Update on the relapse

Here I go again.  Sigh......

Obviously I've had a lot on my mind this week, and my thoughts have been swirling around, trying to make sense of this stupid relapse, and trying to access all of the methods and techniques I used during the worst days of my illness to keep myself sane!

My symptoms seem to be confined to two or three:  head/body vibrations (buzzing feeling) when I try to fall asleep (causing insomnia), a rumbling tinnitus in my ear, and tiredness (which may or may not have to do with the fact that I'm back ON sleep medication.)

On the medical end of things, here's the scoop.  My LLMD responded to my e-mail in a very timely manner (bless him!), and he told me to re-start my azithromycin and diflucan (for yeast).  Thankfully, I had some of these meds leftover, and I was hanging onto them for just such an occasion. LOL  (Perhaps I should have thrown them out when my treatment ended in November, then I wouldn't be in this mess!  Not that I'm superstitious or anything.) 

I also sought a second opinion from another LLMD, Dr. Marty Ross, who has a fabulous website and Facebook page called Treat Lyme and Associated Diseases.  Dr. Ross will answer brief questions on his Facebook page (same name as his website).  He told me that my symptoms are likely the result of a relapse, and that when the germ is not effectively killed off, then 6-8 weeks after stopping the antimicrobials, symptoms will return.  (Yep, I was at the 7 week mark.)  He suggested that it could also be from yeast overgrowth, which would cause an increase in cytokines, and would trigger the same sorts of symptoms as the Lyme bacteria would. 

Dr. Ross suggested that my next round of treatment include "cyst busters" to deal with biofilms, for 4 months.  OK...been there done that with Flagyl.  That wasn't so good, as the Flagyl caused elevated liver enzymes and I had to discontinue it after 2.5 months.  This time, I'm going to discuss the herbals Banderol and Samento with my LLMD, as apparently these herbals deal quite effectively with all three forms of the Lyme bacteria.  You can read all about Banderol and Samento on the Treat Lyme and Associated Diseases website.

I hope and pray that my LLMD will agree with the "other opinion", so that I can have peace of mind about how to proceed.  I really do feel that I need to tackle this again aggressively.  I don't want to do a patch job, and end up in the same place 6 months from now.

So, that's the physical side of things.  Next post, I'm going to discuss the mental/emotional side of what I'm going through.

Thinking of you all.......all of my cyber friends and strangers out there......hoping this post finds you well, or at least improving in your health.

Many blessings!

Relapse or just a bump in the road?

I must admit that I'm worried.  Here I am, on the tail end of my Christmas holidays, ready to return to work tomorrow, and I've got a little problem.  A couple of Lyme symptoms have returned.  As you may recall, I've been OFF antibiotics since November 21, 2012, 7 weeks now, and that was a day of great celebration.  I was DONE!!! 

Well, perhaps I'm not actually done.  I guess we'll see what my LLMD has to say.  I hope I'll be able to speak to him soon for a phone consult.

The two symptoms that have reared their ugly heads once again are the soft, low rumbling sound in my right ear, and the body vibrations that came on as I was drifting off to sleep last night.

As soon as I felt those all-too-familiar vibrations, I perked up and began to PANIC.  And then try to sleep when you're in THAT state!  My poor hubby had to listen to my anxieties at 2:00 a.m., but I'm so glad he was there.  Bless his heart; he was wonderful and comforting.  Out of desperation, I took 1/2 of an Imovane (zopiclone) at 3:00 a.m. to get some rest, and at least I squeeked out 6 hours.

My anxieties are numerous:
- I DON'T want to have sleep problems again just when I've nicely settled back into my job and family life!
- I DON'T want to have to start to use Imovane again when I've finally gotten OFF the stuff!
- I DON'T want to start having anxiety and panic attacks over this!
- I DON'T want to fill my body with antibiotics again!
- I DON'T want to have to deal with the naysayers in my life again who have pretty much stopped harrassing me since I finished up treatment in November!
- I DON'T want to have to deal with my family doctor again, and have to explain about this "relapse" and why I'm on antibiotics AGAIN, and have them think I'm absolutely CRAZY!
- I DON'T want to travel 3 hours to my LLMD anymore!
- I DON'T want the out-of-pocket expense anymore!

I'm just so D*O*N*E with ALL of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suppose that's enough to cause any sane person to have some anxiety.

But I'm resolving to keep my cool about this.  I MUST....lest I fall into a dark pit.  (Been there done that, and it's no fun.)

Yes, all those above thoughts raced through my brain in the middle of the night, but it's morning now, and I am going to have a new perspective:

- God got me through this the first time, and He will again.  He provided the support we needed, when we needed it.  He opened and closed doors at the perfect time, we managed financially, and I was eventually well again.  I need to trust Him.......He is the Great Physician.
- I'm dealing with the symptoms EARLY this time, which will mean a much shorter stint on antibiotics.
- If I need to take Imovane for sleep, I WILL be able to get off that drug at the appropriate time.  I did it before, so I can do it again.
- I have helpful counsellors that I can call on to help me through this.

Sigh.

If you are the praying type, I'd sure appreciate your prayers.

Thanks for listening to my little rant today.  Blessings to you all.

Happy New Year!

Here we are, almost at the start of the New Year!  It is 5:40 p.m. as I write, so our evening celebrations have not yet begun.  Tonight, I don't really have the desire to be "whooping it up"!  A quiet family time is what we have planned - me, my hubby, and our kids.  In about an hour, we'll be enjoying some cheese and chocolate fondu, followed by learning how to play Blokus which my son received for Christmas.  And I'm afraid that we'll ALL be in bed before the clock strikes twelve!

As I reflect back on 2012, it was a pretty good year.  January began with quite an improvement in my health, after having begun treatment for Lyme six months earlier, in June 2011.  I was actually ready to return to work teaching (on a modified schedule) by March.  It was tiring, but I managed to persevere and make it until the end of June, when I could rest up for 2 months.  In September, I returned to my regular half-day position and have been handling it well.  In November, I was able to stop the antibiotics after 18 months!  Whether I have been cured, or have simply gone into remission, is an "unknown" I'll just have to live with.

I have several New Year's resolutions.....all related to my health.  I admit that I have not been very diligent in boosting my immune system since I finished treatment.  I've fallen into some bad habits, so it's time to start fresh and get some good routines into my life.  Here's my list:

1. Lose weight!  I gained A LOT while I was sick, so now is the time to take it off and feel like myself again.
2. Eat well:  Low sugar, low carbs, lots of protein, and veggies.
3. Sleep! I must stop burning the midnight oil, even though I've been a night hawk since childhood. I'm going to shoot for at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night.
4. Exercise at least 3 times a week.  I joined a health club in November.  Now it's time to really USE my membership.

My list probably looks similar to everyone else's lists.  Fairly typical resolutions.  However, these things are so important to the health of a Lyme patient.  Keeping our immune system healthy is very important so that we don't relapse.

I'm going to leave you with a bit of news from the Lyme world.  Here is an interesting report from Lymedisease.org that was published around Thanksgiving.  It's a review of many positive things which happened with regard to Lyme disease in 2012.  Click here to read the report.

I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!  May this be a year of good things for all of you.  If you are being treated for Lyme disease, may you have perseverance and peace.  The road will be bumpy, but it is one worth travelling to reach the destination of restored health.  My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

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.