Tag Archives: lyme disease

Fighting Lyme and Chronic Migraines

8 Jul

well, these two weeks have FLOWN by and now it’s time to update on how fabulously I’ve been feeling. Ha! Not fabulous, let me tell you that first off. Oy. But we were able to have a lot of fun over the 4th of July weekend! Thank you to everyone that came to our first BBQ! It was SO much fun and we had such a great turnout! OH (other half) and I look forward to hosting another one. We also got down to Bend to see family and friends for a few days and had an absolute blast. Family barbeque where the kids just couldn’t get any cuter. Abby learning to swim in the pond. Holding a sweet little baby. Line dancing at midnight. Dinner with my parents and Auntie and Uncle.  The fun continued right until we left!

 

Ok, I’ll quit playing with pictures and get to the update…. if you missed the first update, check it out!!

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Overall Health: I seem to feel either really good or really awful, there hasn’t been much of an in between these last few weeks. My memory hasn’t improved, which makes remembering to take the treatment hard! Sleep hasn’t improved either. My skin has slowly started to clear up, thank heavens! The house is staying in pretty good shape , now I’m dreaming of working in the yard and cleaning my car!

Treatment: I’ve been back on the Samento for 10 days now and good grief, it’d be nice if I could remember to take all 3 drops each day. I’m doing good if I take 2. I’m thinking I’m gonna have to set alarms on my phone… Remember, I have to wait half an hr after taking it , to eat. AHEM. Not cool, because I tend to remember when I’m sitting down to eat. sigh. I Will get the hang of this because I’m not reacting near as strong as before. I have run out of Riboflavin though, so I’ve Got to get some today, remind me of that will you? hehe.

Migraines: This might be TMI for some of you reading this and I’m sorry… Due to it being that wonderful time of the month, my migraines have been predictably severe. This morning I don’t have one but that hasn’t been the norm the past week and a half. The pain has been severe, and stayed so most of the day this past week especially.

Digestion: This past week I seem to have gotten past my stomach freaking out at almost every meal I eat. Which is a wonderful change.

TMJ: I don’t seem to be clenching my jaw during the day as much – at least I haven’t caught myself doing it like I was. It’s been popping more the last few days, and is super tender in the mornings. Hard to chew harder foods sometimes.

Mood: I feel more myself although I still tend to overreact to the littlest things.

Sleep: hasn’t changed at all – still have to take Melatonin or Theanine every night. Still wake up at least twice. I’ve been taking a  lot more naps since I got back on the Samento.

Brain Fog/Memory : Fog hasn’t been as bad as in the past but memory is deplorable. I’m still struggling to remember things I’ve always known, and to find the right word. Still haven’t been able to write much on my novel. Focus has been a little better in some situations, (able to watch movies now)

Daily Vitamins :

Still averaging 2 Clonidine a day (it’s been 3 a day these past several days though)

I’ve been trying to up my intake of Fish oil to 2 a day without reaction.

I’ve run out of Riboflavin, getting more today! Need to up my intake though

Seem to be doing fine off the Cordyceps

And that’s it! I’m gonna start working on the list of symptoms, I want to get it up before I go on vacation next week. This blog has wonderful info on Lyme disease, I’ve been following her for a few years now.

Do you have any tips on remembering to take the Samento? Or do you have direct experience with Samento? I’d love any advice!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Laura

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June 2016 Book Reviews

1 Jul

Happy Fourth of July weekend friends! Due to a long writer’s block, I have been reading a lot this month. A migraine is kicking up it’s heels inside my head so I’m going to finish this off quick (yes, I write my intro dead last every book review post…doesn’t everyone?) But I have to tell you the book I scored at the book sale at the Happy Valley Library a few weeks ago. “A History of the Twentieth Century – Volume one : 1900-1933” by Martin Gilbert. It weighs probably ten pounds and I’m SO excited about it. With plans of of more novels written in the early 1900’s I’m expecting this to be very helpful. Did I mention that it was 50cents?? Oh yes. SCORE.

Ahem. Alrighty, I hope you find something in this list of books to check out! Happy Weekend!

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Lydia’s Charm by Wanda E. Brunstetter – New widow, Lydia King and her son move to Charm, Ohio to help her mother with her grandfather. But when gifts are left on her front porch, is she ready for the chance at love?  ~A father of four boys, Menno Troyer is also recently widowed and has come to realize his boys need a mother. While he doesn’t think he’s ready to love again, he has to think of his boys first. ~Levi Stutzman has dedicated his life to caring for his family, all handicapped by dwarfism. He decided long ago that he would never marry, but his heart is big as he helps anyone that needs a hand. ~ When tragedy strikes Lydia again, will the mysterious gift giver be there to help her through?

~ I have to be honest, I wasn’t very excited about this book. I’d picked it up several times this past year but never made it past the first few pages. But I’m trying to go through the books I own and have never read, so I persevered. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a fun twist on an Amish romance, although I did get mad when a certain tragedy struck. I am pretty sure I yelled at the book, which prompted concern from the OH and the puppy….yeah. It was that upsetting. BUT! Brunstetter delivered yet again with a very enjoyable story. This one is staying on my shelf, I’m happy to say!

Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle – A charming description of life in Provence, as can only be told by someone who lives there – stories of finding gold in the garden, pig-hunting truffles, a stray dog named “Boy”, and decadent feasts and wine.

~This is a book that I’ve owned for several years and never read, although I am pretty sure I’ve read Mayle’s  ‘A Year in Provence’  that precedes this book. While this was a fun book to read, it’s not captivating enough for me to read again. Each chapter is a different story of Mayle’s adventures so it’s an easy, light read. Hearing about the different customs and superstitions of some of the characters was delightful. But, whether it’s due to eating kosher and the French most definitely do not (hehe), I think I’ll be passing this book along to a new owner.

Little Britches by Ralph Moody – It was 1906 when Ralph Moody’s family moved from the east coast to Colorado. Ranching is full of challenges, ones that his father teaches him to think through and overcome. Through wind storms, water wars and family picnics, Ralph shares the hardships and pleasures of ranching. He was also being groomed to be a man, and to take his father’s place when the time came.

~I had never heard of this book until a few months ago when a friend lent it to me. And now, I can’t believe I didn’t read these growing up! The writing is so good, you get quickly sucked into the early twentieth century as Ralph learns how to fit in at school, be a cowhand and to be honest no matter what. I absolutely LOVED how his father taught him, if I can be such a parent! This was a completely delightful story and I was so excited to find out that Ralph wrote more than just this one! I am now on the third book and still loving them. 

Man of the Family by Ralph Moody – Ralph Moody has had to shoulder the responsibilities of a man at only 11 years old. The family is determined to stay together though, so Mother and Grace start baking and repairing lace curtains while Ralph builds frames, trades rabbits and delivers the baking.

~you know what , I’m going to just wait on reviewing these for a series review!!! Come back and check it out!

Beware the Ticking Lyme Bomb by Craigger Creed – BEWARE! Lyme disease-infected ticks can be picked up anywhere outside – in your yard, the woods or a park. Learn about this complex ailment before it comes knocking on your door, in an easy-to- read book which includes some personal experiences  and comparison spreadsheets to show you how the symptoms and treatments vary between the patients.

~This was a great book to start off learning more about Lyme disease. It’s lighthearted but the warning is often repeated – Beware! Don’t wait! Pay attention to symptoms and go to a doctor now! Take charge!     I’m so glad I grabbed this off the library shelves and highly recommend it to others who want to learn more without getting overwhelmed with in-depth information. 

Currently Reading:

Why Can’t I Get Better? : solving the mystery of Lyme and Chronic Illness by   Richard  Horowitz, MD

Fields of Home by Ralph Moody

Trim Healthy Mama plan by Pearl Bennett and Serene Allison

Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

 

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The Big Health Update

21 Jun

Well friends, I have been trying to sit down and do a COMPLETE AND AWESOME review of the Lord of the Rings trilogy but I’ve decided today to give you all some news and start a regular health update. That way I’ll be able to see if I’ve made any progress as time goes on – I try keeping track in a little notebook but this will be more detailed =) Warning, this is going to be a long post but future updates won’t be quite so in depth!

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3 weeks ago today I found out that I have Lyme Disease. I’ll share the definition of Lyme from a great little book I picked up at the library “Beware the Ticking Lyme Bomb” by Craigger Creed.

“The standard, quick explanation goes something like ‘ Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted by deer ticks, produces a bull’s eye rash, and is usually cleared up quickly with antibiotics’. But this barely scratches the surface of the tip of the iceberg…often there are additional bacteria, protozoa, etc involved … and have been implicated in Lyme-induced skin and neurological disorders.”

The problem is, a high percentage of people do not have the bull’s eye rash, or any of the other rashes that indicate they have recently been bitten by a tick that is sharing Lyme with you.

Lyme has earned the nickname “The great Imitator” because it acts like so many other medical conditions. The bacteria, Borrelia, are spiral shaped spirochetes that are marvelous at hiding and disguising themselves, making it even harder to diagnose. The symptoms are many, and seemingly unconnected to each other.

Lyme is very complex, and I don’t have the ability, or the knowledge, to delve deep into it here for you. I recommend the above book for a quick, light read as well as the book that I have just started, “Why Can’t I Get Better?” by Richard I. Horowitz, MD. for a more in-depth look. Let’s suffice it to say that when I go down the list of symptoms I have most of them. Which puts me squarely in the ‘chronic Lyme or Late-Disseminated Lyme stage.

Overall health: I am thankful to finally have a diagnosis (!!) although I am still trying to wrap my head around that fact. strong reaction to new treatment (more on that in a minute). Memory has gotten worse the last month-odd.Skin has broken out and stayed bad past 2 1/2 weeks. Sleep is still spotty. Am able to keep the house decently clean, huzzah! and able to walk the dogs/play with them every so often.

Treatment: my naturopath has me taking Samento (aka Cat’s Claw). I have been on it 10 days and right from the start, this stuff is POWERFUL. you start at one drop a day, for 3 days. then 2 drops a day for 3 days and so on til you get to 30 drops a day. I wasn’t too concerned about it, totally do-able.  But this stuff hit me hard about 2 hrs after taking it – made me feel like I had the flu, all achy and tired and stuck on the couch. Yesterday I called my dr, and I’m stopping taking it for a week. Should take that long for the reaction to go away. Then i’ll start it up again and take it for a few days (3 drops a day), and hope the reaction doesn’t come back. if it does, I’ll have to take something else to kill the infection. A list of everything I’m currently taking will be at the end of this post.

Migraines: Except for last night when it hit a 9, they haven’t reached an 8 in a few weeks. When they do get severe, they don’t typically last longer than a few hours. Still pain daily that tends to stay around a 6. Gets worse in evenings/weekends (poor OH!). Still get worse when in a busy/loud/bright environment.

(sorry the picture is blurry but to give you an idea.. 8 =intense, pain is severe. talking and listening are difficult. 6= distressing. think about pain all the time. give up many activities because of it)

letter to the weary

Digestion: Hasn’t been that great lately. It does better when I stay away from heavy foods (aka bread!) and of course, any of my allergens. (gluten, dairy, eggs, beef, cranberries, sugar)

TMJ:  Is in direct proportion to pain level of migraines. Hasn’t been popping as much lately although I have started clenching my jaw during the day as well, causing teeth and jaw to ache frequently.

Mood: Has stayed good, even after going off of chinese herbs for it (cannot remember the name right now). Sometimes i get very irritated/angry for the dumbest thing (past what is normal for me). So, still some room for improvement.

Brain fog/Memory: has gotten worse this past month. Struggling to remember names/titles/things I’ve always known. Not able to focus for very long (example: can watch a tv show but movies are too long) Haven’t been able to get my brain to ‘work’ so haven’t written very much on novel.

Sleep: Have to take either a melatonin or Theanine every night in order to sleep. Do have to rotate them every few nights for them to work. Wake up at least twice in the night. When on Samento, was taking naps that were a few hrs long most days.

Daily Vitamins/Pills

Prescription: Clonidine. Averaging 2 a day.

Magnesium. Calcium. D3. Olive Leaf Extract. Basic B Complex. Fish oil. = 1 a day

Ribofalvin, 2 a day. Evening Primrose Oil, 3 a day.

2 weeks every month – 1 each – Horse Chestnut Extract and Chaste Tree Berry

Have gone off of Cordyceps to see if energy drops.

There you have it. The fact that I am vastly better than maybe 3 months ago is encouraging but pain is still a daily, severe fact of life in this household. I want to go through a list of Lyme symptoms and share them with you soon, as some of them I never realized were symptoms and not just something that my body did. Who knows, if I had told my doctor about them 10 years ago, maybe we would have been able to diagnose this and i wouldn’t have progressed to this point.

Thanks for stopping by and getting all the way through this post!

*I promise, promise, promise, LOTR review will get up by the end of the month!*

~Laura

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