shifted and never quite returned to where it was before.
I was 18. Athletic my whole life. Someone who always showed up. Then glandular fever hit, and alongside it came a depression that stayed for two years.
When one event becomes the same story
For six months, it was really bad. Days where I wouldn't sleep. I moved back home and my dad took time off work to look after me. Three months where I couldn't work. Then, slowly, an hour at a time, I found my way back.
Looking back now, I see that period very differently. What I experienced felt like a body and nervous system that had been pushed beyond their capacity to cope. At the time, the glandular fever and the depression felt like two separate things happening to me. Looking back, I don't see them as separate stories at all. I see them as the same story. That chapter shaped everything that came after.
Common triggers, and what can be overlooked
A never been well since moment can begin with all kinds of things. A virus. A traumatic event. Surgery. Pregnancy. A period of extreme stress. These are common turning points, and many people can identify a clear before and after in their own health when they stop and think about it.
Often, healthcare quite rightly focuses on treating the immediate event. The virus is diagnosed. The surgery heals. The acute crisis passes. But sometimes people are left wondering why they still don't feel like themselves. The fatigue that never fully lifted. The gut that was never quite right again. The immune system that seemed different. The mood that shifted and stayed shifted. Those ongoing symptoms aren't always explored as part of the same story.
These aren't always separate problems
This is the piece I really want people to sit with. Sometimes the lingering symptoms after a significant health event aren't simply a collection of unrelated problems. They're different expressions of a body that's still adapting after a major challenge. Once you start looking at your health through that lens, connected rather than isolated, the bigger picture often becomes much clearer.
I lived this myself before I understood any of it in naturopathic terms. My body went through something at 18 that took years to recover from, and nobody at the time helped me see the fatigue, the mood, and the physical illness as one continuous thread. That understanding came much later, when I looked back and connected the dots.
If this resonates
If you've ever said those words yourself, I've never been the same since, I want you to know that moment matters. It's not something to brush aside as just getting older, just being busy, or just how life is now. Sometimes a significant event marks a genuine turning point in our health, and it's worth exploring that story with someone who's willing to look at the whole picture.
This week I shared Chapter 1 of my own health story, the one about glandular fever and everything that came with it. If you've ever wondered whether your own turning point matters, please know you're not alone.
I'd love to help you explore your story and see whether there are pieces that deserve another look.
This post is part of my "This Is My Story" series, a look at the health experiences that shaped how I practise as a naturopath. You'll find Chapter 1, along with the rest of the series, over on Instagram and Facebook.
