Spoonful of Lyme

The first time I heard about The Spoon Theory was from my friend Sheri who has a very debilitating condition called Nutcracker Syndrome. I immediately got it. It made perfect sense. I have been borrowing energy from other days for so long I am happy to at least now have a tangible analogy that healthy people can grasp.

I used to be one of those fairly healthy folks who could run with the big dogs for days and rarely have to sit on the porch. Today, I feel like the porch. Some days I have just enough energy to make it downstairs to fix breakfast by 10am. At times, I have finally finished my breakfast right about time to start making lunch. Because everything takes longer. I am wired like the hare, a typical Type-A CEO mindset who has had to learn to rethink the way I do everything. I have become the tortoise. The rapid get-it-all-done-yesterday mentality now resides in a body that just needs rest, and lots of it.

So what is The Spoon Theory anyway? Essentially, those with a chronic illness have to budget their time more efficiently and make more difficult choices about how to spend that time. Imagine being given 12 spoons at the beginning of the day, and each task will cost at least one of them. Just getting out of bed is 1 spoon, and if I didn't sleep well that is another. Two spoons down and I'm not even out of bed yet. I am quite often down 10 spoons before I have even left the house! The other day I was herxing BAD and ran out of all 12 spoons by lunch time. I knew I was spent for the day, nothing was going to get accomplished, and I needed groceries. So for the first time in my life, I ordered them online and had them delivered. For many, that may be the norm or sound like an indulgence. For me...it was a huge step backward and I cried all afternoon because I felt useless. That, in turn, snatched away a spoon from the next day because I would inevitable wake up tired for expending additional energy I didn't have to begin with.

Since you can save up or borrow from another day, I call Sunday my Spoon-Saver Day. The Father of Creation had it right: take a day to rest and regenerate. I use Sunday to restock my weekly supplement divider, plan meals for the week, and just rest. I take a long, indulgent nap every Sunday after church and lunch. Every. Single. Sunday. I plan my spoons for the week, knowing that I will be spending a whole day's worth if I have clients who want to go see property. The Good Lord has so far worked things in my favor so that I wake up with enough energy on the days I have clients. Or, I will shuffle around my day and take the Scarlett O'Hara approach to things like housework. Either way, I have learned to cherish my spoons and allocate them thoughfully and with purpose.

P. S. This blog post cost me 2 spoons!! One from a few days ago when I started it and one of today's spoons to finish it.

Killing Bartonella

Sounds like a bad Lifetime movie about the systematic stalking and ultimate demise of a college co-ed. In some ways that is exactly what I am doing: methodically pursuing a stealthy critter with a fancy family name in order to eradicate it from my cells. Minus Tori Spelling in the starring role, naturally. I could probably draw a parallel to the level of irritation both present to the general public but I digress...

Bartonella is a bacteria that frequently presents its perfectly laquered nails as a co-infection of Lyme's. Picture it as the catty sorority sister who stirs the pot at breakfast then retreats to her perch to observe the conflict. Always there lurking around corners and snickering from the top of the stairs during a mixer. Right about the time things have settled down in the house *BAM*....Bartonella strolls in and drops an additional juicy tidbit.

Bartonella has a sordid family history with many branches to its lineage. It can be transmitted by not only ticks, but also fleas, mosquitoes, spiders, many a creepy crawling insect of which we have in droves in the state of NC. It also can be transmitted by our loving furbabies, believe it or not! One root of its family tree causes Cat Scratch Fever, and no...Ted Nugent is NOT the co-ed stalker in this film.

Behold my poisons of choice!

                                               

I currently dose both Bartonella and her pesky sister Burgdorfi (Lyme's spirochete) 3 times a day with teasel root. It is an incredibly powerful herbal remedy that will flat knock you on your yoga booty if you accidentally take even one drop over your recommended dose. It's crazy! When I picked up a bottle in a local store the seal at the top was busted, and about 10 drops spilled onto my hand. I immediately herxed and was miserable for a few days.

Next comes one of my favorites which is known for its anti-viral, anti-microbial, and oxidative properites....colloidal siver. This is the shiny lavalier around the neck of both co-eds and is in my opinion a holistic remedy everyone needs daily. I even bought a 5% eye and ear solution that is helping clear my chronic eye inflammation and the tone of my tinnitus is changing in just one week. Not sure if the tinnitus clearing is from the solution or my updated oral supplement protocol, but my ears are definitely itching less internally. As far as the oral colloidal silver solution, I really like this one from Nature's Sunshine.

The Catucky Derby...Bogey, Simba, St. James (L to R)

Lastly, I have added in Una de gato, also known as cat's claw. Can you think of a more aptly named method to stalk and destroy such a catty co-ed? This is also a very powerful healing herb, and the recommended supplemental dose is only 1 a day. I am testing for 4 a day yet I have to build up to that dose over a 30-day period. How about that...cat's claw to shred the bacteria that causes cat scratch fever. God does have a sense of humor in the midst of all this lurking and gossiping in my central nervous system. Fortunately, I don't have the cat scratch fever Bartonella strain. The uña de gato I take is also a Nature's Sunshine product as is about 90% of all of my supplements.

Now that you know the back story and are familiar with the plot twists...can you blame me for Killing Bartonella?

My talons are out, and as the adage goes...mess with the kitty, get the claws!

One-Year Lyme's Anniversary

Most anniversaries are happy occasions, they mark the passage of what are hopefully joyful times. Today is the one-year anniversary of my Lyme's self-diagnosis. Wish I could say I am filled with joy about it, yet in some way I am because a year ago today my life changed. I found answers that had eluded me for decades.

I have talked about it on here before, of how the good Lord literally led me to take a Lyme's assessment I saw on Facebook. At first I poo-pooed it like many of you probably have or will. Then suddenly the brain fog I had been living with for years was lifted and replaced by hope! I wasn't losing my ever-loving mind, and I wasn't aging quicker than I should be. I discovered I do have a debilitating condition...yet it is also a treatable one! If you are interested in taking it or even curious about the symptoms, it is worth the time invested. Click the link and scroll down to download the assessment. A detailed list of symptoms is also below:

By now some of you are yanking on the anchor, wanting to stop this ship in mid-sail. What do I mean..."self-diagnosis?" After I took this positively conclusive assessment I immediately started looking for a local Lyme-literate doctor. Everything I was reading prepared me that a typical, allopathic doctor will not treat for the dis-ease. I go to a naturopath anyway, so it was my instinct to head that direction. I found a clinic in Chapel Hill that looked promising! This is how my conversation went with the overly enthusiastic office manager:

Him: She is THE BEST Lyme's doctor in the country, patients just flock here!

Me: Great! So how does she diagnose? Does she do blood tests or what?

Him: No, blood tests are inconclusive at the chronic stage so she will diagnose based on symptoms. But she still draws blood anyway. You'll LOVE her!

Me: I had read that about the blood tests, and I have already done an extensive questionnaire. So, what does it cost and how long can I expect to be there for my first appointment?

Him: She charges $375/hour and you will be here around 3 hours. That price does not include your bloodwork. We have an opening 6 weeks from now, aren't you excited?

Me: Hmm. So, let me get this straight. I am to suffer for 6 more weeks without relief or answers. Then, I will be paying over a thousand bucks to get blood drawn for unnecessary labwork as well as fill out a detailed assessment I have already done myself for free? 

(CRICKETS)

Him: But she's so good!

I hung up with Mr. Jolly and immediately called my naturopath, sent her my assessment results, booked an appointment to see her the following week. She made calls to doctors in her network and sent me a few things to do to get me by before my appointment. I ordered my infrared sauna and ionic detox footbath from Amazon, had them the next day.

Today at the one-year mark I took the assessment again, and there have been many improvements! My hair is no longer falling out, my daily migraine is now weekly, brain fog has diminished, memory is improving, fewer muscle twitches, night sweats are reduced, not as dizzy upon standing. Energy level is greatly improved. Many other changes and improvements yet I still have quite a ways to go for a complete reversal of symptoms. At least I am starting to have more good days than bad!

Lyme's is a whole-body condition that can affect every system and every organ of your body, that is precisely why it is notoriously mis-diagnosed and under-diagnosed. I helped one of my college friends self-diagnose this week after many years of her doctors not listening to her. It is a tricky condition, certainly frustrating at best and debilitating at worst. But it is one that IS treatable and I am determined to be a success story on the other end of my diagnosis. And with that, I am off to kill some spirochetes in my sauna ;-)

What in the world is quantum biofeedback?

Dr. Kim and I have changed up my treatment protocol a bit...and it seems to be working! My body has fought and is winning the battle of eradicating viruses and bacterial infestations I have had for years. We are now able to specifically target the Lyme's spirochete and I feel like a superhero giving the smack-down to my personal Kryptonite some days. I have gone from weekly biofeedback sessions to now only needing one a month. You may think that a weekly anything isn't that big of a deal, and it isn't until you add in the 2 hour drive to Wilmington from Raleigh, another 2 hours sitting in a chair, then an additional 2 hour return to Raleigh. Yeah. Weekly visits even with someone as wonderful as Dr. Kim was getting OLD as Methuselah.

Since most of you are probably not familiar with the main treatment protocol I have chosen, I thought I would give you just a little bit of information about it. Essentially, Quantum Biofeedback is a machine based on quantum physics and it works with your body's biorhythms at the cellular and energetic level. It is pretty much hitting a full system reset button every time you do one of these sessions.

I am connected to a computer by 5 bands from 90 minutes to 2 hours each session. I admit, when I first started seeing Kim for this therapy for migraines several years ago I was a bit skeptical. Actually, so skeptical and enough of a brat that I had to try it out just to debunk the therapy. I initially purposely withheld things that were going on with my body and my bodily systems just to see if they were picked up on the software. To my amazement, many minute things showed up on the test Matrix...even a Cheezits binge several days prior to one session. (I know, right?) I quickly quit doubting the technology and now I gladly submit to this slightly esoteric therapy.

I have been asked if I feel anything during one of my sessions. I am one of those humans who is very attuned to what is going on within my system. I can usually tell what area Kim is working on, whether it be my gums, my central nervous system, my back, even my liver or gallbladder.  It doesn't hurt at all, but sometimes I can feel an organ twitch or jump or feel additional energy in certain areas. The biggest payoff is at the end of that hour and a half to two hour session when I am balanced, focused, and feel a sense of well-being about myself. It is worth the 6-7 hours out of a day, even for someone like me who is unable to sit still very well for 5 minutes.

What I like best about this technology is it resets the mind - body - spirit connection. Have you ever felt like things were just off and that you were not firing on all of your cylinders? Can you suspend your skepticism and disbelief enough to understand that a lot of dis-ease is caused by emotional blocks? Earl Nightingale said it best: "you become what you think about." Do you feel better about yourself when you are sitting around complaining, or when you are thanking God for being able to hear the birds sing that day? By the same token, when you are feeling awful does it help when you sit around and miserate about it or get out and try to do something to help someone else? And that my friends is precisely why I am writing this blog.

Yes, Lyme's dis-ease and its subsequent symptoms were caused by a microscopic critter that invaded my system decades ago. Years of self-abuse by eating the wrong things, not getting enough sleep, allowing emotional blocks to cause me to physically stumble...not following my heart let alone the God I believed in yet turned my back on. All of these factors contributed to my body not being able to clear the minute stealth bomber wreaking havoc in my body. Those days are over, friends, thanks to a vast array of nutritional supplements, lifestyle changes, an assortment of treatment modalities...and LOTS of prayer.

Word for the day: Spirochetes

Borrelia burgdorferi. Up until 10 months ago I would have thought that was the name of a drink concoction at a pretentious hotel bar in some exotic location. Or perhaps Justin Bieber's new Swedish supermodel girlfriend. Today I know it intimately as it is the bane of my existence, my nemesis, yet not my downfall as I am going to win this battle. Borrelia burgdorferi is simply a big, fancy name for a microscopic critter commonly known as the Lyme's spirochete.

This nasty vermin is double-coated and corkscrew-shaped, the better to hide itself from that which would knock it on it's fancy-named booty. It has enjoyed perhaps 2 decades of destroying my central nervous system, joints, vital organs, and my very sanity at times. I thank the Good Lord for leading me to a Facebook page that contained a questionnaire I felt prompted to take. Unlike the Chemistry 101 final my Freshman year at college, this was unfortunately a test I passed with flying colors. Suddenly I had the answer as to why I couldn't get well no matter how many green smoothies I drank, supplements I took, or foods I removed from my diet. Sweet! Should be smooth sailing, right?

WRONG!

That little questionnaire sent me on a trip around my internal world that still has uncharted territory. It's like all this time I thought the earth was a sphere just to wake up one day and discover it is really round like a tabletop. It has taken my naturopathic doctor and me 10 months to kill off secondary infectons (like Epstein–Barr) and rebuild my immune system enough to be able to take the battle to the beast. I am armored up to the hilt now, though!

Enter in the nemesis of B. burgdorferi....teasel root. If you pay enough attention you quickly learn that God puts the remedy right alongside of the toxin. Teasel is a weed that grows where? You guessed it. In forests commonly known to have a very high population of deer and therefore deer ticks. This homeopathic remedy is very potent and powerful. It has taken me a month to move up to where I can tolerate 2 drops of it 3 times a day, and that still isn't the optimum dose. I am herxing bad right now (see previous post on here for description), I am about to jump out of my skin. And I will gladly continue to suffer through many healing crises as long as it takes to kill off these little vampires that have clung to me like so many leeches for entirely too long. I am becoming the windshield instead of the bug, braving the elements of my internal flora and fauna as I eradicate this infestation. I am making light of it to interject some humor, but have no doubt that my healing has been a long journey with many more Gilgameshian adventures around the bend. Healing from Lyme's ain't no joke. But I am healing! Every day I have a bit more energy, my tinnitus is improving, I feel less toxic. Still have a long way to go, I am very encouraged however.

So do yourself a favor the next time you go hiking. Or walking in a meadow. Or playing on the playground with your kids. Or even out showing property like me. Inspect yourself and each other for creepy-crawlies that can be as tiny as a period on this page. Ticks aren't just a nuisance from the arachnid family: they are little armored tanks with both immediate and time-released ammo.

Rhymes With "Jerks"

Before reading any further than the title, those of you also suffering from Lyme's know exactly where this post is heading...

I am again plagued with the Herx...herxes....the dreaded Herxheimer reaction. Funny that one delineation of the term rhymes with "jerks" as 1) my muscles are jerking and twitching randomly and 2) I am being a jerk because I feel quite dreadful. To borrow a phrase from my Granny, I am "ill as a dern hornet." In researching for this blog post I came across the below description which accurately describes what my body is enduring right now.

Along with the above list is the feeling of overwhelm, especially in a Type-A, dominate/driver personality such as yours truly. You want to get everything done on your list, and you try really hard, but mentally you just can't juggle all your tasks that day. The important things get done, other things fall by the proverbial wayside. Exhaustion sets in because of the previous night's insomnia, and a nap sounds like a fabulous idea...until you lay down and your central nervous system won't let you rest. Then the brain kicks in about the tasks you aren't doing. Then my favorite....just can't get comfortable. Phantom itching that isn't really there and tingling, over-sensitive skin that has caused me to rip or cut almost every tag out of every item of clothing I own. 

So, what caused it this time? We switched up my supplements again, changed my protocol to include colloidal silver as well as a yeast/fungal detox regimen. Silver is a very powerful anti-pathogen that kills virus, fungus, bacteria, you name it. It has been used for centuries to treat everything from eye infections to hepatitis to even treating drinking water. This is where the saying "born with a silver spoon" came from as it was discovered the aristocracy suffered much less and were apparently immune to many plagues and infections that wiped out entire populations. They ate with silver utensils and drank from silver cups. In my case, the same silver is wiping out entire populations of creepy crawly microscopic critters that have been plaguing me for years. 

Oddly enough, the Herxheimer reaction is also called a "healing crisis." Let that sink in. Healing is restoration, and a crisis is an intense, often dangerous situation. In essence, I am in an intensely dangerous state of restoration. Don't worry, it isn't physically dangerous as it isn't going to kill me...I just feel wretched. Believe it or not, the dreaded Herx is a sign of improving health.

I search for God's grace in every situation, and it is here with me during this one. I struggled harder yesterday that I am today, and on the way home from the office I remembered I would need to pull the recycyling bin back around the building. That was the LAST thing I wanted to do so I decided it would sit there until it either rusted to the ground or melted in the sun. I did the Scarlett O'hara thing, I would worry about it tomorrow. As I turned the corner I cut my eyes towards my driveway and the blue cart...and it wasn't there. Tears immediately streamed in relief and gratitude. A super sweet neighbor had taken it back for me, she made my day and I couldn't thank her enough. I have asked God for rapid healing, prayed for it mulitple times a day...perhaps He has His hands on me after all.

Gonna Make Ya Sweat!

Last night I found the Lyme's patient's equivalent to the Holy Grail: SLEEP. Sleep is very elusive for us. Between the central nervous system misfiring, muscle cramps/twitching, and waking to stumble to the bathroom every couple of hours after a day's worth of anti-inflammatories and detox herbs...we just don't sleep. I slept like a hibernating bear last night, and if it wasn't for 3 cats who are convinced they are starving I would probably still be asleep right now.

In the past, I have used an Infrared Sauna to detox; I either went to a spa or natural health clinic that offered the service. I gravitated back to this therapy a few months before I discovered the underlying cause for my failing health. I was spending a chunk of change to go to a day spa every week...then it dawned on me that I could just buy my own! I ordered an affordable infrared sauna tent off of Amazon. Lo and behold it appeared at my front door pretty much the same day I discovered the name of the beast within. I now enjoy this therapy weekly, right here in the comfort of my own home.

This little beauty is portable so it can be broken down and installed in less than 5 minutes. It has a stadium seat inside, which I line with a towel. There is a brace inside the front section so it doesn't fall inward when assembled. I dry brush my skin while I wait for it to heat up. Then I just sit in my tent, stick my head out the hole, zip it up from the inside, and chill for up to an hour. Actually, I don't chill....I SWEAT and I sweat a lot! It heats up to 150 degrees and forces the toxins right out of you. To prevent boredom (and my tinnitus driving me cray in the silence) I will use this time to catch up on that week's episode of Master Chef on Hulu. Or I will read. Or pray.

For those of you looking to add to your Lyme protocol, or anyone who wants a gentle yet powerful detox, I cannot recommend this therapy enough. If you have the room in your home and your budget for a stationery sauna, you can purchase a unit for around $1000 and upwards depending on the size. This is next on my list of things to invest in for my health. And it is an investment, a monetary as well as emotional one as this condition will literally bring you to your knees most days.

I got in my little personal oasis about an hour before going to bed last night. Rinsed the toxins off my skin in a lukewarm shower afterward, slathered a mix of frankincense and lavender on my skin when I got out. Took 2 of my natural muscle relaxers and crawled between my 1200 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. Yes, I slept and I slept hard! I needed the rest as I have had quite a challenging week.

As always, if I can be of any help or offer any advice please let me know! I am also open to learning about additional protocols from other Lyme's sufferers as let's face it...there is no one answer to this often perplexing condition. God bless you all!