So good to be back!!

I don't even know where to begin… December and January were hard months. My Lyme doc expected I would be doing a lot better after the hyperbaric treatments, but that wasn't the case. After an impromptu appointment, my doc discovered that my body is not able to rid itself of the bugs that we are killing. As a result, I am building up toxins in my body. YIKES! Thus, I'm not healing like I should. My doc suggested I see a naturopathic doctor, let’s call her Doc R, who he claimed would be able to find out why I'm not detoxing.

Last weekend, my mom and I flew to San Jose to see Doc R. It was a long trip. I actually saw four doctors while I was there. The Lord completely provided. Dr. R was absolutely amazing. She practiced medicine in a way that I was unfamiliar with, but had amazing results. She was able to test my medication to see which was actually the most beneficial for my body. She used different techniques to determine other issues that are plaguing my body. Based on her findings, which include problematic viruses and allergies to nightshade vegetables, my Lyme doc is better able to treat me. My appointment with Dr. R was a huge blessing. I prayed weeks in advance that God would pour out His wisdom on this woman. And He did. Not only was she completely confident in her diagnostic approach, but she also has a specific knowledge base that not all doctors have, first-hand experience of Lyme. Dr. R now lives symptom-free based on her treatment and believes I will be feeling better in the next month.

After seeing Dr. R, my Lyme doc changed around a bunch my meds. I am now doing two IV medications, one of which takes three hours to infuse. I purchased an IV pole on eBay (25$- score!!) and can't wait to be mobile. The only new difference is the need to take long naps daily.

Let me just tell you that I am doing so well. I feel so blessed and so thankful. God continues to reveal Himself to me in new ways. I feel like a piece of ore, being refined daily until finally I'm gold.

Please keep me in your prayers. I ask for continued patience and for a quick recovery. I'm so ready to be better, but I must rely on God's timing. I've heard the Lord tell me I will get better in the spring. I ask from the bottom of my heart that you will intercede in prayer on my behalf.

Short and Sweet

I have been feeling extra terrible lately-- this IS a good thing. Worse before better. I've been having more neurological symptoms. Problems with memory, attention, making decisions and the like. At least my hair seems to have stopped falling out. So thank you so much for your prayers.

In the midst of all this, God has continued to bless me. He has recently brought some amazing people into my life. He is using me to work His glory and He continues to be my source of strength.

This too shall pass.

The Lord is good to me and so I praise the Lord

This past week the Lord surrounded me with a huge body of support. I got lots of e-mails, text messages, phone calls, cards, invitations to go out to lunch, people wanting to stop by, and I even received a few gifts. Many people were praying for me and I felt truly cared for. God knew how badly I would need such support. I have been going through a rough period in my treatment. The toxicity of the medication and the Lyme bacteria have been making me feel terrible. In order to combat this, the Lord brought some friendly faces into my life to distract me and remind me of His love.

Please especially keep me in your prayers for the next few days. I want to feel better by Thanksgiving so I can hangout with my brother and sister when they come home. Also, please petition the Lord to strengthen my body. My blood cell count shows how hard I’m fighting off this disease and I can sure feel it. And one more request; a lot of my hair has begun to fall out. I desperately want this to stop and I want new hair growth to begin. PLEASE pray for me.

A note to everyone—I just watched seasons 1 & 2 of Lost. It is my new favorite show. I recommend it to everyone.

Blessings!

Saturdays

My blog has been quiet for awhile. This is not for lack of riveting stories, but because I've simply been drained. A few Saturdays ago I had an appointment with my Lyme doctors. All went well. The docs increased my IV medication; I now infuse twice a day followed by three days of rest. I was given more supplements as well. One of these is called Intestinal Drawing Powder. Yummy right?? It’s like drinking charcoal. It doesn’t go down very smoothly. We (the docs and I) discussed new symptoms and charted my progress. I’m on course. And so ready for the course to end. I left the appointment feeling overwhelmed, but still hopeful. God is going to heal me.

I then got to have lunch with Sheila- my dear friend, Lyme confidante and angel. This was only my second time seeing her in person. I savored the time we spent together. We are traveling together the same path and offer one empathy, advice, tears and laughter.

Now skip forward to the following Saturday. My dad was going to be gone for the day and my mom asked me what I wanted to do. Well of course I desperately wanted to go to the recently renovated and revamped Oaks Mall. I love malls, but they don’t love me back. Malls make my energy evaporate. My mom and I are reasonably decided that we would just go to 2 or 3 stores and then leave. On our way I started to get really bad pain. And then my eyes got really sore (a bizarre Lyme symptom). In a matter of speaking, I got on my knees. I asked the Lord to take away my pain and fatigue so I could experience some fun in my life. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I was about to tell my mom to turn around, but we were at the mall. I still felt horrible. As soon as I got out and started walking around I felt so much better. We ended up being at the mall for three hours. The Lord totally invigorated me and gave me so much energy. It was such a gift, an answered prayer that meant the world to me. God is my (our) Papa- he wants to grant my (our) desires. Thank you Papa.

A little distressed, completely blessed

It’s been a while since my last post, and boy have I been busy. Last Thursday my mom and I flew to San Jose to see two of my docs; a chiropractor and a dentist. We finished my appointments, made our usual stop at Whole Foods (love the samples), and then we journeyed home. When we landed in Burbank Airport, I was struck with severe brain fog. I've been to this airport countless times, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where we were supposed to go or what we do next. I followed my mom to our shuttle and smiled at the couple sitting across from me.

My mom says I then grabbed her arm and said, “I don't feel good.” I then fell on my side; I was having a seizure. Minutes later I woke up in a parking lot on a gurney with about 10 firefighters looking down at me from my feet. I was sweating and vomiting, so no, I couldn’t tell you if any of them were cute. My mom was off frantically looking for our car in the parking lot. The couple who I smiled at earlier in the shuttle stayed around to see if we needed any help. When the woman, Pat, offered to help, my mom asked where she lived. Simi Valley. My mom then asked if Pat could drive our car home, with my mom holding me in the back seat. “Of course,” she said.

I was placed in the back seat of our car with my mom holding me an we headed home. Pat’s husband followed us in their car. (At the time of my seizure my dad was out to dinner with my uncle Matt. Him and my dad jumped in Matt’s car and started driving out our way). This is where my story gets really good. My mom and Pat started talking in the car. It turns out Pat is Catholic, very Christianized-Catholic. They spent the rest of the ride sharing Bible verses and talking about Christ. We found out that Pat and her husband were at the airport returning from an anniversary trip. Instead of going home to see their young four kids, they stuck around to help us. What an unselfish act! This is exactly what we are called to do as followers of Christ; love others as we do ourselves. Our very own angels! My family was so blessed by these strangers’ actions and they, in turn, were blessed as well.

Once we finally made it home, my uncle Matt carried me inside because my dad couldn’t. I was so glad he stayed around. My parents were able to get a hold of my Lyme doctor who explained that the chiropractor in San Jose released so many toxins from my spine during my treatment. This toxicity caused the seizure. My Lyme doc told me to take anti seizure medication, which my mom found among my pharmacy. I though I had thrown it all away. God is so good to me.

I am completely fine. My tongue is still numb and all the dizziness and nausea have gone away. I also stopped HBO treatment for the last week because it can induce oxygen seizures. But it’s all good. God wrapped His arms around me and protected me and provided for me.

the lights are on, but no one is home

This phrase describes the last week of my mental state. Not fully there. I am pretty sure this is caused by the increased oxygen I've been receiving in treatment. Oh, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. I'm not really a fan. I'm flat on my back for 90 min in what I refer to as a "glass coffin." But I am pretty sure coffins are bigger than the chamber I'm in. I'm not allowed to fall asleep, so I watch movies. Any suggestions? I'm having some problems with this new treatment. First, I get terrible anxiety. Even before getting into the chamber I start having chest pain and my heart starts racing. This is not good. My heart rate has to be lower than 100 bpm in order to begin. If not, I am sent home. Yikes! To battle this problem, I take a calming med and pray continually for God's peace. Once I make it inside the coffin, I tend to be panicky. I get scared because I am completely enclosed. Then, about half way into my treatment I get wiggly and need to move. Unfortunately, I can't. Lately my mom has been sitting next to me during my treatment. This helps me tremendously.

I am supposed to have 40 HBOT treatments. I've done 9 so far. I've likened this experience to Noah's 40 days/nights on the ark, Christ's 40 days in the desert and the Israelites wandering for 40 years. This is my 40; my period of testing, my time to truly surrender instead of control.

The only function that has worsened thus far is my thinking. I'm having some memory problems and most of the time I don't feel "present" (the lights are on...). And I've been more tired lately.
Please pray that the Lord calms my heart and nerves, that His light shines away anything that is not of Him. I also ask for you to pray that healing comes quickly. I'm so ready for these bugs to die so I can on. Above all, I trust God knows what He is doing.

God Bless

Still a spring chicken

Let me tell you about my awesome birthday. My best friends hosted a lunch bbq to celebrate my special day. I have some amazing people in my life. I felt so celebrated. The focus was not on Lyme, but ME!! And I felt so good, I had enough energy to last. And let me tell you about my cake. My Aunt Deb made me the most fantastic cake I have ever had. It was made entirely of fruit. Isn't it beautiful? It was de-lic-ous. My brother and sister couldn't the party, so the family party is still to come.

I bought myself a birthday gift... a CAR. Yay!! I am so excited. It's a blue 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. The car is great, but the previous owner placed a lot of stickers on the car. My dad says they won't be too hard to remove. Prayerfully I will be able drive soon and reclaim more independence.