New Treatments

I've been seeing the same N.D. for the last six months. The improvements I had were as follows:

No more flare ups with muscle weakness in neck and shoulders.
Gall bladder pain - gone.
Shoulder pain - gone.
Yucky heavy feeling in brain - gone.

So there were definitely some very needed improvements made but I still have more bad days than good. I felt that they got me as far as I could go with what they had to offer - labeling me as a "difficult case". Which isn't the first (or probably the last) time I'll be "labeled" as such.

I decided to seek treatment through a well known and reputed clinic called the West Clinic in Pocatello Idaho. They are known to diagnose, treat and cure "Lymies" (aka: people with Lyme).

There are many tests that were done while I was there. They did a test called a "dark field" blood test. You can actually see my blood platelets floating around. There was a lot that they were able to tell through this test and other tests. Here's some of what I remember:

I do in fact (still) have Lyme disease. About half of my blood cells are riddled with intracellular co-infections of the Lyme bacteria. My blood is also riddled with Lyme in its cyst form.

My kidneys are severely taxed because of the toxins (Lyme mostly) that my body is dealing with.

I have intestinal issues (an impaired digestive system) and am not digesting my food right.

 A lot of my blood cells are oxygen deplete.

My blood is also riddled with yeast - Candida to be exact.

Most of these things didn't surprise me. I wasn't aware of the kidney issue and I wasn't quite sure where I stood with the Lyme - now I know. I didn't see any of those nasty spirally spirochete swimming through my blood cells so I thought that maybe I didn't have Lyme. Maybe it was gone! Maybe my health issues were stemming from something else.

But I was unaware of the fact that the Lyme bacteria has several phases in its life cycle as it lives in our blood. Like I mentioned, it was mostly in its intracellular and cyst form stage - which to the untrained eye, like my own, wouldn't be something easily recognized.

I also thought that I've just matured a lot :) and have learned to deal with stress a lot better than I used to. When the doctor began speaking about stress I proudly (yet humbly, by all means) told him that I don't stress about things anymore.

He told me quite frankly, "That's because your body is so deplete of the things necessary that allow you to react to stress! Your hormones are shot. Your adrenals are shot. There's nothing there to allow you to feel, deal with or handle stress. The ability to feel stress is actually a good thing."

Oh.

So what do I do now?

I'm going on the GAPS diet. Which I had a hunch I needed to do anyway. This diet will heal my digestive system and be a great aid in restoring my immune system.

I'll be treated through IV therapy. If I lived closer they'd have me do the IV therapy three times a week but since driving up there and being hooked to an IV for 2-3 hours at a time takes up the whole day, they said I could get my treatments one time a week. If I regress any, I'll have to come in more than that.

It's a sacrifice for many. My husband who drives six hours total for me to get this treatment. Our family because we don't get to do extra fun vacations or trips because our money is pouring into my treatments. My mother who watches my kids while I'm away. My father who allows my mom to watch my kids and therefore has one less important employee working in his shop.

All these people. Sometimes I feel so bad. I feel guilty and it brings tears to my eyes. But I quickly have to shed those negative feelings and replace it with feelings of gratitude. Gratitude that I've found people who can gift me my life back. Gratitude for my family, my husband, my mother, my father who all love me enough that they are willing to make sacrifices to see me get better.

Getting better. Being whole again. That's what it's all about.

I can't wait!