Today is the Last Day of the Year!

2015 is almost gone. Passed by in a flash for me.
It was filled with many events, good and bad.
Next year can certainly be better if you ask me, just sayin'.

Health wise this year was a totally new experience for me. I had my amalgam fillings removed, I found an LLMD who I trust(even though I haven't seen him yet), I started a blog, I took control of 90% of my treatment(what I say goes now), and I started my own challenge to make myself feel better.

I would say these are some good starting points. No more mercury, I tell my doctors what I really feel even when it contradicts them, and I am doing a better job at cutting back on crap food now that I am feeling a little better.

I hope you guys have also had a great 2015!

I wish you all a healthier and happier 2016! Just think about what it holds, we already know we will be getting a new president for sure. That's fun right? Well...hopefully...the last two were rather embarrassing in my book, maybe the next one will accomplish something important.

I Don't Know What to Expect

I leave for Hansa in just a few days! I am getting excited. I could finally start the beginning to the end of my chronic lyme disease and co-infections.

I cannot even fathom living without these symptoms. Whats it even like??
*flashback time*

I contracted lyme and co's in 2010, we think. I was bitten by a tick for sure. I saw it with my own eyes. This wasn't the beginning of my symptoms however.
I have had some form of insomnia my entire life, when I was a baby it took a long time for me to fall asleep and I never napped. (so I have been told)
I have also had fatigue and low motivation for as long as I can remember. I don't know when it began, it just became intolerable after my tick bite.
When I was around eight years old my parents took me to an allergist who started me on allergy shots. I hated the idea then and I hate that I did it now.
The doctor said my fatigue was caused by allergies. According to their skin prick test I was allergic to dogs, cats, grass, pollen, milk slightly, and mold off the charts.
My parents went with it. Seeing as I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I hoped for the best.

Around six years later I finished completely with the doctor and the shots, haven't seen him since.
Guess what? It didn't make much of a difference in how I felt. According to their skin prick test I was less reactive to the allergens, so the shots did something. Yet I felt the same.
Interesting right?

I am not saying I have had lyme since I was a little kid, but something has been wrong with my body and the cause is unknown. It could have been candida, parasites, food allergies, diet, or something else.

The point of this story, I don't know what normal feels like. I have always been tired and I have never slept.

Anyway, back to the present.

I begin treatment with a real doctor who has seen hundred or thousands of people just like me. I like that. In my life my pediatrician, allergist, DO, and ND have all said "I don't know" when it comes to my disease. While we didn't know about the lyme, RMSF, and babesia when I last saw the allergist or the pediatrician I was tired. They didn't have an answer.

Now I am going to see a doctor who understands, he's been in my place. That alone is valuable, I don't care what other credentials a doctor has. Understanding is one of the most import qualities a doctor can possess.

I don't expect to be cured or in remission after two weeks. That's just too unreasonable.
I do expect to have a treatment plan and guidance, I have never had a good one. I think the consistency in treatment will help me if anything.

My one goal I personally want to achieve with these upcoming two weeks is to be able to be able to eat and exercise.
I am a six foot four inch tall teenage boy. I should be able to eat!! I consume maybe 1,000 calories on a good day. I weigh about 137 pounds last I checked. To give you an idea of how large my arms are, I can reach my fingers around my arm, top to bottom. Easy. I do not have any muscle left. Exercise is just not possible for me.

Teenage guys have energy. They workout and make a point to look decent to other people(well...some). They are conscious of what they look like, not necessarily to impress anyone. Just look good.
Ha, not me man. My only attempt I make is to not look like I just walked out of bed when I go out in public. If I look that good, I exceeded my goal.

I have made attempts at starting a light exercise regimen so many times in the past its ridiculous.
Stretching was the first thing I tried, I stuck with it the longest I think. I would just do a basic warm up and basic stretching for about half an hour a few times a week. This was around the time I first went to the ND and was doing better before I got worse again and went to the DO.
Since then I have tried doing reps of just 2-3 pushups and sit-up plus a few other exercises mixed in. Several times I have been able to keep at it a while, a few days a week for a few weeks or month.
I just cannot keep it up though, I crash.
Its like my muscles and connective tissues cannot rebuild and repair themselves well. Now my joints and muscles are the strangest they have ever been(for lack of a better term).  My knees will come out of joint and pop back in randomly, my fingers do the same, plus muscles spasms/cramps and they are just harder to control.
This is a newer symptom for sure. I am sure it has something to do with my body not being able to function properly. Not being able to eat enough its probably related to this also.

SO that's what I really want to get from the two weeks. If I can fuel my body and use it, I know I will be able to get myself to a better health standard.
Overall I expect much more to happen from two weeks of intensive treatment but this is the starting point I want to accomplish.

Three days until I leave!!

Luke the Lyme and Ticks and Trust blog, seen them??

As I have mentioned a few times on this blog, I like reading. One thing I enjoy reading (all the time) is blogs written by other people suffering with lyme disease. I mentioned several weeks ago I was reading Ticks and Trust, I finally finished it a few days ago.

Ticks and Trust is written by a Canadian mom who contracted lyme disease and several co-infections. Throughout her journey that began in 2006 all three of her kids have tested positive for lyme disease, with her youngest son hit the hardest. Her son Parker went from being a normal boy to not being able to walk in 6 weeks.
Can you imagine that?? Suffering for years with lyme disease travelling to another country to be treated, then your child being knocked out of his reality into a wheelchair and a new life. That's mind boggling. I am not a parent, so I cannot even remotely understand what Shannon went through. They did it though, it took years and some crazy, God sent perseverance . Parker is still sick, she hasn't updated on him in a few months but he has not reached remission as far as I know.

Here is where their journey began.

Lukes blog, Luke the Lyme is still a work in progress. Luke only found his diagnoses a few months ago.  He is just in the beginning of his fight.
His symptoms originally started as face pain, then began to disseminate around his body into the more common Lyme symptoms. He is still suffering from this disease everyday.
I found Lukes blog through twitter, often times we are both tweeting about our symptoms of the day.

Both of these blogs have something in common. Something you may find surprising...but only if you are not educated on lyme disease. Shannon and Luke both live in Canada.
Lyme disease "doesn't exist" in Canada! Says those who believe ticks need a passport to cross the border.
If there was no lyme disease, bartonella, babesia, in Canada I wouldn't have made this post. Neither of those blogs would have ever been created, because they wouldn't be infected!!
Shannons family and Luke have Lyme disease. In Canada.
Shannon and her children have positive blood tests to prove it.
If Lyme didn't exist in Canada, why are their bodys producing antibodies to it? Its not because they were bored in their spare time ill tell you that!

Here is the Canadian Lyme website for more information

Moving Over the Hill

Yesterday I finally had a turning point and started to feel better. Today was even better.

I woke up sick last Monday, this time around it has been hard to kick it. I just couldn't get ahead of it until now.
Finally my kidneys are hurting less, my sinuses are better, my eyes aren't tearing, my joints aren't hurting, and my ears are starting to clear.

Chronic illness is my normal, so when a regular illness like a sinus bug takes hold-it really knocks me down. I do everything I know to do to get rid of it as fast as possible-tea, essential oils, herbs, vitamins, anything. But even all of this isn't enough to replace a failing immune system. To actually be truly healthy the body has to fight. When I am sick though, my medicine cabinet has to fight for me, because I just go downhill and stay there a while.
This time around I was sick with a sinus infection that would normally last a few days for over a week, and I was sick for a solid week. Now that I am finally turning a corner I feel like I have been physically fighting, I feel better but I'm tired and my muscles are worn out.

I start treatment at the Hansa Center on Monday! Their treatment philosophy is to strengthen the body so it can fight for itself. I am ready!
I used to be able to recover quickly but now it takes time. My body just doesn't have the excess energy to spend on healing itself, just preventing further decline.

Last week for example, I spent a week on a strenuous vacation then came home and contracted a sinus bug that was still going strong a week later. 
Other examples are- scabs are slow to heal, I stay worn out after exercising, my joints aren't as tight(sometimes they dislocate briefly), and my kidneys are certainly taking a battering (for unknown reason).
This is not normal teenage stuff. I have friends that brag about how fast their wounds heal or how they never get sick. How do I respond to that? Better yet, why am I still like this? Ive been in treatment for years.
To keep from getting depressed, I usually turn my problems into jokes.
Recently for example I found a good way to explain how my body works.

"Brain-Alright everyone, lets quite."

Sums it up well, my brain doesn't work, my muscles don't work, my kidneys are messed up, my knees hurt, my sense of smell is weak, etc.

Anyway I am glad to say I am finally on the mend. I am going to try restarting my normal tea for babesia and detox today. I had to stop it because every time I would drink it while I was sick, I would get worse. So I guess now that I feel better I need to start back with my normal routine, which is better than staying in bed hoping I wouldn't need to find ANOTHER tissue box.

December 26

Christmas has already come and gone for the year, can you believe it??

I hope you all had a great Christmas! Hopefully with minimum symptoms for all of my chronically ill readers :)

I spent yesterday on the couch, my sinus infection hit its worst during the afternoon. One good thing that did happen was I felt good enough *briefly* to eat. I ate more than I have been able to on average this whole week.

Last night I did finally start feeling better and ate what I would normally eat. On average I haven't been eating much, just drinking tea mostly. Being sick has killed my appetite.

Then today is so far a decent day, still not well. My ears are clogged and my eyes bloodshot but I do feel better.

Christmas Eve already!

I cannot believe that it is Christmas eve already! It feels like yesterday was Thanksgiving...time flys

I am still sick, runny nose, tired, and side pain. The symptoms are the worst in the morning becoming more tolerable throughout the day. I just keep drinking Cold Eze tea and swallowing essential oil pills. Its making a difference but its been hard trying to get ahead of this. Definitely easier last time I was sick.

Because of my sinuses draining into my stomach I haven't felt like eating at all. Its just uncomfortable and the kidney infection probably is not helping. The slippery elm blend tea is making a difference in my side pains. They typically diminish within a short time of drinking it. So if anything that's one symptom that isn't too unbearable.

ND Today!

Today was my regularly scheduled ND appointment! It went well.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I've been feeling crappy since I woke up yesterday morning. So today I talked about that with the ND.
During the usual biofeedback testing and searching for my current infection mycoplasma showed up. Great.
I had a feeling it would show up...usually mycoplasma is the cause of recurrent sinus infections. I had one a few weeks ago and as of yesterday, a second. Here is the best part...not just one but 4 strains showed up.

Go big or go home folks.

The one infection I have so hoped I actually avoided by some miracle, I contracted anyway. Awesome.
At the moment, I am not going to worry about it. I am on several things already which should already have it covered good enough. If not, I go to the Hansa Center in just a few weeks! That will knock it out for sure.
I have been tested for mycoplasma several times, blood and biofeedback. Not one positive before today. So my guess is it is not a chronic infection I have had at high levels for a while now.
I'm sure I have had some level of mycoplasma the whole time, most people do. Just like with candida, most people have it just not at high, infection causing levels.

Another thing showed up for a change. Its something I have been saying for a while now...
I have a kidney infection. Let me put on my shocked face.
My stomach, kidneys, and bladder have some kind of bacterial infection going on-kidneys taking the biggest hit.
Unknown what bacteria specifically, could be mycoplasma.
So the ND had me start a UTI tea made from Marshmallow root and slippery elm bark. Doesn't taste bad, I just hope it knocks it out. I do not want a chronic stomach/kidney infection. Not at all.

It was nice leaving the ND today with only a tea and a homeopathic for colds, both temporary. I don't get to do that much!

There is good news, my usual infections-rickettsia, lyme, babesia, virus, etc did not show up today. So they aren't at astronomical levels today. Probably because the mycoplasma and kidney stress overshadowed it, but still. Ill take it.

Today was a good day though, I felt better than yesterday by a long shot. I expect tomorrow to be a good day :)

Only a few weeks left before I go to the Hansa Center for treatment, its getting exciting. Just knowing that in a few weeks I could feel like a different person is amazing. This morning I had my blood drawn for the visit, I checked out the bloodwork panel, looks very thorough. I cant wait to see what all it says about me.

So Hot...So Dizzy

I woke up sick as a dog today....I think the exhaustion from the trip has hit.
I was in incredible pain when I woke up. My joints, sides, muscles, and skin were on fire. Temp. of 100 and nausea...joy

I am a little better now. Nausea is gone. Not too dizzy anymore.
The side pain and joint pain is coming and going.

Every so often I get these bouts of side pain, in the kidney area on both sides. Today was the worst in a long time. I could hardly walk this morning. I wonder what causes this??
So many questions...

This is all I can stand to write today, I should feel better tomorrow :/

A Good Day

Today was unpacking day, whoo...NOT
It took me almost 3 hours to do everything I needed, but I got it done. Unpacking is always the worst part of a trip, because then the fun is officially over.

I did by some miracle do a good job on eating today though. 2 juices, 2 smoothies(1 large), and a protein shake. I feel pretty good too on top of that.

Today I even walked for a while, nothing fast or strenuous. Just plane ol' walking. I made about 12K steps on my fitbit. Another plus for the day. Only a little dizziness afterwards, not bad.

Next I am looking into new supplements. Yes again.
I am going to look into something for digestion, maybe that's my problem with food.
I need something for lyme and something for stomach...off to amazon!

Did You Miss me??

I'm back! With good news at that.

I did well on my trip, I was able to stay upright along with everyone else the entire time! Usually after something strenuous like travelling and doing activities I fall behind everyone else. I just cannot find the energy to keep up with everyone else, but this time I did it. Goal accomplished.

Last time I came home from a trip I had a huge symptom flair, felt like an entire relapse sort of flair. Doesn't seem to be happening this time, another goal accomplished.

I stayed on all my supplements and teas even. Only missed one day of tea. Better than what I expected of myself. Making tea isn't as simple as swallowing a pill....sooo if I just feel a little lazy that would be what I skip...but I didn't. Only missing one day is great.

I even exercised (on purpose) one day. I blame peer pressure for that.
I am what they call "exercise intolerant". If I exercise I feel worse and in pain afterwards. Like a while back when I thought it would be a great idea to bicycle for a mile.
They dragged me into the gym, first I found a place to read and stay out of the way. The gym equipment and people exercising however, were to distracting for my wandering mind.

So I just went for it. I picked a treadmill and just hopped on.
Started at .5 mph, not bad. Heart rate was 60BPM according to the treadmill sensor.
I slowly increased the pace, eventually working all the way up to 4.8MPH.
Impressively (to me at least) I did this for 25 minutes. I did a total of 3K and my heart rate rose all the way to 148BPM. The only major symptom I had while walking was my heart rate would drop every so often out of nowhere, which is normal for me.

Afterwards wasn't too bad, as usual I was dizzy and nauseas but nothing intolerable. All of the walking in one place for so long at that speed did mess up my balance afterwards...but it didn't last for terribly long.
I wish this was something I could do daily, but I have already proven to myself that my body-cannot handle it. Every few months I get the notion that I can finally start exercising, after a few days to a few weeks my body gives out. One day ill figure out how to resolve this.

During this trip I started reading Buhners co infection book on mycoplasma and bartonella, very good so far. I like how well everything is explained. I haven't gotten too far into the book yet...but I cannot wait until I have read the whole thing and get some new treatment ideas.

Even though this last week was the biggest reason for my Feel Better for Christmas Challenge I am not stopping. My goal is to feel as good as possible at Christmas and during the month of December.
I am going to call today day number 19, because the junk food is gone and I am back to juicing and blending smoothies!

I drank the glass and saved the rest for this evening :)

One last and final thing, it is slightly shocking (or at least to me). During this trip I was able to eat, I didn't feel like not eating. I actually had an appetite. I ate a load of junk but...I guess I have to start somewhere right??

18...and some Crap Food later...

Yep. Diet broken....wheat and gluten galore later and I'm not dead yet. HA

Today started off with a smoothie and trip to the airport. Not bad yet. 

After landing and lunch...there story has changed. Ha, well this is what I prepped for, so it's ok for now. If I can make it to Saturday without crashing, it's all good!
So far I'm just tired and the kidney pain has started...not sure what that means? Ugh

Something good did happen today (I think it's good), I took a nap. Over an hour! A chronic insomniac napping, that is a miracle...
I was just so tired from staying up late last night and waking up early, I gave up and fell asleep. Hm...I wonder if this is how sleep would normally feel?

Nevertheless 

This will be my last blog post for several days, so I'm sorry...but I should have some pictures so *maybe* you will find it in your heart to forgive me :)

16/17

Days 16 and 17 were better as far as my diet goes. Tomorrow is the big day, I leave town with a group of friends for a week, that's a lot of energy I don't have :/
This is one of the December activities I started my Christmas challenge for, because I knew I would feel horrible during and after the trip if I wasn't careful beforehand. After my last vacation I felt the worst I had ever felt for 2 days. Crushing almost paralyzing fatigue and hot flashes like never before.

Hopefully this will not repeat...

Today I made 2 large juices so at least I  have this in my system.

Just one of my many juices of the last week...

 

I decided something, to make things a little easier on my self on the sick days I would freeze juice. This way I wont have to use the energy of juicing and cleaning, just making a juice smoothie.

Four oranges and an ice tray later...

(I apologize for my unedited pictures)

 

 

15!

The last three days have been crazy stressful and I am not feeling great....
I still on average have more energy than before but some days like yesterday-brutal.
Yesterday was one of the worst days in a while. I was OK until later in the day, then I just started fading until I could hardly move. I remember when everyday was like this...it is great that this only happens on occasion now.

Always trying to find the bright side, makes everything better.

Today I blew my diet...a busy day tacked onto not feeling like cooking, not ideal for a diet. ha.
One of the activities that I have been following my feel better diet for is coming up next week. I need to try harder and plan ahead more if I am really going to make this work! Ugh

One last thing, I started the burdock root tea yesterday. I have been mixing in the cinchona tea. 1tsp of both herbs. Doesn't taste bad, but I think it did give me a herx. Possibly the reason I felt crappy last night.

12 Days Finished

I haven't posted the past few days, I know I know...I am sorry.
Just so busy!! But that is the reason I started my Christmas challenge, so I could have the energy to feel good enough to be busy!!

I have been doing a better job at drinking my juice and protein shakes the past few days, which is great. It does show, my skin is looking good and I am not feeling too bad.

Today is the first time I have had any free time. Normally, I am not so busy and my brain fog can limit how much I want to do. Now that I have some free time and I wanted to write something I realized something...my brain fog is running high! I have no idea what to think or write about even though plenty has gone on in the last several days that I could write about.

On my to-do list I have planned to post more about my protein shakes and some recipes....but I don't think today, will be that day hahaha

The struggle, its real....

Days 7,8,9 What a trio...

The last three days have been a whirlwind. Some good and some bad.

In the last 3 days I have not been eating as well as I should (or like) I have been sticking to my juice/protein shake/smoothie regime more less. I have missed a couple of my 2nd juices and the shake...which I need just to consume the nutrients if anything.

I started my second job this week, which is great. The best part of all is I have the energy to work this much. Neither of my jobs are that time consuming or physically demanding, but this is still a big step for me. Last year there was no chance I could have had one job, I just didn't have the stamina or mental power...
All of this work has started getting to me mentally, its a strain. It doesn't help that whenever i have something demanding to do like work or any project, I get in the zone and totally forget about eating. I don't feel like eating or even think about it, this does not help me physically.

I have not started my new herbs from amazon yet because I am still waiting....I do hope they get here soon because I am started to feel toxic. Kinda like my body is just stagnant. Maybe this is the reason for my lack of appetite?

Another short update :/

Day Six, flew by

Day six has flown by quickly!
I had another crazy busy day today. Still holding on, but today has really pushed my fatigue and achiness.
I have had 2 juice, a smoothie, and next a protein shake. I *need* to have some of the lentil soup I made....and post the recipe...but I don't think I have the energy to do all of this at the moment. lol

I am still impressed with the results I am getting with my Feel better for Christmas challenge, if I could eat more without my stomach disagreeing....I would bet I would be even better. For now, I am going to just keep truckin'
I have worked long hours 3 days this week, to just now start feeling worn down is nothing but amazing for me.

I ordered some herb refills, plus one I have never tried but heard great things about-Burdock root. This should help kill bacteria and detox.

Days 4 and 5 Down!

Can you believe its December already!! I didn't even realize it until this morning. Its almost time for the new year, then I go to the Hansa Center. That's unbelievable!!

Day 4 went by quickly! It was a loooong day...I didn't even have the chance to post. This is good though! I have the energy and focus to stick to activities and whatnot, usually after a long day like yesterday...I feel dead the next day. I feel my 1-2 juices a day are really making a difference.

I started drinking 1-2 juices daily two days before thanksgiving, so 7 days ago. I haven't really missed a day that I can remember. I would say since starting this I have had more endurance, my little bit of energy stretches longer. Plus I have not had the same muscle fatigue I had before, I would attribute that to both juicing (good for inflammation) and the protein shakes(muscle builder).

Last week (being thanksgiving) was super busy, but I still made it without crashing in the end. This is tremendous, its one thing to have to hit it hard one day, but continuous activity daily for a week? No crash? That's crazy...
Even after my bicycling adventure, I wasn't sore the next day. That was shocking
I am more than fairly happy with these results so far. Still going to hold off on the exercise though LOL

Today I finally had the time to do just a little cooking, so I now have more than the usual go-to snacks(apples, juice, smoothie, shake,etc). I made bone broth, then lentil soup.
Bone broth is excellent for the stomach and bones, and lentils are loaded with phytonutrients and protein. Ill make another post about this soon, with the recipe.

I am so glad I have this energy though, I have a lot to do lol. Next I have to finish a library book due tomorrow and order supplements from amazon. Whoo!

Praying for VIctoria

                                Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
                                         I will fear no evil for you are with me;
                                           your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
                                                                                             Psalm 23:4

Some of you guys may have noticed, I follow a bunch of blogs. One of the blogs I read is written by Victoria Wilguess.
Victoria was diagnosed with lyme disease as a young teenager just like I was. Except unlike me, she has progressed in her infection....In a few hours she will be undergoing a major, rare, and extremely painful heart surgery awake!

She has a heart arrhythmia that needs to be corrected, but because of where the arrhythmia is occurring specifically (near her diaphragm) not just any doctor perform the surgery.
Here is where she explains it

Victoria has an inspiring amount of faith in God, especially considering all of what she has gone through. She has undergone treatment at a clinic in Nevada for weeks and months at a time, multiple surgeries, numerous visits to the ER, and tremendous (and constant) amounts of pain.
She just has not found been able to find relief, and tomorrow her story will continue.

I would like everyone who reads this post to join me in prayer, to pray for quick healing, peace after the surgery, no more setbacks(shes had enough), and for minimal pain. Victoria also has a prayer list I would like to share-
"-Peace and patience for my family and friends as they wait during my surgery since it'll be an all day surgery
That they be able to get the central line IVs in easily
That I'll be able to do the surgery without sedation and not be in a lot of pain
That the surgery will work and the arrhythmia won't come back
That there will be no complications during and after surgery
That recovery will go well
That I will be able to show God's love to the doctors and nurses taking care of me
This is odd, I know, but please pray that my bladder problems don't flare up during and after surgery. Bladder catheters really irritate things and I'll have to have one for the procedure and after when I'm on bed rest for 6 hours to prevent bleeding from where they went into my heart. "


Although doctors do not have all of the answers, just their best guess, God knows. He knows what we all need, including Victoria when she spends over 10+ hours on the operating table later.

I am praying for good things to come from this Victoria!!

Updates after the surgery will be found here

Treatment Evaluation

I feel like its time to look at my protocol again(I do this often) now that I am trying to see how big of an impact I can have on my health before Christmas.

Supplements
Artermesia Combinations from Natures Sunshine, 2 pills 3x daily, 3 days on 4 off.
Cinchona bark tea, 1tsp of bark to make tea, I drink it once daily. Sometimes ill run water over it a second time and sip on it throughout the day.
NAC, Jarrow Formulas, 500mg twice daily. I had started at once daily but I feel like this is making a difference and I am not herxing.
ALA, Source Naturals, still 100mg 3x daily, I feel like it may be stronger now that I have added NAC
5-MTHF 2.5mg, once daily
Dopalift, half a capsule every morning, I haven't felt like this has done much. I tried going back to a full pill. Still kept me awake, not as bad as the first few times I took it but...im sticking to half
5 HTP Thrive, 1-2 pills every night. This is actually making a minor difference in sleep! Nothing has touched my insomnia in the last several years so this is impressive
 Liquid Cats Claw, 30 drops 3x daily. I originally started at 14 drops 3x, but it didn't seem to do much so I bumped up the dose. I may adjust it again later.
King Chlorella, 5 pills 3x daily, I restarted this instead of DMSA for the time being. Its a little more gentle and I already had the bottle.
Lugols Iodine, 1 drop at night with Cats Claw

I also take Calm magnesium a few times a week and L-Glutamine powder. I am supposed to take L-Glutamine twice daily, 1 tsp, but it turns off my appetite...so when I think about it I sneak it in a smoothie or protein shake.

Finished-Sublingual glutathione and black walnut. Since I am on both NAC and ALA I don't see a need to order more glutathione now that I've finished the bottle. NAC and ALA are precursors to glutathione, so it shouldn't have a big affect.

Diet-
1-2 juices and one protein shake daily is my goal, plus some kind of easy to digest animal product(broth mainly)
I am also looking for other whole foods to add to my daily diet.
*still a work in progress*

Exercise-
I have tried to do some kind of minor exercise since starting my Feel Good Challenge, not working in my favor so far..
Yesterday a game of catch the football tired me out, and today a short bike ride almost knocked me out(literally). Also a work in progress...I think I am going to down grade to just a pushup...LOL

To recap- Heavy metals and detox are covered to my liking. Lyme treatment is weak. Diet has a good start.
Exercise I may hold off on, I want to do something but I don't think my body can take it. My original thought is maybe if I try to exercise just a little maybe my body would start to uptake nutrients better since it will have more of a demand. Idk if this has merit or not.

Any recommendations are welcome!!

Day 3 plus a Bike Ride

Day 3 of my "Feel Better for Christmas Challenge" down!
Today was a fairly good day, yesterday did leave me with some residual fatigue, but otherwise
not much to write home about.

I had a smoothie w/cocoa powder again for breakfast, juice for lunch, and 2 bowls of white chili for dinner.
I made a face with todays juice ingredients :)

It became a little discombobulated when the juicer started working its magic..

Have you bought a juicer out of jealousy yet? I know everyone that is reading this is just about to die for some juice, HA!

But...overall my appetite was more diminished today than yesterday, but I feel like that is because of something I did today....I guess I should explain that..

This afternoon was very nice, not too hot or too cold, the sun was shining, and I was tired of being locked up inside. So I thought to myself "I should go for a bike ride. After all its such a nice day and I could use a little exercise." I dug out the bicycle, pumped up the tires, and decided to go for it.
I knew I shouldn't over do it, so I decided I would only do a mile. I used to do two miles a few times a week, or more. I thought again "Couldn't be that hard and shouldn't take that long?"
Well...I was almost right.

I took off on my bike, feeling like this will be fun for a change. I did the full mile and made it back to the house, still feeling okay. I thought I could even do more, I was smart enough not to, but I felt like it was possible. See that didn't hurt? So close

Not long after making it back indoors and taking the bike back to its resting place, I started feeling it. My legs started killing me, my vision started pulsing, and I became very nauseas...

Naturally I think, maybe I should drink some water, so I go to the kitchen. I think back, before going on my excursion I drank a glass of water with some Calm Magnesium and chia seeds. That shouldn't be a problems, I used to always do this before riding. I should be well hydrated, especially considering it wasn't really that hard of a mile, I think...

I drink some more water and keep going throughout my day. Still feeling horrible, very dizzy and nauseas. I had a few little snacks and some more water(with some pills accompanying it a few times).

I felt my pulse a few times, didn't seem to be that fast. Maybe too slow? I could feel my heart beating though my chest.

Now seven hours later its finally faded, not gone, but faded. Food still feels like its out of the picture(even though I have been eating since the ride) but the dizziness is better.

Note to self-still no exercise..

Day Two Down!

Today was a decent day, not bad. Definite muscle fatigue. This has only further encouraged me to stick to Fell better Challenge! I really want to start feeling better. I also think the better I am before going to the Hansa Center, the better my chances of reaching remission are.

Anyway, here is the highlight of today.

 

Breakfast-A simple fruit smoothie with almond/cashew milk. I also added cocoa powder to the smoothie, great for antioxidants.

 

Lunch- Juice! Sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, yellow squash, apples, and broccoli.

Turned out great! This wasn't one of my stronger juices, the zucchini and squash watered it down.

Finished product, I know, your jealous.

 

For dinner I also had a salad.  Just few minutes ago I had a protein shake and pre-made juice from the store, so again something healthy(could be better but...).

The one thing that does stick out to me is how little food this is, this is pretty much all I ate today. This not enough...yet I feel full. Like not a chance I can eat anything else...Why?? Lyme symptoms are so weird...

 

Today I had a reminder of how limited I am with some activities. I went to something with some friends, I was doing fine until they started playing sports...no chance of me doing that. I did try out of my own stubbornness after about an hour, I played okay. My muscles and joints though, would like to disagree. Note to self, sports are still on the not to do list...

Christmas has Begun!

Thanksgiving is now over, the Christmas season has begun! More radio stations are playing Christmas music, the neighbors are putting up their decorations, and I am starting to get excited :)

I, being chronically ill, usually feel worse in the colder winter months. Its cold, I stay inside, and overall it is just a more stressful time for me. December through March or so are the worst...This year, I want to make this change. I have plans this December, I don't want to feel nasty and depressed.
I have decided to challenge myself. Beginning today I plan on making sure I do everything I can from diet to detox to supplements, to feel better for Christmas.

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that me and food, don't get along well. Its not that I don't like eating, my stomach just doesn't like food...I eat all the time, I just don't seem to absorb it.
Juicing has always been my best food in the past, if I juice consistently I can guarantee I will feel a little better. Sometimes a lot better, sometimes just less dead. Either way, I take it :) better is sometimes the only option with this disease.

Starting today, I am going drink at least one homemade juice daily, drink a protein shake daily, and consume 3 healthy meals a day made from whole foods. I know this will make me feel better, even if its just a little bit.
I am going to post recipes and tips on how to eat healthy, even on the crappy days when I don't want to get out of bed. I want to feel good at least one day before the year is over, and by gosh I am going to make it happen!!

So here it is, the beginning of Operation feel good for Christmas.
Broccoli, sweat potato, zucchini, apple, lemon, and Brussels Sprout juice!

Yum! :)

 

This is just the beginning, I will have more to share later on!

 

I also want to challenge anyone else suffering from chronic illness. It can be anything, doesn't have to be juicing daily or a diet change. I just want to challenge others to do what it takes, just for a few weeks so they can get a short break from the extremes of our sickness. While I totally recommend a healthier diet and juicing for anyone with any ailment, its just not an option for everyone. Smoothies, soups, beans, and nuts are other great foods to ensure a better diet, just a thought for anyone who is considering the challenge and does not want to buy a juicer.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!! I did, I wasn't too symptomatic and I did a little more than take up space on the couch. Not much more, but more lol

I knew I was going to be loading on the junk food today, so yesterday I made sure I drank plenty of homemade juice and smoothies, I call it pre-detoxing. I wasn't too bad, but I'm sure I will be feeling the sugar load tomorrow...
Do you guys do this? I don't know how much merit it has, but extra nutrients will hopefully keep me ahead for when I eat junk. Just a thought

Recently I started reading this blog, It is written by a Canadian mother of three who struggles with lyme disease and babesia. She has had to travel from Canada to San Francisco for treatment. She has been writing this blog since 2007. I started reading it last week, starting at post #1. I am up to 2009, hoping to read another year of posts tonight. I usually wait to share a blog until I am totally up to date, but I just had to share it :) This woman is hysterical, even though she is obviously struggling and suffering she has something funny to say about it. That's great, I always try to find the bright side and make a joke, but it can be hard. Props to Shannon!!

Since it is Thanksgiving, I guess its a good idea to reflect on just a few things I am thankful for-
Being as healthy as I am, it could be worse
Finding an LLMD I am comfortable with and I trust, even though I haven't been yet
I have great friends I can talk to if I ever have an extra lymey day, online and in person
A great family
and of course this blog, which gives me a place to vent and hopefully provide some sort of benefit for someone else


Happy Thanksgiving!! Watch out for black Friday tomorrow, I have a feeling a few people will be making the news just because they wanted something $5 off.. .

Feeling like a lazy Chihuahua.....

Today was a simple day, so not much to say in this post.  
I think a herx has begun...feeling extra fatigued and tremors are coming and going. My brain, is gone...mental fatigue is in high gear.

Something weird has been going on today, I don't exactly feel cold I just feel like I think I am(I know, confusing) and my hands were purple(like I was freezing) all day. Usually I am very hot natured, last winter I was wearing shorts until January. Today it was in the 50's and I was wearing long jeans and a hoodie, and turning purple. What does this mean?? Lyme problems...ugh

So I am going to say the 2 new supplements are giving me some kind of herx. The fun of the lyme life, whoo! always an adventure...

Cats Claw and NAC

As of yesterday I have added yet more to my treatment regimen, cats claw and N-Acetyl-Cysteine.
I finished the POA phytolens a few days ago, which was TOA free cats claw from my ND. So as I said I would, I replaced it. This time around, I am using a liquid cats claw which I have never used before. Yesterday I took 14 drops then 28 drops later. Today I took the same, plus I will add a second round of 28 drops. I plan on building up to 28 drops 3x daily.

I am taking just one capsule of NAC, 500mg. I plan on sticking to this one daily dose for now.
ALA (which I am already taking) and NAC play hand in hand with eachother, both are used to make glutathione. I am hoping for the combo of ALA and NAC to be sufficient for removing heavy metals and detoxing my liver.

I finished the black walnut capsules on Sunday (Nov.22), I take this periodically to help keep any parasites at bay. I will probably take another bottle in February.
I didn't notice much if any symptom change from this, so I probably didn't have much of a parasite load.

I haven't been feeling as great lately. Not the usual fatigue, but other symptoms. For example, eating has been a struggle. I just haven't felt like eating, and I haven't been able to eat much. Today I had a juice and a nut bar before work, worked 10:00-6:00, then didn't eat until 7:30...just didn't feel like it.
This doesn't sound like much for most people, but I cannot afford to lose weight or nutrition. I don't think I absorb nutrients well, I used to eat more because I keep being told I need to. I am 6' 4", 130lbs! I should weigh about 180 if I remember correctly. The most I have every weighed was 138lbs, when I was on IV's and Doxy...almost 2 years ago...
That's crazy, I look anorexic, but I just cannot eat anymore...my stomach says no.
I try to make sure I drink homemade juice and a protein shake daily, that way I know I am at least getting some of the important nutrients, it just isn't the same as really eating though...

I have been more dizzy lately, definitely heart related. I can feel my BP drop or jump.
It happens at random times, like the other night I was laying in bed late at night, my BP just takes off. What the heck...
I don't want that to progress, its a tougher symptom to reverse...

I know a good bit of my symptoms are related to nutrition though, I just don't think my body can use nutrients well. I just cannot figure out why...

First Month Down!

Well, my first blog post was October 20, its now November 21. I have officially had my own blog over a month now!

I posted earlier today so I don't have much to say.
Today was a good day, still tired from yesterday so I stayed in bed, watching Dance Moms on Netflix. That really makes me feel better about myself LOL.

I have almost finished up with my current brand of TOA free cats claw, so I decided I would checkout amazon and see what I could find. I ended up ordering N-Acetyl-Cysteine and Cats Claw. I feel like I needed more detox and I know I need more lyme killing herbs. So hey, ill give this a shot.

That's about all I have for this post after writing a long one earlier!
Goodnight everyone :)

A Good Day WIll Always Return to Reality

Yesterday was a very long day. I was busy from the early morning until about midnight. Anyone suffering with chronic disease can tell you this, long activities take it out of a person.

I woke up feeling good and stayed that way throughout the day. I had fatigue and upper back pain but otherwise not bad, my blood pressure stayed up, no noticeable tremors, no nausea really. All good things.

At the end of the day, reality always returns. I felt good right up until I pulled into the garage late last night, as soon as I tried to get out of the car, my left side became weak, my joints began to hurt, and the soreness began. The adrenaline high, was over, back to my reality.

This is something I try to ignore, I like to keep my mind on the better side of the day. The adrenaline high from knowing that I have responsiblities that must be accomplished for other people, keeps me from giving out. I like being able to hide my symptoms good enough that other people can't outright see that I am sick. I have not been able to rely on many people since I've been sick, only other sick people seem to understand. I like being someone to rely on, I want to be there for other people. It gives me joy.
I can fake it for a while, but the adrenaline high is in no way permanent. When the fun and games is over, I turn back into a sick pumpkin and hit the bed.

I do try not to dwell on it, but it is a fact that shouldn't be denied. I want other people to understand this, we all want to live a normal life. Most chronically ill people keep information about their illness to themselves, other people cannot understand something they have never experienced. Its not the flu, we compare it to the flu but its not the same. Diseases cannot be compared, cancer isn't the same as ALS, lyme disease isn't the same as tuberculosis, a car accident injury isn't the same as a common cold. While these can all be horrible, horrible illnesses, they all feel different. On paper they may have similar symptoms but they each feel different.

Some things have just been bothering me lately, this is one of them. I can fake being normal about 95%, I never get told I look sick. I cant fake everything though...Like fatigue,  it shows in my dulled emotions, I cannot fake excitement that I don't feel.
One thing that bothers me is my strength, even though I feel better than last year in some ways, my body doesn't feel stronger.
Last year bicycling was my only exercise I could do. During the summer I bicycled about 80 miles. My neighborhood is around a mile long, so I would (on the good days) just do one round through the neighborhood, simple enough.  It felt good to be able to do this.
This year was not the same, I may have cycled 5 miles. That's a huge difference. That means I only went out about 5 times...last year 80, this year 5...what happened??

Its like that with any form of exercise, I have tried doing other simple things like push ups, sit ups, lifting small 5lb weights, I could never do any exercise consistently. I want to, I feel like I need to, my body on the other hand, says no.
This drives me crazy, my hands and fingers are noticeably getting weaker, its not very fast but its happening.. Same with my legs and back.

I wish I knew of something that could help this, but I don't. It just is what it is, and I keep moving on.

Getting Closer..

Well, today I am almost feeling back to normal. All in all, I haven't really been sick since Monday, but I can't get rid of this cough. Today was the best, but still not there...

Since I have been drinking so much tea, other lyme related symptoms are better than usual. I need to recheck and see what the ingredients are, maybe I should be drinking it on a regular basis.

Something weird happened today. This morning started off good, didn't really feel bad. Then later this afternoon my sides start hurting. Not like sharp or bruising pain, but a soreness. I also became nauseated and my appetite disappeared. I ate lunch just after 12:00pm, After 9:30 pm I realized I hadn't eaten in so long, but I wasn't hungry. I don't eat a lot, but I eat often. Every few hours I eat a snack. So this was out of my normal...
The side pain has happened before, several times. The ND had me do a urine test strip test to see if anything would show up, nothing. Personally, I think something is up with my kidneys. The kidneys handle so much junk that goes through the body, it wouldn't surprise me if they were stressed.
I checked out the symptoms of kidney stones, they don't seem to fit. Its not the right pain...
Another puzzle I don't have an answer for.

Overall this has been a better week. Soon I want to post about the struggles so many of us face. I just need the time! Because its not a short list, we deal with so much I want to do it justice. I am just grateful I have the energy to be able to stay busy!!

Frosted Lemonade!

Yesterday I made  a lemon slushy, so I decided to take pictures and make  my first recipe post!

Ingredients-
Fresh Lemon Juice
Ice
Stevia Sweetener
Peppermint oil

This was very simple to make, I juiced 2 lemons.

 

Then added in a few drops of peppermint oil, 2-4 depending on how much peppermint you prefer.

Last I filled the cup with ice and added 1teaspoon of Stevia.

I used the Magic Bullet blender to mix it.

 

                                                         Here is the final creation!!

Enjoy!

A New Day has come

I am happy to report I feel much better now!
Friday was the worst day(and night). My sinuses were draining, coughing, sweating, dizzy, achy, the works.
Thursday I felt it coming on so I started flushing my nose out with saltwater. Friday it didn't seem to be making a difference so I added in stevia sweetener and an anti-microbial called Biocidin by Bio Botanical Research.
This was a great combo, after the 4th or so flush my sinuses no longer ached.

I also started drinking herbal tea, which is always the best thing for me when I get sick. I love tea plus it has other benefits like anti-inflammation and detox.
I drank 4 cups of gypsy cold care, which finished my last box. So I rummaged through the pantry and found lavender stress relief and lemon Ginger tea, both by Yogi. Not my usual preference but hey, I thought I would give it a try.
So on top of the 4 cups of cold care, I added in 2 more cups of lemon ginger, 2 cups lemon/ginger mixed with stress relief, 1 cup peppermint, then my last cup before going to bed was a grand combination of stress relief, lemon/ginger, and one tea for sleep. It really made a difference in how I felt, everything became more tolerable.
10 cups of tea, yes I do have an obsession.

The good news is, it paid off on Saturday. I felt much better. Still had a cough and killer fatigue but so much better than the day before.
Friday night and Saturday morning were the worst. Going to sleep was almost impossible, but I managed. This is when I drank most of the teas, within a few hours of going to sleep.

One last thing I used were essential oils. I always underestimate their power.
I mixed oregano, clove bud, and thyme in a capsule and took one every few hours and I also rubbed peppermint, eucalyptus, and cinnamon on my chest. This really helped the cough.

All of this combined seems to have it almost knocked out! It started Thursday afternoon, today(Sunday) I am almost back to normal. I haven't even taken much today, no tea, 1 oil pill, plus my usual supplements.
The reason I start taking SO many things is because if I don't, I will be sick for a long time. My immune system sucks. Any person with lyme complex will tell you the same. Once something takes hold, its hard to get it out. When I feel a cold coming on, there's no kidding around unless I have a lot of downtime to use.

Even now that I have it mostly knocked out and I feel close to normal, it still may take a week before I am 100%

Off to go make a lemon slushy!

Not Feeling Well Today....

Things had been going so well! I hate it when a good streak ends, especially so soon.

Yesterday afternoon I started feeling a little lousy, my nose started running and my sinuses started feeling unwell..
I was hoping it was allergies, not this time. This time it looks like a minor sinus infection, ugh! I had been feeling so good!
I am prone to sinus infections, whenever I get sick its usually sinus related.

So yesterday evening I started flushing my sinuses out with Himalayan salt water. It helped, but today its worse than before.
This morning I started adding stevia to the salt flush, its an amazing germ killer. That helped for a while. I also started drinking Gypsy Cold Care tea, its amazing stuff! Its great for knocking down infections. I drank 4 cups then my box ran out...plan B. I switched to ginger lemon tea, its good, doesn't taste as good as the cold tea but...it helps my throat.
 I also took a few packets of EMergen C and garlic capsules.  Idk if they do much.
Hopefully ill have this knocked out by tomorrow.

In other news, France has just been attacked. Great. Its not like our world was disorganized enough, now a bunch of people have gone on a murder rampage in France. I'm praying their tomorrow is better!!!

Good night, God bless. We need it

11/11

Its 11/11, also known as veterans day. What did you do to honor your troops?

Today was another good day:)
I worked more with updating this blog and using my Twitter. I even added in a new page, this one is  about depression.
 Depression is an up and coming ailment, it is certainly expanding faster than people have realized.
Anesthesia, chronic illness, hormone imbalance, mercury poisoning, etc. can all cause depression or even severe depression. During my time being sick I have certainly had my fair share of depressed days. My faith is what gets me through it, I know that everything happens for a reason. Suffering leads to thriving, just as necessity leads to invention.

If I would have never gotten sick in the first place I would have never gotten a blog, I would still eat junk food, I would still have mercury fillings, and I wouldn't have learned anything I know about trying to stay healthy. I use every bit of this information daily, that's a big deal that I could have missed out on! The point is to make the best of every situation!
Here is the newest page on my blog, still needs work but it have to start somewhere.

I also did my first official book review today! One of the reasons I started this blog is to share my experiences with others and to outline what has helped me. I personally love reading other blogs that chronicle a persons journey. I enjoy these much more than reading a plane face website. I want to know how a person feels, what is going on in their life. Reading plain facts on a bland webpage can be very boring, and also incorrect. An experience cannot be wrong, information claimed to be "facts" can be.
No one can tell me my experience was wrong, its the real deal. I hope others enjoy reading my experiences just like I enjoy reading theirs.

Moving on...
I started a Twitter yesterday. I will be using that to share anything I find that may interest my readers. An example, today I shared a quiz that will tell you which element your constitution matches in Chinese medicine. I took the quiz, I am a strong water and weak fire.
I also use it to promote other information you guys may find useful.
If you would like me to read or share your blog please send it to me! I like spending the evening reading a new blog.

I am going to continue adding to the blog as I have time. I am going to start posting and reviewing recipes, more book reviews from things I have used, plus a few other things I have in mind. I don't want you guys to get excited for something that could take months for me to get too...

Thanks for reading!

Book Review, Why Can't I get Better

Dr. Richard Horowitz is a well known doctor and activist in the Lyme disease community. Whenever I have a question, this book is one of the first places I go.
Dr. Horowitz is a pioneer in the treatment of resistant babesia, a malaria like organism. Babesia is becoming more resistant to common drugs such as atovaquone and atovaquone/Proguanil. These drugs are some of the most used and reliable methods for ridding the blood of these horrible parasites.Whenever someone no longer responds to conventional or even alternative treatment for babesia, they turn to Dr.Horowitz.

He describes in great detail the many, many infections a tick can transmit to a human. Lyme disease is only a single drop of water compared to the amount of pathogens a tick can transmit. Information on bartonella, brucella, erhlichia, mycoplasma, Q-Fever, etc is scarce online, all of these are well highlighted by Dr. Horowitz.  Incorrectly treating co-infections can lead to treatment failure! That makes this book beneficial for not only the patient, but doctors as well.
Treating the bacteria borrellia burgdorferi alone, without testing for and treating co-infections will result in the persistence of symptoms. It takes away the point of treating in the first place doesn't it?

In this book, he uses an abbreviation to sum up what Lyme disease patients live with-MSIDS.
It stands for Multiple Systemic infectious disease syndrome, it is a summary of the symptoms and infections commonly associated with Lyme disease complex. This has since became a useful term to describe those that suffer from multiple, systematic illnesses.

Dr. Horowitz describes all of the common symptoms associated with each infection, this is paramount for someone like me who had to be diagnosed on symptoms alone. The tests for tick borne diseases are inaccurate, I only ever tested positive to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Yet, I responded very well to babesia treatment, which is an infection my blood was negative for.
He details his methods for treating Lyme disease, like combinations of herbs and antibiotics. Combining antibiotics alone can be dangerous for someone (non-llmd) who is not well educated in the affects of drug combinations. There are several drugs that should never be mixed. MSIDS patients often have afflictions requiring treatment of not just the illness, but the symptoms also. Insomnia for example is huge; he estimates about 70% of those with MSIDS suffer from insomnia. Sleep drugs and some babesia drugs do not mix well, both can have strong psychological side affects. This is just one example of why when treated using pharmaceuticals, it is essential to find an LLMD educated in drug safety.

Another amazing thing about this book is how he highlights treatments. The book is full of information about antibiotics and herbs that are useful in treating MSIDS. I personally learned about the herb cryptolepis, which was essential to beginning my babesia treatment. He also teaches about how some of these work in the body, such as their effects on cytokine levels.

There is so much to be said about Dr. Horowitz and his book Why Can't I Get Better. It is what really jump started my treatment. I felt confident after reading this book, I no longer felt like a helpless sick person. I could identify what was making me ill, and learned how to destroy it! He not only writes about the infections and their treatments, he writes about their effects on our bodies. Like cytokines which cause inflammation for example. I had never heard of this before reading this book. Reading this book gave me the tools to help myself, I would recommend it to anyone suffering from Lyme complex.

Black Legged Tick and another Busy Day

 Hello all!
Today was a good day for me. I felt much less tired than yesterday and I was able to accomplish some things on my to-do list.

This afternoon I was working out in the yard and guess what I found crawling on my shoulder? A little deer tick...I have never found deer ticks in my yard, several lone star but this is the first deer.
I thought that was a little peculiar. I only found one thank God, and it wasn't attached.

That was my excitement for the day.

I over did it in my yard work...
I was doing some rather strenuous work(for me), so afterwards my blood pressure was shot. Every time I stood up my BP dropped suddenly. In the beginning it felt almost like I was going to vomit, but that passed.
This thankfully wore off after an hour, which was great.

Usually whenever I go extra long without sleep(like this weekend), I will have less reserved energy for work. So for my BP to fall out is expected. I always have fewer emotions after something like this weekend. I just don't have the same "feelings" I would normally have. Normally my emotions are diminished from the lack of neurotransmitters and lack of sleep. My guess at least...

Dopalift is supposed to combat that...not doing a great job yet. I don't know of anything else for this...
The sesquiterpenes in frankincense oil are supposed to help the HPA axis, which would boost neurotransmitters. I have tried to use this in a few ways. I have spread the oil on the base of my skull, my wrists, my temples, or my forehead, it does seem to give me a boost.
One thing I like doing with essential oils is flavoring my water.
Today I added 2 drops of lemon and frankincense with 1 drop of peppermint. It was delicious, and should also give me a boost.

Essential oils can be strong, using the above for example-
Lemon oil is supposed to boost and detox the liver
Monoterpenes in frankincense is supposed to draw out toxins from the liver.
Peppermint oil stimulates the central nervous system. Great for concentration.

This is just a tiny example really. There is an oil for everything, and it doesn't take much to feel the effects!
Essential oils have been used since Biblical times. Back then they were even used as a currency because they were so important to society.

Anyway, this has been my short rant about BP and oils, LOL
My brain is gone for the day again...I feel like I cut this post short :/
I will follow up on both one day.....

Busy Weekend!

Sorry I didn't really post over the weekend :/ I was super busy.

     Over the weekend I was out of town with some friends. Now that it is over, I am extremely tired...
During this trip I had about zero sleep. I was only gone two nights, so glad it wasn't more just for this reason!
The first night I stayed up the entire night, I probably dozed some but overall, I got up in the morning feeling the same as when I went to bed.
The second night I know I dozed some, no idea how much, I just know I did. Got up(notice I didn't say woke up) the second morning the same as the first. I stood up ad was just as awake as when I attempted to go to sleep.
This time, I know exactly why I am more tired than usual! I don't need to assume its associated with any of my particular infections. Not sure if that's good or not...but hey, its an answer, right?

    Overall the weekend was great, I didn't feel any worse than usual, even though I was awake for two days straight and had something to do the as soon as I got up right until I went to bed. That's a plus isn't it?
I had plenty of energy, I even helped push a dead car. Usually something like this would be very tiring for me, especially pushing something heavy like a car. Chronic illness absolutely kills muscle and endurance, making anything strenuous a thing of the past.
This wasn't even the most strenuous thing I did over the weekend, so I was rather impressed that I never felt worse!

     Because I was not at home, I couldn't take all of my supplements with me. The cinchona stayed home, so that was skipped for two days. I didn't feel worse, so it must not have been that detrimental.
I was already on break with the Artemisia, that I restarted today.
The only pills I took with me were Dopalift, black walnut, and FiveHTPThrive.
I wonder if the Dopalift helped me stay awake during the day? Its hard to say what is helping when I am taking so many things! That's one thing I don't care for about treating lyme, there is never just 1-2 things to take, it takes many supplements to kill off these bacteria!

Now that I am back home, away from other people, I can finally sleep! I was so tired this afternoon I fell asleep for about 30-45 minutes. I never do that. I crash in the afternoon if I am busy or stressed, but I never sleep. After this nap, I don't feel refreshed, I just feel the need for more! Ugh, the struggle.
Because I am so tired, I know this post has mistakes I missed, I apologize for that...

Until tomorrow, goodnight
Cinchona tea is calling me...

Vitamin D

Today was a long, busy day. So this will be a short post :)

I just want to share this video from the Hansa Center,

http://youtu.be/zYZcZQWe_IM

The topic of their discussion is Vitamin D and the light of our body. It's very interesting, we all think of vitamin D as being important, I mean, it's a vitamin so it must be! But why do we need it? What does it do for us? This video answers these questions well!!

Hope you like it!!

Current Treatment

In my last post I basically just gave a long list of the remedies I have taken in the past years. Today, I am going to describe my current treatments, and possible changes for the future.
My current protocol is helping, but it will certainly not be my saving grace. I still have pronounced symptoms on a daily basis and I still have flairs weekly.
I did have this under control at one point, daily symptoms were minor and I wouldn't get any major flairs. I want a repeat of this! I have stuff to do and places to be!

Ok here is the list of supplements-
L-Glutamine powder, 1 tsp per day
Artemisia Combinations, 2 pills 3x daily, 3 days on 4 off
Black walnut capsules, 2 pills 3x daily
POA phytolens(TOA cats claw), 1x daily
sublingual glutathione, 2-3 daily, 50mg each
ALA, 100mg 3x daily
5 MTHF, 1 daily
Dopalift, 1/2 cap daily
FIveHTP Thrive, 2 before bed
Calc.Phos. 30C, 3 pills 2x daily
1 calm magnesium packet daily
1 Methyl B12 injection weekly
Cinchona bark tea, made with 1tsp bark

Long list right? It needs to change, with as much as I am taking I should be feeling better.
Lets analyze and dissect everything I am taking, maybe something will stand out to you(please tell me if you notice something!). I already have a general idea of what I want to change.

The bacteria killers are, Artemisia, cats claw, and cinchona bark tea. Plus the black walnut, which is more so for parasites.
Artemisia and cinchona are strong, they are certainly making a difference. I haven't even built up to a high dose yet. At some point I will probably move up to 3 cups of tea. These are both primarily for babesia/blood parasites(if present). Artemisia might kill borrellia, I don't know for sure. All of the information on Artemisia and borrellia is conflicting, some say yes it kills it some say no.
This is strong enough for the time being.

The POA phytolens isn't strong, 1 cap a day(450mg). This isn't a significant dosage at all! This is my ND's preference for treating lyme...because it is TOA free, its supposed to be stronger. When I followed the Buhner protocol with cats claw, I took a huge dose compared to this. According to the Buhner protocol I should work up to 1-4 tabs 3-4x daily, each pill is 450mg! I know there is some conflicting info on the TOA free vs non TOA free, but there is NO WAY this makes one 450mg pill capable of replacing a max dosage of 7,200mg. Its not possible.
I would take more but, this brand he wants me to take is $38 for 30 pills. I want to call BS. That's nearly $1 a pill, its not considered one of the strongest remedies for lyme disease, and that is expensive. The Buhner protocol made a difference for me, this does not...
This will definitely change in the future, its way too expensive for something that is too weak to make a difference.

I take the Dopalift for alertness, fatigue, and low dopamine levels. I have been tested twice for neurotransmitter levels, dopamine was almost non-existent on both tests...
I did one bottle of this earlier this year, nothing notable.
Then I did the second neuro test he wanted me to do it again because I didn't take it long enough for it to have an effect. I put it off for a while, I want to treat the cause of my symptoms, not the symtpoms themselves. Low dopamine is a result of a stressed, infected body. Not a pill deficiency.
This second round with the Dopalift was different than the first, for one it made me quit sleeping. As soon as I started taking it I was wide awake almost until sunrise!
So I spoke to the ND, he told me to half the capsule. So far this is working fine for me, it may give me a tiny bit of energy, nothing significant. He did tell me I would have to stay on this a little while for it to really make a difference, which is fine. There are 60 pills in the bottle, and I only take half of one daily...the one bottle will last me 120 days at this rate. Already bought it, might as well use it. So for now this doesn't need to change.

The L-glutamine is for gut health. The stomach uses it in the stomach lining, without it we develop problems. I started this after the first neuro test, I don't really notice a difference. I already have the bottle, at the slow rate I am using it this bottle will last at least another 6 months. So for now, this has no reason to change. Its an essential nutrient and I already have it.

I have been on and off magnesium for years. Its good for pain, muscles, and detoxification. The body uses magnesium to create enzymes used for detox.
I noticed at first if I missed a dose of mag I would have more muscle and joint pain. Now its no big deal. Its needed for detox and most chronically ill patients swear by it, so it can stay.

5HTP Thrive is used for sleep, I started this with the last bottle of Dopalift. It may be helping me sleep harder,  not earlier at all, but waking up has been easier lately. I will leave this one be because its new, it still has time before I can feel the full effects.

Glutathione is used for detox. This is an OK supplement, it doesn't seem to have any strong effects. I started this to help up my detox about a month ago. It may help some, but I wouldn't brag about it...
When I finish this bottle I will replace it with something new.

ALA I started because of the Andy Cutler protocol for chelation. It is supposed to help detox heavy metals from the brain. In the beginning it was VERY strong, I had to cut the 300mg pill into 5ths, and took two each day. For the time being I wont change this, it isn't as strong as it was,but I think I need to add in another chelator like DMSA. When I was taking both is when I felt the best.

Methyl B12 shots were something Dr.L wanted. I showed low for B12 on a test in the beginning so this was something she wanted me to do. I started with regular B12 but it didn't do anything. Gene tests showed I needed the methylated form of B12.
The ND during this time also added me onto his B-complex. It is a good one, the B12 is methylated, it has loads of B vitamins, plus it has a high dosage of each. According to the ingredients the B-Complex is stronger than the injection, but ill be honest. Neither of these gave me significant results. I don't test low for B12 anymore, I don't need to be doing both of these.
I have since finished the B-Complex, still working on my B12 injections. For the time being, I am going to finish the injections and come back to it.

The 5MTHF is something the ND wanted me to do because of the results of the gene test. I cant remember exactly which gene is the reason he wanted me to take this. This for now, I wont change. He feels really strongly about it and the whole methyl B vitamins can make a difference for some. Ill give it a shot for a while longer.

Then last is the Calcarea Phosphorus 30C. This is something I started on my own. I researched homeopathic remedies to help with scoliosis, and this is the one that matched me. It is for calcium and phosphorus absorption, so it really isn't for symptoms. It can stay too.

Now that the overview is established, what should change in your opinion?
I am not treating Lyme disease, or at least strongly. Babesia is covered well, but nothing I am taking will significantly affect borrellia.

Another thing is I need to work on chelation again. I had to take a break because it was wearing me out. I had to wake up at night to take the pills, keep track of the time and make sure I had DMSA and water for the next dosage. With low dose chelation it is really frowned upon to miss a dose, so i stuck to this strictly.
Now I feel like its time to add something stronger than just ALA.

To recap-I am going to get rid of the POA phytolens and glutathione, and add something in for lyme and heavy metal detox.

If anyone has a suggestion as to what herbs to add, please comment!

Ok, my fingers are tired and I am too dizzy to stare at this screen any longer, I am out for tonight. :)

Past Treatments and a lot of Pills!

As you know, I have been treating my Lyme disease and co-infections for a few years. In my last post I said I was going to list all of my past, today is the day!
Most of the bottles I saved are herbs/supplements, but I have a few prescriptions like nystatin and doxycycline. Here it goes, its long...

For chelation-
3 bottles of Total Chelate by nutriwest, Started March 2015, 1 pill 3x daily, worked up to 2 pills 2x daily
2 bottles of DMSA Synergy from GS nutrients, 100mg 1 pill once daily, 3 days on 11 off(Doctors protocol)
2 bottles of King Chlorella from Nutricology, 10 pills spread throughout the day
2 bottles of DMSA from living supplements, followed the Cutler protocol, first bottle was 12.5mg, 1 pill every 4 hours, 3 days on, 4 off. I started this June 12, 2015, finished midnight September 5, 2015
A total of 560 pills

Probiotics-
Culturelle while I was taking Doxy, 1-2 daily, 180 pills
3 bottles of Body Biotics SBO's, I started at 1 two times a day, ended with 2-3 twice a day, started early 2015, finished May 24
Bowtrol Probiotics, 1 bottles, 2 daily, September 2015
2 Bottles Innate Flora 20-14, 2 per day(IIRC)
1 bottle NOW Probiotic-10,1 3x daily
1 bottle Biotics research S.Boulardii 2 daily
1 bottle Colon Plus also biotics 1tsp daily
=710 pills, not counting powder
I know a few of these are missing, I took more culturelle, another probiotic from Natures Sunshine, and at least 1 other. Plus I consume goat kefir and yogurt often(not pasteurized), but those don't count here

Vitamins-
Vitamin K2 from NOW, 4 bottles(from memory, only saved two), 600mcg daily, started early 2015, finished in June.
B-Complex, 1 daily, Metabolic Maintenance 1 Bottle, Started around August 2015, ended October 2015
5-MTHF Metabolic Maintenance, 1 bottle, 1 pill a day. Started with B-Complex, 2 bottles
Active B12 Folate, Prothera 1 pill a day, 3 bottles, started with Doxycycline
2 Bottles of Esther C, doses varied the ND had me doing 10g at one point, end of 2014/beginning of 2015
Active MTHF Complementary Prescriptions, 3 bottles, 1 pill a day.
1 bottle of Liposomal vitamin C, 3 pills a day, started in Oct.2015
1 bottle of CoQ10 from Metabolic Maintenance, 1 pill a day, Started with B-Comp.
2 bottles of Lithium Orotate. 1 bottle from Swanson and 1 from Advanced Research, 1 5mg pill a day, started after 1st hair test.
Custom Multivitamin Powder from Metabolic Maintenance, 1.5 tsp per day, 1 bottle, Started end of January 2015
3 bottles of NOW vitamin D-3, 10,000 IU per day, Started with K2
Calm Magnesium powder, 2 tsp per day, started with doxy, I only saved 2 bottles but I have continuously taken it since Aug.2013. I am going to estimate 6 bottles.
1 bottle of Green pastures Blue Ice Cod liver/butter oil, 8 per day, same as K2
There is definitely more, this is just what I coudld remember plus what I saved.
=2,350 pills not counting magnesium and vitamin powder!

Herbs(another big category!)
Grapefruit seed extract, nutribiotics, 3 per day(IIRC), 2 bottles
1 bottle of Swanson Grapefruit seed extract liquid, both of these were spring 2015
4 bottles of Swanson Milk thistle, 2 pills 3x daily, Started June 5, stopped end of Oct 2015
3 bottles of NOW Eleuthero capsules, 3 pills 3x daily, same as grapefruit seed extract
13 bottles of Swanson Andrographis Paniculata, 3 pills 3x daily, I started this early 2015
1 bottle of NOW Andrographis, same dose
2 bottles of Natures Sunshine Black Walnut, bottle one Aug., b.2 October 2015
2 bottles Artemisia Combinations, started 8/20 ended 9/5, 2015 B. 2 same as b2 black walnut
3 bottles of NOW Cats Claw, 3 pills 3 times a day, same as andrographis
2 bottles POA Phytolens, 2 pills 2x daily, 2015

2 bottles NOW black walnut/wormwood complex tincture, Feb. 2014
10bottles cryptolepis tincture from Montana Farmacy, first dose 15 drops, ended at 1/2 tsp 3x daily, started May , ended August. 2015
3 bottles Alchornea Cordifolia, 1/4 tsp, June-July 2015
1 bottles Sida Acuta 1/4 tsp, August-Sept.1
1 bottle Houttuynia tincture, Montana Farmacy, 1/4 tsp, June-July 2015
1 bottle Nutramedix Cumanda, started June 5
1 bottle Nutramedix Quina, started June 5
1 bottle Nutramedix Pinella started May 15
1 bottle Nutramedix Burbur started May 15

3 bottles of Biocidin from Bio Botanical Research, started around December 2014
2 bottles of Humaworm, bottle 1 January 2015, b.2 May 2015
1 bag of Houttuynia powder, I started at 1/4tsp and worked up to 1 tsp 3x daily, finished in Sept.15'

=2,270 pills, not counting liquids
This isn't counting the herbs I took first round with the ND for candida.

Other Misc. from the ND

Nutriwest-
1 bottle L-Glutamine
2 bottles methyl renew
2 bottles Total Cort
4 bottles DSF herbal
=630 pills

Metabolic Maintenance-
3 bottles Melatonin 9mg at night
3 bottles of L-Theanine
= 780

NOW-
2 bottles L-Ornithine 6 pills daily
1 bottle L-Theanine
2 bottles L-Arginine/Ornithine combo, 6 pills daily, 1 bottle 2014, 1 2015
=860 pills

Wellbrain-
2 bottles Adrestore
2 bottles Dopalift
=480 pills
1 bottle of Immuno gG from biotics research(idk when I took this, it was 2012)
2 bottles Sleep Deep from Dancing Willows, 2014
1 bottle Adrena Calm by Apex Energetics
= 100 pills

Other Misc.
4 bottles of Nystatin pills, 2 pills 2x per day
2-3 bottles Argentyn 23, 1 tsp 5x, 2014
Odorless garlic, 1,000 mg, 2014
4-5 Bottles Doxycycline, 4 liquid 1 pills, 100mg 2 times daily
= 580 pills

Homeopathics
4 bottles Ledum Palustre 30C. 5 pills 3x daily
1 bottle Boiron Silicea 30C
1 bottle Arnica Montana 30C
1 Bottle Calc.Phos. 6x
1 bottle Ruta Graveolens
1 bottle Calc.Phos 30X
2 bottles Mediral Rocky Mountain Spotted fever
1 bottle Physica Relax Milieu
=880 pills

This comes to a total of 9,160 pills!!! Except for 3 bottles(Artemisia, 5MTHF, and Dopalift), I didn't count anything I am taking currently. I didn't even count the liquids which includes the doxy and cryptolepis.
Almost 10,000 pills and I am still sick! This is just wrong. Most of these were in the last 1.5 years. What the heck.

 

I know some things aren't even included, like Dr.L had me take 3 rounds of mebendazole, 2 weeks each, and 2 rounds biltricide. IV drugs aren't counted. Essential oils weren't counted. And a few other miscellaneous things weren't counted. All of these have also been significant in my treatments.

Looking back, only a few of these were helpful. The cryptolepis tincture, DMSA, Ledum, and IV drugs made anything lasting. Houttuynia was also helpful, it was definitely killing something, I started at 1/4 tsp once a day and it made me feel horrible. I felt like I was going crazy. I would get this spacey feeling, I would become depressed at night, and I couldn't focus. It was one of the worst herxes I have ever had. The sad part is, idk if it gave me any lasting effects. It is traditionally used for Bartonella, which I have never been positive for. I decided to try it to see if bart would start showing up positive at the ND. Babesia never showed up until I started taking cryptolepis, I started taking it and I started testing positive on the bio machine. I thought the houttuynia would do the same for bart if I have it.


The ND has tried to push several of these products on me, especially several of the vitamins and Nutriwest. They are fine products, but they aren't what I need. What I need is to strengthen my body and get my body to kill the bacteria.
The probiotics definitely helped my stomach and candida. Before I tried the modified GAPS diet I had extremely high serotonin, which is made in the gut. After the diet and probiotics, its now too low actually. All of my neurotransmitters are low now. I will be making a post about this in the future. I just have to figure out....where did I put those test results...

In my next post I am going to highlight my current protocol and possible changes.

I wanted to right more...but it took about two hours to type all of this out.
 I.am.toast.