Hello friends,
I have a life update and I’m asking for your prayers. I’m also wanting to create awareness for a cause. Those who know me well know I’ve struggled a lot with chronic illness. I first got sick back in 2015 in Nashville with debilitating chronic fatigue as one of my main symptoms and the first 5 years of sickness I spent going through the medical system I was misdiagnosed. I moved to Florida for a new job during a time when I was doing a little better health wise. Then after a year of red tide my symptoms got stronger again but this time with new symptoms activated. I spent most of 2019 searching again going to various doctors with no answers, feeling miserable until finally in fall of 2019 I stepped outside the traditional medical establishment and went to a functional doctor for the first time. That’s when I got a diagnosis of CIRS – Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome which is basically an autoimmune condition around mold. Apparently, that old 12th South renthouse in Nashville that I loved so much had triggered my illness. So, I was now on a better track but after 2 years of protocols I didn’t see enough improvement.
So Spring of 2022 I set out to find a new doctor again. That’s when I found Orthomolecular Wellness, the holistic clinic I go to now. Finally in January of this year 2023, they ran a test with Vibrant Wellness that’s more accurate and I got an official diagnosis of Lyme disease and co-infections. I had known through alternative testing like kinesiology for about a year so I was mentally prepared but this made it an official diagnosis. There had been mold illness & lyme disease the whole time.
Chronic Lyme is a very controversial illness in the medical community. There’s a little place that I like to call the Center for Dishonesty and Corruption that claims Lyme isn’t chronic and can be taken out with a round of antibiotics and then they say it’s not possible that you’re still infected. If you catch Lyme early then antibiotics are likely to help and I’ll go into informing people later what to do if you get a tick bite so you don’t end up like me – not everyone gets a bulls eye rash which was my case. But if Lyme is not caught early enough then it absolutely becomes chronic and can act more like a superbug and then it’s much harder to treat with antibiotics.
Some of you may be thinking that it’s crazy that it took me so long but unfortunately, I know others with Lyme who have a similar story. This corrupt organization recommends Lyme tests that aren’t very accurate which is one reason I’ve been to about 17 doctors over 8 ½ yrs. I know others with a similar story.
A common question I get is what are your symptoms? Just because someone looks ok, doesn’t mean they feel ok so if someone tells you they battle chronic illness please try to believe them. I have good days & bad days & I’m not going out & about when I’m at my worst so that’s not when you see me.
- Many Lyme patients battle arthritis, but I’ve dealt instead with other types of pain instead, like neuropathy with lots of nerve pains. I have had some arthritis trying to sneak its way in a little lately, especially in my hands the past few months.
- Many have arthritis, but I’ve had neuropathy with lots of nerve pains. I have had a little arthritis sneaking into my hands lately though.
- Chronic fatigue, light sensitivity, brain fog & chronic sinusitis are all symptoms. I was mostly bedridden with fatigue for almost a year in that moldy house back in Nashville but once I got on a supplement routine it improved. I still typically wake up with fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and sometimes swollen sinuses as well. When I say fatigue it’s more than tiredness, it’s more like the heaviness and weakness your body feels when you have the flu combined with sheer exhaustion.
- I also have cognitive issues that we call “Lyme brain”. It’s given me a learning disability, Executive function disorder which is like ADD + issues with my working memory. People tend to not believe me but my test results show poorly for complex focus, processing speed & time management contributing to chronic lateness. I have trouble with my spelling & word finding, especially names of people & places. If I blanked out on your name, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
- Hypothyroidism & weight gain. There are some other symptoms that are really unappealing so I’m not sharing everything.
- Occasional: dizzy spells, blurry vision, night sweats, muscle tremors & more. Ha!
Just to explain the severity, one of the Lyme doctors said his HIV patients do better than his Lyme patients and in alternative medicine the clinics that treat Lyme are the same ones that treat cancer. Lyme has been called the great imitator which is another reason why misdiagnosis is common. It can be an underlying cause for fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis and can be a cause of many neurological disorders like MS, Parkinson’s, bell’s palsy, dementia and more.
Basically, this thing can tear up your life to the point where you are also affected financially & socially. I’ve left many social events early due to fatigue. I’ve spent most of my 30s sick & have felt like I missed out on important life events that I would have wanted to happen by now.
For treatments: I’ll share more on things I’m doing that help with healing but I’m on a massive supplement routine to manage symptoms, dietary changes & I have done months of nutritional IVs until my veins sclerosed. Then I came across something called phage therapy. Ironically Biologix, the clinic offering this treatment, is in the Nashville area where I first got sick. This specialized clinic decided to take on my case and I’ll be going there for extra treatment starting September 11. I’ll try to find time later to explain more about phage therapy but it was used 100 yrs. ago before the Rockefellers corrupted the medical system. I’ll be going in about in a week to try this therapy that’s newer to the Lyme community and I’m asking for your prayers that it’s effective and if not that I find healing another way soon.
Unfortunately, there’s not enough research on treatment for Lyme disease and because it can affect each person differently there’s not a clear path. What works for one person may not another & Lymies have to just have to keep trying different things until something works. The phage therapy should attack the bad bacteria while leaving the good and not damage the microbiome the way antibiotics do. And if it works for me, it will eat up the Lyme until every last bit is gone.
I’m not afraid of any of the treatments at Biologix making me worse but I am afraid of the risk of still not being well and the financial risk of that. Unfortunately, another pitfall for the Lyme patients is that because the illness isn’t acknowledged by the medical establishment, we get very little help from insurance so the cost becomes a battle for many people too. Many people just stay sick and I’m grateful that my parents are supportive and able to help me. So this upcoming medical trip feels like a risk but it’s a risk worth taking and I am aware that even if I’m better I will still need rehabilitation after this.
I know other lyme warriors & have friends who have also had Lyme. Some of those who have gone before me have been the biggest help which is also why I’m sharing this. Knowing you’re not the only one & connecting with others can be a huge help. It’s estimated there are about 500,000 people a year diagnosed with Lyme. There are millions of people out there suffering and the Lyme community truly needs help. I highly recommend a new documentary called: The Quiet Epidemic.
The name is very fitting. The documentary gives a good explanation of why the testing isn’t accurate. Let’s just say, that when it comes to Lyme the medical corruption rabbit hole runs deep.
I’ve had to work at finding the good and what I can be grateful for through this. One of the things I’m most grateful for is how much I’ve learned about natural health and it’s really my passion now. It helps me to think that I can bring purpose from my experience so my hope is that when I’m well enough I can get into functional nutrition or some other role that will help the people with chronic illness, mold & Lyme heal.
I hope anyone who has a chronic health condition is encouraged to know that there’s healing out there if you step outside the system. Cause and effect are a scientific principle. If your conventional medical doctor says they don’t know what caused your condition and the only answers given are medications that create more symptoms, many times you can find a root cause if you find answers & healing if you go to a holistic doctor. The truth is God has provided us with herbs, minerals, nutrition, and prayer to give us healing. Your doctor isn’t the ultimate authority on your health because God is the Great Physician and you are the only one who knows your body best because you are the only one in it. If I hadn’t kept searching, I would probably be labeled with something like MS right now thinking that there is no way out. Seek and you will find.
I may not have time to post a lot over the next few weeks but I plan to share about different treatments & therapies I’ve been doing on my natural health blog that I’m bringing back to life: @TrueReviveWellness when I can. If you are interested in learning more or following my health journey, I’d really appreciate a follow on our socials. I’ll be sharing health tips I’ve learned & treatments you may not have heard of when I can. If it can help someone else that makes it worth it to me.
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