Monday, August 20, 2012

Drugs, No Drugs, Drugs, No Drugs



Just a little update. My poor body has been a mess. I was doing great so my lyme doc wanted to take me off all drugs for a month in order to do the Borrelia Culture through Advanced Labs. It's a newer test and a lot of docs are super excited about it because it's much, much more sensitive than any other culture out there. I felt great the first 4 days off treatment and then went down hill very fast. Psychologically I was a complete mess, I was so tired, and a million other things. So after I couldn't take it any longer I called my doc back and explained. He had me go back on a much higher dose of one of my meds to try and jump start me back to feeling good. Not good. I-FELT-HORRIBLE. I needed to puke but wouldn't allow myself because I needed to keep the drugs in, which resulted in dry heaving. Needless to say I was HERXING like crazy, my body was not happy with me for cutting all drugs cold turkey and then going back on, but only one drug, and a higher dose than normal. I decided to change my schedule up and take them all at bedtime in hopes I would just herx when I was sleeping. It didn't really seem to help much. Finally two days ago I couldn't take it any longer and made the decision to go down to one pill instead of two. Yesterday I felt so much better and so far today I feel pretty good! Thank god! My doc wanted me to call after I was back on for 10 days and then we plan on trying to go off drugs again to do the lab in one month, oh joy, can you feel my excitement?! Not sure If want to deal with the off and on drug battle again. He is going to call my back and we will go from there. I am just going to enjoy feeling good again and see what the next step is we take.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Joint pain-Lyme or Damage?



Joint pain was one of my first symptoms 5 years ago, one day I woke up in a lot of pain and my fingers frozen in the claw position. I couldn't pick my baby up out of her crib, I couldn't unscrew her bottles, it was hard to zip things, button things, snap things, etc.  It just got worse from there and my body would add more and more symptoms as time went on and on until a doc FINALLY diagnosed me with Lyme Disease along with the co-infections Babesia and Bartonella. Fast forward 5 years and 2 years of treatment and my body is in a much better place. I normally don't have joint pain anymore unless I push it. So which is it? Lyme disease or permanent damage from going so long with out being diagnosed and treated? I often wonder this. According to one of my lyme docs my Lyme and Bartonella are in remission and I just have Babesia left. This one has been the hardest on my body and hard to treat and get rid of. So when I over do it and my joints hurt, is it the babesia? Maybe my joints will always hurt and get sore when I am more active. If I do a lot of sewing or crafting, I am sore. If I walk a long ways, I am sore. If I work out, I am sore. Maybe I am just not active enough? Maybe babesia is hanging on? Or maybe that is how it will always be. Its frustrating not knowing. At least it isn't as bad as it was 5 years ago. I just hope that one day it will totally be gone and there are no lingering effects of Lyme and I will be in total remission.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Toxicity




Impending doom fills the air


The fog takes over your brain

It is thick like sludge

Your thoughts slow down

You feel stuck in between two worlds

The toxicity takes over

You can’t think

You can’t focus

You are no longer thinking like a person

You are thinking like the monster that has taken over your brain

You want out

It doesn’t matter how

You want to be alone

But know you shouldn’t be

You want to run, but the monster will follow you

You want it to end

Even if the end is truly the end

You know you need to surround yourself with those that care

You don’t want to, but force yourself to

The disease can’t win

You are stronger than that

You are strong

You will beat this


You will fight like you always fight

You are strong

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Panic Attack

Panic Attack 

Everything is loud like a fun  house
I cringe, plug my ears
Nothing helps
My chest is tight
A giant is sitting on it
My heart is being squeezed
I can't breathe
I need air
It's thick and can't get air
The room is spinning
I close my eyes, try to focus
Focus
Focus
Breathe
Feel the room around me
Feel the ground
Breathe
Breathe Breathe
Count, inhale
Count, exhale
You will be okay
You will not die
Focus
Breathe
Inhale, exhale 
Escape the noise
The body slows down
Count, inhale 1-2-3-4-5
Count, exhale 1-2-3-4-5
Slow down
The room slows down 
Breathe 
Breathe
Feel the air
The room stops moving
You are back
You are alive
You are breathing 
You are okay 
The giant has left
You are breathing 
Take a deep breath
Feel it in your lungs
You are okay

Julie 2012


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Update

Thing have been kind of mellow going from drugs to drug breaks. Now I am on new treatment for 8 weeks and its already been rough. Lot of bugs dying, that's for sure!! Even though it is miserable I know that this is how I am supposed to feel and it just means the treatments are working. Today I have been a sick, over heating, sweaty, pukey mess today. Luckily the hubby was home from work so took care of the kiddo so I could sleep all day. This too shall pass and I will come out better in the end.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Coffee Enema Detox

Great video explaining how coffee enemas work for those that are interested in trying it. Its very good for your body


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

What I Wish I Knew Ten Years Ago



•What a deer tick looks like and how very small they are


•When a deer tick is engorged with your blood it can look as big as a wood tick


•How to properly take a tick out. Do NOT squeeze the body, use a tweezers and get the head


•You don’t have to be in the woods to get it, you can be in your own back yard or right in the city


•Not everyone gets the bulls eye rash


•If caught early and you treat right away with antibiotics it can potentially be enough to get rid of it


•If caught later, you could have years and years of treatment and the damage may be irreversible


•Doing a full body check every single night is a key factor to find any ticks either before they attach or get them out as soon as possible


•Showering after being outside lowers your risk to get any unattached ticks off of you


•Putting your clothes in the dryer after being outside can kill ticks attached to your clothing and lower your risk


•Pets can bring ticks into your house and they can drop from them onto your bed, couch etc and then attach to you


•Kids are at the highest risk


•Keeping your lawn very short and cleaning up leaves right away lowers your risk


•The Elisa test they do at a normal clinic is a horribly inaccurate test and normal MD’s are not educated like they should be about Lyme Disease and co-infections


•You need to see a Lyme Literate Doctor to get accurate information


•You should be clinically diagnosed in addition to the advanced testing, there is no test out there for lyme disease that is accurate enough to 100% go off of


•If after going to a million doctors and getting nowhere, and getting diagnosed with random things, you are still not getting better you need to see a lyme literate doctor to at least rule out lyme disease


•Lyme Disease isn’t called the great imitator for nothing. It can imitate MANY other diseases out there 


•Do your homework and fight for your own health. Only you know how you feel