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!