Heal with Vickie
Vickie Padavano, RN, BSN, NC-BC, AFDN-T
You're exhausted, foggy, and the scale won't move no matter what you try. You've been told this is just Hashimoto's. It doesn't have to be your life.
Symptoms like yours don't show up out of nowhere. They're signals. When we actually look at what's driving them, with the right testing, most women find there's a lot more they can do than they've ever been told.
You've done everything you're supposed to do.
Cut out foods you were scared of. Started exercising. Tried the elimination diets, the medication, the supplements everyone recommended. Pushed through the exhaustion because what else were you supposed to do.
And you still wake up drained. Still bloated no matter what you eat. Still watching the number on the scale barely move, or refuse to move at all.
You've probably heard some version of "your labs are normal." Maybe you've seen multiple doctors and gotten the same basic thyroid panel and the same conversation about medication management. Maybe you're already on it and still don't feel like yourself.
Here's what none of those approaches accounted for:
Your Thyroid Doesn't function in isolation.
Your hormones, gut health, immune system, and energy production are all connected. When one part of that system is under stress, you feel it everywhere. Most conventional care looks at the thyroid alone. That's why so many women get partial answers, or a prescription and nothing else.
You wake up exhausted no matter how much you sleep
Your weight shifts and nothing you try moves it back
You're bloated, and food feels unpredictable
You're foggy, irritable, and not yourself, and that bothers you as much as the physical symptoms
Your energy crashes hard in the afternoon and doesn't come back
You feel like you're doing everything right and still losing ground
You're not imagining it. "Normal on paper" doesn't mean your body is functioning the way it should.
There's a reason you haven't had answers yet. It's not that answers don't exist.
Most approaches to Hashimoto's treat the thyroid. Functional lab testing looks upstream, at what's actually causing the dysfunction in the first place.
That's a different starting point. And it leads somewhere very different.
How I work with clients
I use functional lab testing to identify where your body has lost optimal function. Not to diagnose a disease. To find the hidden stressors behind your symptoms so we can address them directly, not just manage them.
From there, we build a protocol around your specific results. Food, sleep, stress management, movement, and targeted supplementation, matched to what your labs actually show.
What makes this different from what you've tried…
We start with data, not assumptions.
Most protocols are built on symptoms alone. We start with testing. That means nothing in your protocol is guesswork.
The thyroid is not the problem. It's the result.
I don't start there. I look at the whole body, because the thyroid is almost always responding to something happening somewhere else.
Your protocol is built for your biology.
What works for your friend, your sister, or the women in your online group may do nothing for you. Your biology is specific. Your protocol should be too.
We track whether it's working.
We run labs at the start and again mid-program. You're not left wondering if anything is shifting. We can see it.
Vickie Padavano RN BSN, NC-BC, AFDN-T
I spent years being told I was fine.
For years I dealt with restless legs, anxiety, depression, and skin issues I could never fully shake. Doctor after doctor handed me another prescription. Skin medication. Anxiety medication. Depression medication. None of it touched what was actually going on. Eventually I started self-medicating just to fall asleep at night and function the next day.
I gave up on getting a real answer. I gained weight. My brain fog got worse. My moods were unpredictable.
At 29, in 2020, I finally went in for fertility testing because I wanted to get pregnant. I was told I had almost nothing left. One or two eggs. That was the moment I knew something was actually wrong, not just in my head.
I pushed until I got referred to a specialist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I did everything I was told. Exercise. The right protocols. I got pregnant, had my baby, and my symptoms came back with a vengeance. A rash covered my body. I tried a different kind of doctor, tried cleanses, and nothing changed. I couldn't build muscle. I couldn't figure out why I was doing everything right and still falling apart.
It wasn't until I saw a naturopath and got some functional lab tessing done, that things started to make sense. I'd been treated based on what a single lab said in isolation, never what my whole body was actually telling me.
Once I understood how connected everything was, I finally started to heal. I stopped fearing food. I stopped guessing.
That sent me back to school. I trained through Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, built a practice around the process that changed my own health, and now I work with women with Hashimoto's and thyroid issues.
I know what it costs to go unheard for years. I know what opens up when you finally get real answers.
Vickie Padavano is an RN, BSN, board certified nurse coach, and FDN trained, with twelve years in the health space. She works virtually with clients nationwide across the US.
What changes when you finally have answers
Imagine waking up feeling rested. Not dragging yourself through the first two hours running on caffeine, just awake, clear, ready for the day.
Imagine your weight starting to shift, not because you're eating less or pushing harder at the gym, but because your body is finally getting what it needs to regulate itself.
Imagine feeling like yourself again. Not a managed version. Not a version you're constantly working around. Yourself.
That's what becomes possible when we stop managing symptoms and start addressing what's behind them.
"I can't remember the last time I felt this kind of energy and clear mind. I used to need hours before I felt functional. Now I'm up and doing things I love before I've even finished my coffee."
Vanessa, 38 | WA
"My swelling decreased substantially, my skin cleared up, and I had more energy than I'd had in a long time. The changes I noticed weren't just physical. Mentally, I had more clarity and less anxiety."
Natalie, 42 | FL
"I had seen multiple doctors and given injections for my knee. Nothing was working. I finally was able to wake up without the stiffness and pain. I slept through the whole night, which I hadn't done in longer than I can remember. And I was able to walk today. I couldn't do that for months."
Selma | Macedonia
From first conversation to real results, here's what to expect
Step 1: Discovery Call
We talk through what's been going on, how I work, and whether it's a fit. Thirty minutes, no pressure, nothing to prepare.
Step 2: Full Intake and Lab Testing
If we move forward, we start with a detailed health history and order your functional lab panel. Most tests are done at home with a collection kit sent directly to you. No clinic visit required.
Step 3: Results Review and Protocol
Once your results are back, we go through them together in a dedicated session. You'll understand exactly what we found, why each part of your protocol is there, and what we're working toward.
Step 4: Ongoing Support and Follow-Up Testing
We meet regularly throughout your program to track progress and adjust as needed. A second lab panel mid-program shows us what's shifting so we're always working from current data.
Ways to work with me
The Full Investigation
6-Month Signature Program
For women who want comprehensive answers and a full protocol built around their results. A complete functional lab panel, six months of one-on-one support, and a second round of testing to track your progress.
What's included:
Full health history intake
Comprehensive functional lab panel covering hormones, adrenal function, gut health, and metabolic markers
Personalized protocol across food, sleep, stress management, movement, and supplementation
Bi-weekly one-on-one sessions
Messaging support between sessions
Off-boarding call to prepare you for life after the program
Investment: Starting at $1750. Payment plans are available. Reach out if you'd like to talk through options before booking a call.
The Jumpstart
Food Sensitivity & Metabolic Typing Program
For women who want a clear starting point. This focused program uses targeted testing to identify food sensitivities and determine your individual metabolic type, so we can build an eating approach that actually works for your body, not just a general clean eating template.
A lot of women in perimenopause and menopause are eating "healthy" and still feeling worse. Sometimes the food is part of the problem. This is where we find out.
What's included:
Health history intake focused on diet, digestion, and symptom patterns
Food sensitivity testing and metabolic typing assessment
Personalized dietary protocol based on your results
Two one-on-one sessions to review findings and build your plan
30-day follow-up session to troubleshoot and adjust
Investment: Starting at $600. Payment plans available.
Not sure where to start? This is the place.
Download the free 7-Day Hormone & Symptom Tracker
Most women in perimenopause and menopause have never seen their symptoms laid out as data. This guided tracker changes that. Seven days of tracking your food, sleep, stress, and symptoms, and the patterns start to become visible in a way that no single appointment ever captures.
In one week you'll have:
A clear picture of which foods, habits, and stressors may be amplifying your symptoms
Real data to bring to a practitioner instead of just trying to describe how you feel
A starting point that's specific to your body, not a generic menopause protocol
Practical questions, honest answers
Do I need to have had lab work done already?
No. Many of my clients come to me having never had anything beyond standard bloodwork. We start wherever you are. If you've had prior testing, that context is helpful, but it's not a requirement.
Is this covered by insurance?
Functional lab testing and health coaching are typically not covered by insurance. Many clients use HSA or FSA funds, and I can provide receipts for that purpose. Think of this as an investment in getting actual answers rather than more managed care.
What if I'm on thyroid medications?
That's not a barrier. Many of my clients are on medication and still don't feel well. Functional testing often shows exactly why. We work with your current situation, and the data we gather can also support conversations with your prescribing provider.
How do the lab tests work?
Most are completed at home. You'll receive a collection kit, complete the sample yourself (saliva, urine, or finger stick depending on the panel), and ship it to the lab. Results come back to me and we review everything together in a dedicated session. Nothing gets sent to you cold without context.
What if I've already tried a lot of things and nothing has worked?
That's the most common story I hear. It usually means the approaches weren't matched to what was actually happening in your body. Starting from your data rather than a general protocol tends to produce a very different experience.
Do you work with clients outside the US?
Currently I work with clients in the US. If you're located elsewhere, feel free to reach out at [email protected] and we'll see if it makes sense.
You don't have to keep managing this.
If you've spent years being told your numbers look fine while your quality of life quietly shrinks, there's more information available to you than you've been given.
A discovery call is 30 minutes. We talk through what's been going on, I walk you through how I work, and we see if it's a fit. Nothing to prepare, no pressure.
You've been patient long enough. Let's find out what's actually going on.
I work with a small number of new clients each month so everyone gets the time and attention they need. If you're thinking about it, don't wait.
This content is for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Vickie Padavano works with clients to identify dysfunction and support the body's natural healing processes through personalized lifestyle and nutrition protocols.
© 2026 Vickie Padavano Coaching | Vickie Padavano RN BSN, NC-BC, FDN-T Virtual practice | Serving clients in the US
[email protected] | Privacy Policy | Terms