Saturdays Rock
Category: Recovery from Serious Illness: Lyme, CIRS, & More
Special Awareness Offer
If you’re looking for Lyme or Breast Cancer Awareness jewelry, I’d like to share with you the following offer:
End of the Summer Sale: $2.00 off all Awareness jewelry at Trinity Jewelry by Design. Simply use the Coupon Code: SUMMER, at checkout. Check it out at: Trinity Jewelry By Design
Oh what the heck: use it for $2.00 off all jewelry in my shop from now until the end of summer! Happy shopping!
Thanks all. Just Julie
So where ya been?
O.K. so I’m still sick and that isn’t my excuse this time! So where have I been? Editing, that’s where!
This past month I’ve poured and prayed over the decision to turn these blog postings into an eBook. I want to make sure I have the right intentions and that the end result will be something useful to others as well. In the process of reviewing this past year of New Hope Beyond Lyme on WordPress, it became clear that my followers enjoy messages that are particularly encouraging to persons recovering from a serious illness. Matters of faith generate the most comments and I’m pleased for that. To Him be the glory!
I did some research on various publishing formats and have decided to proceed with a no-cost eBook format where I can do virtually all of the formatting of the manuscript and cover art myself. I have a lot to learn about all of this, for sure! Lyme Disease will be prominent in the text since the treatment of Lyme was my primary focus for most of this past year. But the take home message won’t be about a disease . . .
The truths borne out of the trials, struggles, illness, and strife these past two years have once again served to strengthen my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. About a year into this season of illness, I began blogging to keep myself sane! Now looking back over this past year of blog posts, I am grateful to write, has actually brought more hope than tears. I was so scared of everything in the beginning, particularly when the tic episodes began escalating into full-blown seizure attacks. I didn’t even write in complete sentences most of the time back then. The crazy thing is that I generally have more hope and peace now when the attacks exceed 3 times per day, than when they were less! I have the Lord’s work in my heart to thank for that! He works in amazing ways for sure.
While I am grateful for the gift of writing, keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord through reading His Word continues to be the most important survival strategy for me in this season of life. The cool part is that I get to look up all kinds of scripture verses as I pour out my heart onto the computer screen. I do hope, however, that the New Hope Beyond Lyme eBook will never be a replacement for a fellow sojourner opening His or Her Bible. Reading a verse here or there in a blog or eBook, on a Facebook Newsfeed, in the signature line of a friend’s email, Tweeted, or in a Pastor’s message is not as valuable as soaking up God’s Word in our time alone with Him. We can’t dwell in His presence, linger before the throne of grace in the same amount of time it takes to hit, “delete!” His grace requires a bit of time to reach our weary souls . . .
I do hope, Gentle Reader, that your own faith in God and in the person of Jesus Christ has grown as you have joined me on this journey. I was reading today in the first chapter of 1st Corinthians where the apostle Paul teaches how we come to understand God through faith and not through an intellectual discourse. We choose to believe that Christ died on a cross for our sins so that we may become forgiven for our sins, right-with-Him, and begin an amazing spiritual journey rich with meaning as sons and daughters of the King. To receive the blessings and the promises of a relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ requires faith. If we have faith in Christ crucified, it will make a difference in our lives for all of eternity. That will help us cope with virtually anything, today and tomorrow.
With the testimony of God’s Word as my witness, I submit to you that only with a personal relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ will any of the stuff we endure in this life make any sense at all. If we do have this sweet fellowship with Him, the lover of our souls, all of this stuff will be worth it. And for me, all of this suffering will be worth it as well. I would not be writing anything if I had not gotten sick two years ago. Nothing I write will make any difference either if it doesn’t point someone, somewhere to something more than recovery from an illness.
How humbling that Lyme Disease may be used for good. Such is the, “new hope beyond Lyme,” after all . . .
When it’s too dangerous: a treatment update
Killing bad bugs is serious business. Who knows. Maybe even cancer will someday be treated the same way we go after Lyme Disease. At least some of the fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis approaches are starting to lean in the direction of causation by bacterial infection, parasites, and fungi.
But not all approaches are worthy of pursuit. Most of you reading this blog know of the struggle I’ve experienced trying to eradicate Lyme Disease and some Co-Infections. I’ve tried a variety of treatment approaches these past 1 1/2 years after extensive research, networking, and good ol’ trial and error. Although 1 1/2 years is not a long time for the treatment of Chronic or even Late Stage Lyme Disease, I must say that I have learned a lot already! Sadly, we are going backwards financially trying to find the best course of action. And now an important truth became clear to me and my husband this evening from a Biblical principle:
23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 1 Cor 10:23
We have discovered that my most recent treatment approach is just too dangerous for me at its current intensity. I will need to back off on the dosage of the new antibiotic regime to keep from damaging my body. The seizure attacks of the last 36 hours, while not new to me, might even kill me if we were to continue this course. To kill off Bartonella (a co-infection of Lyme) is considered by some, the hardest co-infection of them all. This bacteria adapts as it escapes further into one’s tissues when in the presence of antibiotics and other approaches, making it both a super bug and a smart bug. Unfortunately, it might be the cause of my chronic urinary tract infection and maybe even the seizure attacks. My, my this complicates things!
We have decided to proceed with a slower yet persistent plan of attack. The Rife machine will be on hold for awhile due to my increased sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies when feeling sicker. “Game on” is still our approach and we’ll take all the time outs, plays in the playbook, and “fighting Irish” I can muster to win this thing. Steve will be home this weekend with me for my safety as we transition my care. I’ve gotten weaker this past week and that is not good.
It is good, however, that we have hope and are one accord with the next steps. I’ll continue on the protein/oil/vegetable diet to attempt to keep Candida down and replenish my gut flora; pushing fluids and probiotics will be critical as well. I was dreadfully sick 1 1/2 years ago when I started on a rotation of a few antibiotics and had to stop. Rife treatments and a host of supplements, tinctures, compounded prescriptions and Epsom salt baths followed. At least now I think I will be able to tolerate a daily low dose of antibiotics: the proven track record of care by the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society. I will also continue with the mold illness treatments of which I have written previously: VIP and Losartan.
Some things just take time I guess. Another encouraging note: after the wretched episodes, my mind is significantly clearer. The improvement mimics my status pre-illness from when I contracted viral hepatitis 2 years ago. Perhaps we are finally on to an answer after all? Who knows. I’ve had my hopes dashed before many times. That’s o.k. For tonight, or rather this morning, there’s a real indication that something is improving!
Have I mentioned how wonderful my husband Steve has been through this whole ordeal? I am grateful for his unfailing love and tenderness that has never wavered despite the trials we have endured. Thank you Jesus. We are leaning on you and thank you for walking with us these days as well.
And thank you too, Gentle Reader. :J
Potato Chips Made Me Better
Did you know that Detroiters eat an average of 7 lbs. of chips per year, as opposed to 4 lbs. in the rest of the country? If it’s true, it must be due to the Better Made
snack company that has dominated the potato chip market in Michigan since it began in 1930. As for me, I can say that these chips made me happy as a kid growing up in the Detroit area. When I would walk into my grandparents’ home in the country on Lake Columbia, my eyes would quickly scan the top of the refrigerator. I knew it was going to be a good visit if there was a family sized bag of Better Made potato chips up there! The same was true at home, especially if there were any left after my dad had already snarfed his evening share of chips with a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Yes, it’s genetic. My family loved potato chips! (I recommend the folded, slightly browned ones with the extra trapped salt and crunch!)
Flash forward a few decades and even today, a chip has the power to make me happy! Of course I can’t justify the simple carbs and canola oil combination of Better Made potato chips on my special diet so I had to find a replacement. Let’s see, if there was a crunchy treat that had relatively low salt, 4 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, no sugar, 14 grams of carbohydrate, and all non-GMO ingredients, would you go for it? Well I checked them out and found my new favorite: Beanitos are better and made for me! The pinto bean and black bean varieties have clean ingredients and no guilt . . . unless you eat more than, say 12 chips! Better buy a couple of bags or there might not be any left on top of your refrigerator tomorrow! Or maybe they need to manufacture a Family Size Beanitos too?
Well that’s all fine and dandy but what does it have to do with finding hope while recovering from Lyme Disease? In my life, having a treat, an escape, is an essential part of coping with the trials and suffering of this crazy illness. The ingredients in Beanitos barely count as cheating on my protein-oil-vegetable diet! I thank the Lord for the little things: round crispy, slightly salty, and satisfying too!
Long before I would crash and burn this evening, paralyzed by seizure attacks with difficulty speaking, moving, and even feeding myself a sip of water, I imbibed in munching on a few chips. I am grateful for such a simple pleasure as this to take my mind off of the nightly terrors that have been anything but pleasant these past few weeks. When the health food section of our local grocery store remained sold out of my fav bean chips, I planned to head straight for the health food store as soon as I was well enough to drive. My delight came today. Yippeee! Both flavors were in stock and “jumped” into my shopping basket as I walked by! Those happy feelings were to fill my tummy once again.
God’s Word teaches us:
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4
Yes. Once again my Prince of Peace met me today in my time of need. This day and always He satisfies my soul that cries out for His mercy when I am in times of crisis — and when I need a little treat as well. Sometimes the little things mean a lot. As for me and my refrigerator, we will keep a steady supply of crunchy treats within reach a while longer. As for me and my house, under the spiritual leadership of my husband and best friend, we will serve and wait on the Lord. In all things I am truly blessed.
Jesus is for the Wounded 
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