Spring, a season of new life and new hope

Dear friends,

We seem to have finally entered spring here in Canada.  The sights, sounds, and smells of spring are so refreshing, aren't they?  Spring is that relief after enduring months of harsh conditions.  Don't get me wrong; I love aspects of winter, too, but after five months of cold, wind, ice, slush, and shovelling, spring allows us to just exhale and take in the emerging beauty around us.  It is splendid!

I hope and pray that you are on the path to wellness and that, like spring, you are able to look forward to a new season of hope in your life.  Healing from Lyme is truly like the winter of life; it is hard and harsh.  But as you begin to see some small improvements, you regain that hope of better health.  Those small improvements are like the spring of your life, renewing your spirit as you anticipate better things to come.  Press on, and do not give up!  Very little has been gained in life without perseverance.  That is my prayer for you - perseverance and hope.

Thank you to those who have read this blog over the years, and I truly hope it has been helpful to many who have stumbled upon it.  This is my farewell post, as I will no longer be publishing here on The Lyme Maze.  Six years has been long enough, and I really have nothing more to add.  However, I will leave the blog up for those who may wish to have access to the information.

I wish you all the best on your journey to health!  Never give up!

With love,

The Lyme Maze

It's June! Who hooooooo!

Nothing makes me happier than June.  Well, July and August are pretty good too, but there's just something about June that allows me to finally exhale and begin the process of relaxation.  OK, so I can't really relax for another couple of weeks, after my report cards are submitted, but there is this out-of-the-ordinary calmness in me knowing that my job is winding down for the year.

Here is a picture of what was on the agenda today.

It's planting season, and these beauties will soon be making their way into pots to adorn our abode. I'm also looking forward to planting and using more herbs this year - chives, dill, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, and mint.

It was a rough winter, not only in terms of the horrible bitter cold we endured, but also with my health. I'm therefore quite glad to bid it farewell.  I dealt with a Lyme relapse in January, got back on antibiotics in March, and have been trying to get some symptoms under control.  I'm so happy to report that I think I've finally turned the corner!  I actually feel half-decent!  I'm certainly not 100%, but I don't know if I'll ever achieve that again.  Today I feel about 80-90%.  It might be different tomorrow.  Each morning is like a box of chocolates that way.....to quote Forrest Gump.  "You never know what you're gonna get."

For a few weeks I've been battling terrible tiredness.  I wouldn't call it fatigue, just tiredness.  I suspect that it is medication induced.  I'm currently taking minocycline and the pharmacist said it can be sedating.  Perhaps in a few months I'll be able to reduce the dosage and I'll perk up a bit.

Of course I still have so many questions:  How long should I stay on the antibiotics?  Will I ever get off them?  Will I always relapse?  Will I ever lose this weight I've gained since my illness started?  Will I ever feel "not tired"?  Will I be able to handle my job next year?  Will this crazy Lyme situation ever get sorted out in the Canadian medical system?

There are too many unanswerable questions, so the only alternative to driving oneself crazy is to wake up in the morning and appreciate each day for what it is.  Live one day at a time.  Practice gratitude. Thank God for the blessings in your life and even the hard times, for it is in those hard times that He teaches us so much and develops our character.

I hope, despite how you feel, that you can find one (or 10!) things to be thankful for today.  I wish you all a beautiful summer.

Blessed Be Your Name

by

Robin Mark

A very Merry Christmas to you!



Dearest friends in the Lyme world,

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the happiest of holidays, a joyous Christmas, and healthy New Year! 

May 2013 be a year of good things for all of us....improved health, remission from Lyme disease, a better educated public, and a government ready to help those afflicted with this awful infection through the creation of a National Lyme Strategy in Canada.

As I look back on the past year, I have been so blessed by this "cyber world"!  I am grateful for those who have Lyme blogs who I have been able to connect with on a personal level, for those who have contacted me asking for help, and for anyone reading my blog who might find something helpful there.  Yes, I am grateful for all of you, because your empathy has helped me cope, and others among you (namely those who have e-mailed asking for help) have helped me find a greater purpose in my own struggles with this illness.  I am humbled to be able to help guide others out of the Lyme maze.

This morning, as I listened to Pastor James Macdonald's broadcast on his radio program called "Walk in the Word", he had a great message which left me with food for thought:

                                      "It's never too late.  Wait."

His message was about waiting on the Lord for what we need, and it got me thinking about how much waiting there is in Lyme recovery.  The progress is so awfully slow.  We must cling to hope and learn to wait and be patient.  But this is not an empty hope!  It is the expectation of good things to come out of our circumstances, whether we are fully healed on this Earth or not. 

Jesus will provide us with what we need to get through this rough time, to persevere, to endure.  Without this knowledge, I don't think I could have held on.  I kept thinking of that expression, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  In those dark days of illness, I would picture myself hanging onto that knot!  Thanks to God, I did.  I waited, and waited, and waited, and over time, my treatment began to heal my body and mind.  I still think it is a miracle that I am perfectly well today (well....let's call it 95%) and able to live a normal life.

If you would like to listen to Pastor James Macdonald's audio broadcast in full, this came from his series entitled Jesus, the Promise:  Wait for Him - Part 3.  The audio broadcast can be purchased from his website here.

Once again, have a blessed Christmas as you wait on the One who can do all things, and who will provide in ways beyond comprehension, for those who put their trust in Him, and Him alone.

THE END

Today is the day of No Mores!!!!!  I just got off the phone with my Lyme-literate medical doctor.  After 18 months of treatment for Lyme disease, I'm now D*O*N*E!!!  Yep!  No more antibiotics!  No more medication side-effects!  No more drug claims to submit!  No more bumpy rides through Michigan on I-69 every 6 weeks!  No more visits to Frankenmuth!  No more visits to Birch Run! (Wait a minute, what am I saying? We'll probably squeeze in Frankenmuth and Birch Run now and then, just for old times' sake!)

Thank you, Dr. L, for saving my life!  But the glory goes ultimately to God, who guided my steps, led me out of this crazy maze, and walked with me the whole way.  My prayer is now for those who will come after me, who will face these similar struggles.  I will do whatever I can to help anyone who asks, and to fight for changes in the way Lyme disease is recognized and treated in this country.  No one should have to go through this when we have the knowledge and ability to prevent this kind of suffering.

If you, or someone you know suspects that they may have Lyme disease, it is important to be evaluated by a Lyme-literate medical doctor.  Remission is definitely within the realm of possibility, with the right treatment.  I am living proof of this!

My quest for health

The approaching "end of treatment" date is sobering.  For the past few months, I've viewed the antibiotics as my safety net.  Sure, for the first year and a bit, those drugs were sustaining me, and then healing me.  But since I've been feeling well, they haven't had a significant purpose other than to insure that the bacteria have been beaten down sufficiently.  Soon, this safety net will be removed. 

ILADS doctors like to treat 2 months beyond the end of symptoms, and I'm currently weaning off the antibiotics.  I've gone from 2 doses of Zithromax daily, to one dose daily.  I'm having a phone consult with my LLMD next week, and we'll see what he'll do next.

Soon, my body will be on its own, needing to keep any remaining Borrelia burgdorferi at bay using only its beautifully designed immune system.  That means I need to support my immune system in the best way I can.  Sadly, I haven't been doing so well in that department, but it must begin to take on a greater importance in my life.

To that end, I joined a fitness club, something I haven't done in about 15 years!  I've certainly exercised in the past 15 years, especially when trying to lose my post-pregnancy weight, but it's been a very long time since I've had a club membership.  I decided it was time because I was having difficulty getting motivated to exercise.  Despite the fact that I have a treadmill at home, dozens of workout DVDs, and weights, I constantly found excuses to avoid exercise.  And exercise is what I need right now, not only to lose the 30 lbs I gained while I was sick, but to support my immune system.

So far, I've been doing the treadmill and the weight machines at the club.  I think I need to build up my strength a bit before venturing into a group aerobics class.  I'm dying to try Zumba, but I'd likely drop dead from exhaustion!  Perhaps I can ease into that class, doing a half class at first and working my way up.  If anyone has tried Zumba, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I've also discovered the sauna!  I have a new appreciation for the Finnish and their natural approach to health.  I've been sitting in the sauna at the club for 15 min., just feeling all those toxins rising to the surface.  It's been great.

In addition to regular exercise, I've made a pledge to myself to work on other areas I've been neglecting:  eating well and sleeping an adequate amount each night.  I've definitely improved in the eating department.  I hauled out my old Weight Watchers information, and I've been watching my calories more closely.  I lost 2.5 lbs last week.  Who hoo!  As for the sleep, that is the hardest area for me.  I'm such a night hawk and thoroughly enjoy the quiet house at those late hours, so I've been cheating myself of a good night's sleep and dragging myself through the day.  That's certainly not good for the immune system.  I'm really going to work on that goal now.

For those of you reading this who might be very ill from Lyme disease, or who might be in the middle of treatment, know that it IS possible to feel well again, and to be able to make goals like this in the future.  When I was sick, these types of things were the farthest from my mind.  I was in survival mode.  And that's OK.  You can only do what your body will allow you to do.  But do have faith that your treatment will make you well again.  It really can happen.  It happened to me.

You are in my prayers.