One week down.....

 

Well, it was back to work this week.  Back to my regular job as an elementary school teacher.  And I have loved every minute of it!

 

I had no idea, until I became ill with Lyme disease and was forced to take over a year off work, just how satisfying and therapeutic it is to work.  It's funny, because prior to my illness, I had been thinking about how wonderful retirement would be, and I secretly wished I would win a lottery or something and be able to quit this very busy and often stressful job and spend my days in leisurely activity or caring for my home.             

 

I did experience a few months of that 'freedom' towards the end of my sick leave, when I was stronger and felt better.  My kids are in school full-time, so I had a fair bit of time on my hands during the day.  But to be honest, it wasn't what I imagined it would be.  I really wasn't motivated to 'care for my home' like I thought I would.  Laundry piled up, and I constantly felt 'behind' in everything.  And that was very weird for me, who is usually extremely organized and on top of things.

 

One thing I learned about myself is that having an excess of time on my hands is actually a de-motivator.  Because I knew I had lots of time in my day, I felt I could put off various household chores until later.  My 'to do' list got quite long, and things just weren't getting crossed off.  Then, I started to get stressed out about that, as well as my lack of motivation!

 

The solution to this was.......going back to work and getting busier!  How ironic.  Returning to my job has forced me to be up and dressed at the same time each day, keep up with the laundry and household chores, and plan my time well.

 

I also realized just how much I missed the adult, social interaction of work.  I like my colleagues, and it was so nice this week to be in my old, familiar environment.  I've spent the past 13 years at this school, so it's my home away from home. 

 

I've also been so happy to meet my new students and have some fun with them this week as we get organized, get into our routines, and get to know one another.  So far, the classes I teach have been lovely.

 

This is not to say that there won't be stressors along the way this year.  Report card season comes to mind, when teachers work non-stop at home for a couple of weeks.  Behaviour issues with a few students are bound to crop up, too.  I'll have to find ways to de-stress.  I know how important it is to keep the stress under control so that one's immune system doesn't weaken and give the Lyme a chance to gain a foothold.

 

Adequate sleep, regular exercise, and healthy eating will need to become priorities in my life to keep this illness in remission.

 

So all in all, this has been a good week.....a great beginning to a new chapter in my life.

 

I'm grateful for my job.  Just one more lesson that Lyme has taught me.

 

Casting Crowns - "Praise You in This Storm"

Simply listen.  Nothing more needs to be said.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

This is how I felt today as I finished up my appointment with my LLMD.  Here I am, nearing the end of this long, dark tunnel called Lyme, ready to emerge into the beautiful light of day!  The end of treatment is nearing.  It's so close I can see it! 

I've been feeling exceptionally well for the past month, with just minor, tolerable symptoms here and there.  The fatigue has definitely improved, and I've been able to go about my day without too much difficulty.  I'm headed back to work as a teacher in one week!  That's exciting!

Here are some questions I asked my LLMD at this appointment, and these are the answers he gave me.

1. What if all of my symptoms don't ever go away completely?  How will we determine the right time to end treatment?
Answer:  It's sometimes hard to tell if certain remaining symptoms are caused by the Lyme or by the medications themselves.  As long as I continue to improve, we want to continue to push the treatment.  But if improvement stops, and I'm feeling quite well, then perhaps it's time to try to go off of the medications and see how I do.

2. When do you think I'll be done treatment?
Answer:  He thinks I should probably be able to go off all medications around the new year.  He doesn't like to stop antibiotics for teachers at the start of the school year (due to the stress of the situation.....and we all know that Lyme does not react well to stress.)

3. Can we begin to space out the appointments a bit more?
Answer:  Yes, we are at a point where we can go a couple of months, and perhaps even phone consults as long as I'm feeling well day to day.  (Wow....was I glad to hear that!  It sure would be a great cost saving to have just a phone consult.  No 3-hour drive to and from, no hotel expense, no restaurant meals.  Sign me up!)

4. What do you think of the new blood test - the Borrelia culture by Advanced Labs?
Answer:  The test is not perfected yet, and is expensive at $600.  It's not worth it.  (Nor does he feel that the CD57 is worth it, in his clinical experience.  The CD57 numbers just don't always correlate to how a patient feels physically.  He prefers to go by symptoms, and how you're feeling to determine end of treatment.)

5. When I finish up the antibiotics, could I go on herbal anti-microbials to help keep me in remission, such as Banderol and Samento?
Answer:  Yes, those herbals help some people in the remission stage; they're not as good during the intensive treatment though.  They can be purchased online and aren't too expensive.

6. Will we attack the cyst form of Borrelia again with Flagyl or grapefruit seed extract?
Answer:  Since my liver enzymes were elevated on the Flagyl last time, we won't use that one again.  I can do grapefruit seed extract, but we'll leave that for a while, since it can make some patients feel ill (....and I'm going back to work, so the timing isn't right.)  With some patients, he never prescribes Flagyl at all, and they do just fine.  (It depends on the person and their symptoms.)

Wow......it goes to show that there is no real recipe for treating Lyme disease.  It's an art.  LLMDs evaluate your symptoms carefully, and choose the antibiotics that they feel will best address your particular situation.  Sometimes it's trial and error.

I'm grateful for my LLMD, for his experience and guidance.  I'm grateful that I'm being cared for by someone who has treated over  3 000 Lyme patients!

Thank you so much, Dr. L, for caring for your patients, for going out on a limb for us, and for continuing to learn through your practice and conferences, in order to provide the best care for us.

You truly saved my life.  May God bless you!

Best Ever Caesar Salad

OK, if we are going to try to get the chemicals and toxins out of our meals, one good place to start is with salad dressings.  Have you read those labels lately?  Here are a few of the yummy ingredients:

potassium sorbate (maintains quality)
calcium disodium EDTA (maintains flavour)
propylene glycol alginate
polysorbate 60
spice (beware of this.....it probably means some MSG)
colour

There are so many salad dressings out there that you can make yourself, quite easily!  But at the very least, if you don't have the time, look for all natural products.  In my city, we have a wonderful independently owned grocery store that has a wide variety of homemade salad dressings.....with NO chemicals!  It's convenient, but healthier than other bottled brands you find on your grocery store shelf.

But if you don't mind whipping up your own dressing, I have an AMAZING recipe for you for Caesar Salad dressing.  This is by far the BEST Caesar dressing I've had.  I'm addicted!  It is so flavourful, and has a bit of a bite due to all of the raw garlic.  It's not a creamy dressing, but I actually prefer it to the creamy variety.  So here it is.  I hope you and your family will enjoy it!

Caesar Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce - cut or tear into pieces
1/2 lb. bacon cooked and broken into small pieces
1 c. bread croutons
3/4 c. parmesan cheese - to your taste

Dressing

Combine in a jar:

6 tbsp. vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil which is a much healthier alternative to other oils.)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 dash tabasco sauce
1 dash worcestershire sauce (Look for an organic brand with no MSG.)
1 tsp. chopped parsley (optional)
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic (I use three cloves.)
1 pinch each - sugar, pepper (white if you have it), dried mustard, and tarragon

Shake well to combine.  For the best flavour, make the night before or at least 2 hours ahead of time.