Lyme disease – Page 36 – Jesus is for the Wounded

Enough Weirdness Already!

Published on June 1, 2013June 1, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded5 Comments

I realize the last posting was a bit weird. Please forgive me. This is how my mind works sometimes: trying to be funny, sincere, and well, express myself in some creative way. The result this week: an odd blog posting!

And now for today. The Lord is laying on my heart the reality that I may not be able to return to my profession of occupational therapy. To work in healthcare requires an incredible ability to serve others under stressful circumstances; work in environments laden with noxious smells, microorganisms, temperature and sound variations; meet a wide range of physical demands from extensive sitting to heavy lifting; and to continuously learn, apply, and re-evaluate extensive amounts of technical/scholarly information on a daily basis. This is impossible with the ongoing neurological complications of Lyme Disease and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. On the positive side, the need to be adaptable, resourceful, and creative in OT has graciously remained during this time of illness. These skills have been instrumental in helping me cope with the chronic illness that continues. The other skills come and go. Maybe they will come back? Who knows. This is a big realization.

Thankfully I do not need to make a decision about my career this evening! (However I do keep my licensing and continuing education requirements current, you know.) The Lord is also laying on my heart my next project within my home business, Trinity Jewelry by Design, so I will focus on that for the next few months. I’m thinking of developing some sports-related products that may be attractive to the kayak paddling community. If some additional research looks promising, I may move forward quickly now that it’s canoe and kayaking season in much of the United States. I do continue to learn a lot about using the internet, my online shop, networking, and the administrative requirements of a home business. Watch this blog for new developments as you will be among the first to get the news!

Since Steve and I never really know the stability of his employment as they undergo more changes this year, we remain open to the larger issues of where we will live and what work will carry him into retirement. We are not concerned about these types of unknowns, really. It would be challenging if the Lord leads Steve in any career moves at this time in our lives yet we both have experienced successful job changes and relocations under a variety of positive and negative circumstances. Jesus is already there, ahead of us in space and time with a plan for our lives. So glad for that! For example, I lived in the suburbs of the 3rd largest city in the US (Chicago) before I moved to marry Steve in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. In a city .04% the size of the Chicagoland area, I found the best husband, best doctor, best home, best quality of life, and best Bible teacher that I have ever had in my life! I had no idea all this was possible! Wow. God is amazing and provides for our every need no matter where we are on the map. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Very humbling, for sure.

So enough of the weirdness. Enough of the need to know. Enough of the need to control this or that. Enough of the worry and strife. I am going to stay in the moment and enjoy the crazy thunderstorm outside no matter what affect it may have on my illness or even if it blows out the power and this blog is lost forever.

I think I will be prudent and sign off now . . . :J

The 8 Colors of Crayola Poster Markers Revealed

Published on May 29, 2013May 29, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

Staying on track during the recovery from a chronic illness requires faith in the Lord for sure. From there are the little strategies that keep me sane like writing in a treatment journal. With so much going on from ever-changing meds., supplements, Rife programs, OTC remedies, nutritional strategies and the symptoms that follow, I would be lost without my handy Crayola Poster Markers! This also helps during appointments with my LLMD when he asks about the course of illness and treatment responses (or lack thereof).

Here’s my simple color key that helps me on track:

Bright pink = nightmares
Blue = headaches
Orange = tic or seizure attacks (thin line for tics; bold line for attacks
Yellow= new treatments
Green = pain, burning, movement anomalies
Red = overall sickness, sweats
Purple = new stuff
Brown = elimination, detox

Then there’s the traditional yellow highlighter = Beam Ray Rife Treatments and Duration

So there you have it. I’m on my second box of markers and the green one is running out of ink again. I thought it would be the orange marker pooping out first but it’s got the staying power I did not expect! So glad the bright pink and purple ones haven’t seen any activity for the last month. Those colors are best portrayed in my garden right now, thankfully! I got to retire the brown one a couple of months ago too. I’m sad that the blue one gets used most days and especially since physical therapy ended 2 weeks ago. I had improved and needed to use the blue and green markers less when P.T. was weekly but the insurance company doesn’t want to play nice with my Crayola buddies. Geez!

One order of gratitude coming right up!

Published on May 26, 2013May 26, 2013 by Jesus is for the WoundedLeave a comment

You all who are healthy out there listen up: you got it good!

I finally had an evening that was nearly normal for most of it and it was indeed good! Celebrating the wedding of the son of some friends of ours seems like an ordinary part of life to most of us. The story went like this:

We met our friends’ kid as a teenager, he fell in love and 3 years later, we were invited to a magnificent wedding banquet in the quaint Heritage Barn out in the country! My husband Steve and I gratefully got one of the few invitations to the wedding. We enjoyed holding hands together during the ceremony, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes from time to time while reminiscing own wedding vows not too long ago. Shortly thereafter we were seated at our assigned place setting in the adjacent hall; a lovely table arrangement of hydrangeas nearly blocked the view of the other guests yet set the stage for a candlelit dinner as night fell softly outside. The food was delicious and probably even tasted better because of the 3 -piece string ensemble filling the air with classical genre fit for a king. The newlyweds smooched with a ring of a cow bell and as the mother of the groom squirmed. All was well with the world. White-on-white flowered wedding cake followed for the guests in the dance hall, followed by traditional ballroom dancing and some rip-roaring square dancing too! The building was a refurbished barn so ’tis fitting to end the magical evening with barn dancing for young and old alike. The couple later departed through a canopy of floating rose petals then drove off in a “smart car” just large enough to contain her wedding gown! The night ended as the full moon shined through the thin cloud cover of the crisp evening sky. Congratulations Brock and Hannah! Your new life together has begun.

On the way home I realized that only once during the entire ceremony and reception was I aware that I am battling a devastating disease that could take years to beat. Only for a moment did I wonder if I would find anything to eat from the dinner buffet that would match my Candida Diet requirements; the al dante’ green beans and baked chicken breasts would satisfy my hunger just fine. Only once did I leave the dance hall to retreat to the stone fire circle where a bonfire covered me with as much warmth as my coat might have but it was in the car parked somewhere in the field beyond. Only once did I wonder if the music was too loud for me only to realize that I would not be having seizure attacks upon returning to the car at the end of the evening. The usual noxious after-affects of too much sensory stimulation, having not enough food that I could eat, smoke from the bonfire, sitting in an old restored building, and being out late would not bother me very much at all.

Wow. You who are healthy and never think about such things got it good! And tonight, so did I!

Thank you Jesus for an edifying wedding ceremony that focused as much on your sacrifice and saving grace as the wedding nuptials of two of your precious children. Thank you Lord for working out so many details through the work of so many people and your Holy Spirit to bring such a lovely wedding ceremony together for all of us to enjoy. Thank you my Jesus for allowing me to experience the wonderful fellowship of our friends in Christ as we celebrated this wedding tonight. I am humbled and grateful for this afternoon and evening. This taste of goodness reminds me of Your goodness. It was and is just the right encouragement I need to keep going when the times are more difficult. For your glory and in Your name I pray. Amen.

Now I lay me down to sleep

Published on May 24, 2013May 24, 2013 by Jesus is for the Wounded2 Comments

Now I lay me down to rest

I prayed I’d pass tomorrow’s test

I did not die before I waked

Now one less test I’ll have to take.

And so I prayed last night, that regardless of the late hour that I went to bed I would make it through leading a craft at our local Lyme Disease support group meeting. We made green hemp Lyme Awareness bracelets in recognition of Lyme Disease Awareness month. Things went well and sometime later this afternoon will be time for some real sleep. But of course there’s a few errands to run despite my fatigue. No problem. I’m used to functioning this way: spacey, spent, sore, and half awake!

Bittersweet it s the experience of sharing a craft activity with friends on this same journey of recovery from Lyme Disease. ‘Twas cool that I got to plan some of it with a dear friend earlier this week. A sweet part of our time together today was the fellowship while sharing a simpler version of the jewelry that has become my home business. We got to talk casually while keeping our fingers busy creating something pretty. And yet another sweet part was meeting a goal from my business plan for Trinity Jewelry by Design: to teach a class in jewelry making. Wow. I thought it might be for a local craft store someday. This works well too. Check!

A more bitter part of today is the reminder of my inability to work as an occupational therapist. Using therapeutic activities to help others recover in rehabilitation settings was part of my job as a Masters level clinician. Today was a much simpler version of those type of activities without the billing, documentation, staff, or time pressures. An activity analysis could show that the variety of exercises and tasks between the two would be similar but are usually more complex in OT. To perform at a level needed for employment every day would be way above where I am now. However I must say that it was nice to dabble in that realm some this morning. And we did have fun!

You just never know what perspective a new day will bring. Reminiscing on my former work life can be difficult at times. Yesterday I watched a webinar on home safety for persons with neurocognitive impairments. This used to be my area of expertise! I had a small business 16 years ago teaching fall and injury prevention programs to community groups, sponsored by medical equipment vendors. Then more recently I had used state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment protocols to assist patients and families with both physical and cognitive impairments to live in the least restrictive environments. I enjoyed working with patients, families, caregivers, and colleagues to develop plans to promote the best function, the most accessible environments, the best quality of life. I suppose those skills are still there in my background somewhere! I suppose it wouldn’t take too much research and review to get back up to speed again. I just don’t know at this time in my life if this is what I am called to do anymore when I am well?

”Tis a good thing that everything does not need to be resolved on a Thursday! What I can say is that this morning was a decent one and good things happened. I really appreciate praying with two gals afterwards and we could not do that in a work setting for sure!

Better get going. There is shopping to do and two Lyme bracelet orders waiting to be filled. I’ll sign off grateful in this moment and trusting the Lord for the ones to follow. He is good and is already there in tomorrow. ‘Tis a good thing that He is here with me now as well!