Partially healed vs healed after decades of symptoms; my journey and improvment update

Its great to see the "healed " posts around new year- were many more new year 2016 though.

As a lyme veteran of 25-30 years, and I guess a veteran here (lol), I've been asked this question the last year multiple times. Prob since I reply to peoples symptom questions with... ." I used to have that"......

I must say I envy those who had this less than five years and healed rather quickly 100%.

100% is quite an achievement for those who did it; its still a project for me while grateful for what has improved.

In some ways I was lucky to have symptoms spread around throughout the years, so I functioned, but with handicaps. Handicaps make you learn to adapt. Work was / still is hard, I could not do all I was trained / schooled for.

My outdoor adventure interests were limited by body pain. My #1 hobby/sport was motocross (throttle, not pedals), in which somewhat of a surprise, eventually landed me in pro rankings for a couple years in the 90's. Insomnia, inability of muscle healing, adrenals, thyroid issues took their tole at that competitive level, so physically giving 100% effort was not possible, that made it mentally even harder.. I bumped back down to expert in late 90's and semi-retired in 2003. Then re-surfaced to one race return/ personal test with a third expert and final "farewell" LOL in 2005, before officially "hanging my boots up", as the lyme symptoms made this no longer worth it. I was a bicycle racer too, but that was even harder as I got repetitive motion injuries from just spinning pedals- not at all normal. I could no longer paddle a canoe either - pain / stiff days/weeks after. Simple skiing also resulted in repetitive motion injuries, and I'm slow at skiing. Hiking became out of the question, then just walking around the bock got painful.

Some years were better, some really bad though, 2008, the morning I awoke to 80% dark vision along with heightened other symptoms, I thought death was at my door step. It was the abyss of my (now) five decades on earth.

Fast forward to now, and I'm better. Its hard to say how healed I am. I consider autoimmune developments parts of lyme. And if these symptoms are more manageable, but dont go away, technically one is not 100% healed.

That's where I've been the last year and a half. I function, can work full time but must be selective. I had physical strength gains and some muscle healing. I've literally had to carefully yet aggressively re-build many major large and important smaller muscles and tendons in my body one or pairs at a time. First loosening them before re-strengthening them. This takes forever.

I did some winter fatbiking (fat tire mnt bike) on snowy single track 10-12 miles in the woods last weekend. Like usual, I over did it since I was having such a good time, so it was a good test. I was symmetrically achy after, but not high tension pain. A week later I recovered correctly (with my own self-therapy help) but with OUT muscle/tendon injuries. I canoed a lot the last two summers too. None of this was possible for years. Still cant go as far as I should be able to though.

Notable improvements, better quality of life, but not 100%: less muscle pain, I sleep better (unless stressed), less anxiety, vision is bright, less trembling, talk way better (same speed as most introverts, not as fast as you extroverts ha ha), less brain fog (just in mornings), write neater, less writing dyslexia. Gut is improving again, no candida per test.

Stressful events still overwhelm me but not like before - no adrenal surges, but a stressful "event" (car breakdown, stuff like that) can make me sleep less the following night and even raise my BP, so adrenals are not healed.

My gut is better on the whole30 more strict Paleo diet this last month. If a happy gut increases immune health, I hope I feel future benefits, so far its just my gut and skin. No carbs (no bloat) makes me feel constantly hungry.

Been saving $ lately, but will spend on another round of immune and indirect lyme infection marker tests. Been 1-2 years since last tested some of them.

I dream of 100% healing, but time is catching up with me. With autoimmune, 100% better more than likely is not possible today. I really hope they find out more on the automatic autoimmune health issues people face...........some that start from other illnesses/infections.

That said, the leading cause of death is...life. Having outlived some people I knew in the past (RIP / bless their soul), I guess "3/4 healed" is better than six feet under.

But that last part of 100% is what dreams are made of....and still work in progress........

Post Edited (astroman) : 1/28/2017 2:51:52 PM (GMT-7)

Girlie, around mid 2013 , I forgot precisely.

Did gut health first per LLMD to be ready for ABX.

I did one year abx with breaks extended to just under 1.5 years.

One of my two thyroid antibodies normalized, but thyroid still has not made higher productivity- on same thyroid meds. I'll see of palio changes this.

Astroman, it may have taken you longer than anticipated, but the knowledge you have brought to this forum is wonderful.

I have learned a lot from you, and I have never taken the time to thank you. So here it is...

Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge! <3

Thanks for sharing

My husband keeps bugging me to get back on my bike....maybe this spring.

Astroman,

Congratulations. I love this post. Thank you for sharing it. I also learn so much from you.

I would love to be at the point where I can exercise and go biking. I can now walk for a mile or a little more on good days. Hope to incorporate low weights soon.

What did you do to heal adrenals/gut. While I always lightly work on both, I think I need a more focused approached.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the post.

Huddie-

*Leaky gut- There is a lot of info on treating leaky gut, they vary, but really eliminating foods that are sensitive to you and then take healing supplements common to gut health.

First step by the functional medicine method is recognizing your food sensitivities (inflammation) by an elimination diet and introducing them back in one at a time to see any reactions. This can take months the first time. Lots of trials there. I basically start at the paleo level. This time (right now) to fine tune I went whole30, which is a more strict palio.

general suppliments for it are what you see here a lot- L-glutamine, digestive enzymes, really good probiotics, some type of "green" powder drink (not a a smoothie, they have lots of sugar)

Many funtional med type Drs suggest this too for gut immune health: IG 26 DF , I still have some, used it for 6 months: /www.xymogen.com/formulas/products/452

*Adrenals - are confusing and take a long time to settle, and my adrenals can still over re-act to stress. I experimented with many herbal adapogens and too this day holy basil still works best for me, but you need to find what works for you. Its time and money, I always buy the $mallest bottle when experimenting. And then there's daily stress- need to make less of this or try to change the way you "see" things. Easier said then done LOL. As an introvert, to keep stress and burn out in control, I need lots of self time, we live in an extrovert world, well, most do. Extroverts might feel stressed alone, from what I've read. So nature is kind of a sanctuary for me too, as a stress reliever, ironically, its how I got this too - exploring nature. I also find relief in short power naps when I'm burnt out. Its time out and then I can go about doing more after.

Brain and gut chemistry are tied together, and they can influence adrenal reaction. Adrenals to some extent, can influence thyroid and how sugar is used, or not used.

All this will take longer the longer someone has been ill. Body systems can get stuck in a bad memory mode and need direction sometimes.

Its hard for me to understand what normal is supposed to feel like, as I almost forgot what it is, but its recognizable as it happens more often. So I had to base some of "normal" on how others (non-lymies) describe themselves and there limitations. I asked people close to me detailed questions on muscle soreness energy ect - but they new why I was asking this, if not, I explained it.

You walking a mile is great, thats harder than biking. You cant coast walking LOL.

My hip/glutes/TFL's are way better, but still work in progress too, I loosen them 1-3 times a day and before and after any leg exercise. Rotary motion is still easier on those areas for me than "heel stikes" on man made flat ground, but uneven surfaced nature trail walking feels pretty good, as every step is different.

Its 25f and sunny with crispy harder snow. Plan on going fatbiking in the woods again today, dont have time for 12 miles again though. Just not enough time in life to do everything at a healthy relaxed pace.

Post Edited (astroman) : 1/29/2017 10:58:29 AM (GMT-7)

I must add, this forum is amazing. So helpful, right at your finger tips.

I read a couple lyme forums before joining this one, and stayed here. Wish this was available in the 90's online with what is known today.

Ones environment is so related to improving too. Lyme and co's put the whole body under stress. Add more external stress to that and it can really test your brain.

In my competition days, I could put my brain and body on auto-pilot zone, almost a slow motion out-of-body experience (you "get this" or your don't) but was truly high speed when viewed in reality from the out side. Time for healing the lyme body damage and they way it heals is the direct opposite, there is no "zone".

Post Edited (astroman) : 1/29/2017 11:30:03 AM (GMT-7)