Posted 5/7/2012 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
After 18 years of constant weird illnesses (neurological, joint pains, buzzing, numbness, sinus infections, twitching muscles, migraines, bad memory, brain fog) I was diagnosed with Lyme in Jan. I tested positive for Lyme and Babesia and my LLMD thought I had Bartonella. At that time I had a vacation planned that I was really excited about, I also knew that it was a high energy vacation that honestly could be very dangerous if my brain wasn't functioning. I take a yearly trip in my MINI Cooper to a road called the Dragon in North Carolina, it is a stretch of road with 318 turns over 11 miles. One side has sharp drop offs and the other side rock walls. People drive it fast and you must be aware the whole time, on top of that, it's a 550 mile drive each way to get there. It's the largest MINI Cooper gathering in the US and we have a blast playing in the mountains for a week.
I started antibiotics and got really sick, much sicker then I had felt in a very long time. I tried several different ones and it just got worse. At 2 weeks I KNEW they were wrong for me. I decided to cleanse my liver, take a step back and find a natural alternative.
I stopped the abx in Feb, still thinking that if I made the trip, I would probably have to just ride with my husband and leave my MINI home. I really wanted to go and take my MINI, he's my pride and joy and just a ton of fun.
I did a lot of detoxing and I got a hold of Jernigan's book on Lyme. I bought the Perfect 7 protocol and I got an infrared sauna. I totally cleaned up my diet and I started working on my negative attitude. I found the sauna time a great time for reflection and read inspirational books only while in there. Got through the Art of Happiness from the Dali Lama and loved it. Read Jernigan's book on Lyme, read poetry it became a special time of peace.
I got much better, so much better that last week I went on that trip. I drove my own MINI 550 miles each way. I drove the Dragon better then I ever have in the past, my friends were in shock. I used to be the slow one in the group and I could never keep up. This year I was right there with them, shocking myself but my brain engaged and I could do it. They were also surprised by how much easier I was to get along with in the mornings (we share a cabin). They never got the whole Lyme thing until they saw me better. They thought I was just a bit of a ditzy driver and grumpy in the morning. They saw a whole new Ali last week.
I was so excited to make it that the first night I couldn't even sleep, I just laid in bed with a smile on my face. I was so sure a few months ago that there was no way I would make this trip. It felt soooo good to be there, I was so grateful.
Spent an entire week in the mountains doing hard driving through twisty roads. Yes, I had to watch my energy and had planned down days. I bought all of my food at a health food store so I could eat well. When my friends tried to get me to drink alcohol or eat something sweet I just replied "Not feeding the Lyme, thanks anyway."
Am I 100% healed? No, but I feel better then I have in years. My brain is really clear and I can literally feel it firing, I can feel my memory coming to life. I thought my memory would never come back, I figured I'm 50 years old now, it's just part of age. I am remembering all kinds of stuff that I had long ago forgotten.
I'm still a little achey, but nothing horrible.
Also, a few weeks ago my temp went up. I was always 97.1 - 97.3, now I'm running 97.8 - 98.1!!!
I just wanted to let people know you can get better. For me, it was following my intuition and deciding that I did indeed know what I needed to do and then follow that voice. I found the advice in Jernigan's book really resonated for me and made understand better what I needed to do. I feel happier then I have in years.
I really hope that each and every one of you find what it takes to get better and beat this thing. I wanted to share because I think these kinds of stories are important.
Ali