reflective

It's been a year since being diagnosed with Lyme disease and starting treatment.  I still feel sick.  But I'll tell you what - I AM seeing improvements.  Even friends at church are seeing the small things that show a person is getting well instead of sicker.

And I know with this disease there are ups and downs but we're seeing a lot more ups than we were for a while there.  I came across this brief list scrawled on a paper I wanted to take to my first Lyme appointment.  Of course I had all my medical records and tests, etc, but these were the things that I knew bothered me the most -- the things that interfered so much with daily life with 2 kids.  Here's what I wrote:

Symptoms:

-extreme FATIGUE

 -achy, throbby joints; especially knees and ankles and wrists.  Usually on right side more pain until 2 weeks ago now left side more pain; shooting pain in forearm when grabbing things sometimes – almost have to drop it because of the pain – causes me to wince.  Hugs are painful, body hurts to touch.

-achy back and neck; lower back

-trouble falling asleep; waking briefly at night because of achy body;

-waking up in the morning feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck.  Feeling like I didn’t get any sleep.

-sometimes waking with adrenaline all night

-occasional heavy chest – feeling like it’s hard to breathe but really able to breathe deeply – lasts all day.

-fluttering heart every once in a while

-frequent headaches and migraines (at least 3 times a week)

-sometimes bothered by noise or busyness in room

And now?  Well, here's what a year's worth of hard, awful treatment has gotten me (especially on "off" treatment weeks):

-More and more energy.  Not using wheelchair for outings nearly as often and able to run errands by myself and even with one kid in tow!

-pain in joints/legs/back ONLY (and only occasionally) on treatment weeks (when bugs are dying off and clogging my system)

-sleeping all the way through the night (this might have to do with the meds I take at night that make me sleepy :)

-no "heavy chest" feeling and no "fluttering heart" for the last 6 months!

-headaches and migraines (only occasionally) only on treatment weeks but not on "off" weeks!!  This one is huge.  I have lived my whole life with a headache it seems and migraines so so often and meds that didn't really help much for them.  All along it's been the Lyme (&friends) causing it.

My most huge marked improvement in my eyes is the better energy.  More energy makes you more cheerful and brighter and I just love being able to keep house a bit more when I'm not suffering through (the very needed) treatment weeks.

My doctor said we're almost ready to try three "off" weeks instead of two.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For now, I'm just grateful to look back and see how this treatment for LYME has helped as opposed to all the other things I ever tried for my "mystery illness" or "fibromyalgia".  Thank you, Lord for a proper diagnosis and a treatment that is helping me get my "life" back!