Category: Recovery from Serious Illness: Lyme, CIRS, & More

An Attitude of Gratitude

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Count it all joy, the Bible tells us, when trials come our way.  They serve to refine us, challenge us, and bring us closer to the Giver of all good things . . .
And sometimes it all works out well.

After almost 2 months of  headaches most days, the pattern has finally changed for the better.  The Lord used the skillful hands of my Family Practice Physician/Chiropractor/LLMD to gently relax then manipulate my neck.  This brings me to a freedom of movement that the seizure-like attacks have taken away increasingly over the past 6 months.  I don’t know how long it will last and it doesn’t matter in this moment.  We only have this moment to live in so I’m doing much better in this moment!

And some other good things have happened:

I was able to attend both the Sunday and Wednesday night worship services this past week.  Praise the Lord!  So what if I had to sit in the back or downstairs a bit due to my sensitivity to loud music.  (They really rock out at Harvest Fellowship!)  I was there and was able to be at my husband’s side to learn about our Jesus and His Word.  Sweetness.

Gratefully, I have now sold 21 pieces of jewelry in my first 2 1/2 months in business!  Trinity Jewelry by Design has touched the lives of folks across the country through many venues the Lord has provided.  Wow!  I have been invited to set up a display in a new gift shop venue in a touristy area of a local town, just in time for the holidays.  Cool beans.  My goal, Lord willing, is to also try hosting a table at one craft show this year featuring our entire product line.  Oh how I love craft shows and events!  There are even some rumblings of sharing the items of others related to my business style and theme online.  Much prayer needed, much hope provided.  :J

While some Lyme symptoms are quite troublesome, I have had a couple of 1/2 days this past month with very low level symptoms.  This has enabled me to be out and about, away from the house or out in the yard enjoying life a little.   Oh Lord, to be normal!  I am encouraged that things will be better someday.  It’s a long journey and as my doctor said today, we now have a path to follow.  How many people can say that when faced with chronic illness?  Thank you Jesus!

Today I was humbled in submitting my continuing education and volunteer hours for the Master Gardener Program at our local Cooperative Extension Office.  The Lord has given me the strength, despite my illness, to gather enough hours to advance to the rank of Master Gardener in January!  Will await final approval and the annual banquet recognition to use the title.  For this I must commend my husband for encouraging me to start with the class last year even when it meant cutting my part time work hours, not knowing the wild ride that would follow with illness into the next year.  Thank you for your encouragement Steve!

Also my thought processes have improved some and this blog has definitely helped.   Thank the Lord for the internet!  Good things are out there!  I feel less isolated now for sure.  Learning to blog built confidence that I would need to set up and online jewelry shop and all the linkages to make it go.  Nothing is wasted in God’s economy, I tell ya!  And today I found out that my Uncle David and Aunt Lori (my deceased father’s siblings) want to come and visit soon.  I am delighted!  Extended family contact has been limited to Facebook for me; now that all my grandparents, parents, and youngest brother are deceased the family relationships have changed.  I do miss the love and care of my family and the myriad of dynamics that goes with it.  Even in dysfunctional families, love can prevail over time.  I felt it today when Uncle Dave called.  Thank you!  I love you!  I look forward to our visit.

And what if none of this would have happened?  Well, the Lord’s fingerprints are sprinkled about here and there when I bother to look for them.  Foremost, I appreciate the love of my dearest Steve which is steadfast, unchanging.  And a sweet kiss or two on the ankle from my Elle pup are cute from under the kitchen table this afternoon too.    Then there was this bird on the bluebird house that caught my eye in our backyard.  Oh how I do hope the bluebirds stop by one last time before the cold weather comes!

I really could go on!  An “attitude of gratitude.”  How am I doing?  I am grateful for so much today.  How about you?

Quick Prayer

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Lord, I pray for your healing mercy and grace this day. My head is splitting and the nausea is increasing. Not even sure it’s a good idea to be on the computer since sometimes it sets off the neurological messes . . . just need you right now . . .

Thank you for helping me to get to church today and for visiting with some dear Christian friends. Your Word bathed my heart in hope, that you hear my prayers and care for the details of my life.

It’s a night for some stronger meds. Tylenol just ain’t cutting it. Geez!

Gotta go, Just Julie

Dogs Rule

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Elle, returning from a toss of the tennis ball across the yard.

Those of you who are pet owners probably know what I’m talking about.  How delightful it is to come home to a furry/fuzzy/feathered friend, excited and happy to welcome you home!  Oh I’d prefer if it was my husband Steve, yet if he’s not home I get a big smile, wag of the tail, and wimper of joy from Elle.  That’s just alright with me.

Last week I was up at 5:00 a.m. unable to sleep.  The night was a rough one with seizure-like tics and the headache and body aches that follow.  Somehow I got myself into the kitchen for a snack and a drug of choice.  God’s Word provided comfort too, then I caught the big, brown, puppy-dog eyes of our German shepherd, Elle.  She’s more timid than most German Shepherds yet smart, affectionate, protective, and fast chasing a tennis ball or unsuspecting rabbit!  And here she was looking over at me in the middle of the night as if to say, “what’s wrong?  You can talk to me.”  I felt comforted in a sweet, different kind of way and definitely had to give her an extra scratch behind the ears for that!  The feeling of soft fur is soothing at a time like this for sure . . .

They say that sometimes you just need Jesus with skin-on.   In other words, you need to see, touch, and feel the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ in a tangible way.  You need to know His presence right now, right here in the midst of the chaos.  I’ll tell ya sometimes you need Jesus with fur-on too!  Thank you Elle for being such a sweet friend in my time of need.

Sweet dreams.

Grand Opening Special: Trinity Jewelry by Design

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Trinity Jewelry by Design: creating beauty and meaningfulness in knotted hemp jewelry for you and those you love.

Announcing our Grand Opening Special for Trinity Jewelry by Design:

Free shipping in the United States for orders in the month of September!

Check out our Lyme Disease Awareness bracelets and handmade knotted hemp jewelry at:  http://www.justjuliewrites.etsy.com

And thank you for your support of this blog.  I really appreciate all of you, even the ones I can’t see!  Tee Hee.  Ain’t the internet sweet?  :J

Take care,

Just Julie

Worms, eek! and other bad news then something good

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The scorecard today reads:

Worm, 1.

Julie, 1 less.

What?  This is the 14th time I’ve discharged a worm after a medical treatment and frankly, I’m grossed out to the max.  I thought Lyme Disease was bad enough.  Nope.  There’s parasites too.  Eeeeeeeeek!  Better out than in, eh?  This one was complete.  Hopefully the last, and grandaddy of them all.

Well, you chose to read this after the title noted above so sorry to gross you out.  May I kindly emphasize the importance of rinsing your fruits and vegetables before eating them?  Yup, that’s a primary place from which they get into our bodies.  And you can’t see them or their eggs most of the time.  Just wash, k?

The other bad news is a video that I watched about Christa and Justin:  her battle with Lyme Disease and related infections.  I cried through much of it.  I’ve had the episodes depicted here virtually every day in some form or another for the past 6 months.  Gratefully mine had breaks and meds helped the pain some.  Only been to the ER once not 18 times like Christa and the intensity of my journey has been just under a year not almost 4 years like Christa.   When the breaks come, life is sweeter than most can imagine.

http://www.justinandchrista.ca

I encourage you to watch the entire movie to really get how someone overcomes chronic illness.  It takes a faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to cope with the hell that is your life.  My husband Steve is like Justin.  I am blessed beyond measure to have his love and devotion at this time.  He is Jesus with skin on when my faith is weak.   If he wasn’t here, I’d trust in my Heavenly Husband just the same.

Also there’s something good:  I’ve had 2 days in a row with breaks in symptoms.  There have been over 8 hours each day with very little nausea and headaches; the seizure-like tics were of short duration and mostly just when falling asleep, maybe a zip waking up.  This is significant!  Started a new muscle relaxant at bedtime 3 nights ago.  Wow, Lord.  Thank you!  And thank you to my LLMD who keeps trying to help me.  Must be tough on you too.   So I had some fun yesterday and today buying some new supplies to make hemp jewelry.  Even seting up a little space in our home office as a workspace/studio.  Wow, Lord.  Thank you!  May I humbly submit the following to dedicate this space?

1 Peter 4:10

New International Version (NIV)

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Don’t know what tomorrow will bring . . . Sometimes I’m afraid to go to bed for fear of what the next moment will bring.  In the end, I trust in my Lord and Savior.

It’s 2:11 a.m. so I’m going to take my supplements, meds and go to bed.  Maybe I can create something new tomorrow withredpaintedbeadsflankedby3glassbeadsstrungonbrownhempinalovelylongnecklacejustlikethe magazinethattheladyatMichaelsshowedmeyesterdayevening . . . This is my mind not on drugs but in “the zone.”

Yeah, I better sleep first!  :J