Ticks-Brad Paisley

When I first Met my husband I was working as a naturalist and I happened to be very interested in creepy crawly things. I heard this song and loved it instantly. It appeals to my love of the woods and funny music. He downloaded it to his phone and for about 2 years whenever I call him this song plays. Now, I have Lyme Disease which I got from a tick bite or two. The song still plays when I call. There's something sorta funny about that. It's our lil song.

PS. Always get a friend to check you for ticks!

Systemic Yeast

Since realizing that I have an oral thrush infection I've been researching about it and how to get rid of it. It's really gross having a furry tongue and I want it to go away. I also have to figure out how to manage this yeast so that I can take the antibiotics I need to get rid of the Lyme. I was surprised when I read the list of symptoms at how much it can affect your quality of life. Maybe many of my symptoms are more about this the the Lyme exactly. I think this problem is more common then many of us know about and might be the underlying cause of many other unexplainable health conditions. I've included the list of symptoms because I suspect I'm not the only person I know who is suffering from this. I'll update when I figure out what to do about it.


incapacitating fatigue
concentration/focus problems
short term memory
painful joints
muscle aches
extreme tightness in the neck and shoulders
acid reflux
brown colored mucus in the back of the throat
white or blood blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat
unrefreshing sleep
sore throat
white coated tongue
aversion to be touched - "crawling" skin
chronic sinusitis
frequent urination
diarrhea
chronic constipation
headaches including migraines
visual blurring
sensitivity to light
eye pain
depression
irritability
anxiety
panic attacks
personality changes
mood swings
chills
night sweats
canker sores
shortness of breath
hypertension/high blood pressure
dizziness and balance problems
sensitivity to heat/cold
alcohol intolerance
gluten intolerance
irregular heartbeat
irritable bowel
constipation and/or diarrhea
painful gas/abdominal bloating
low grade fever or low body temperature
numbness/tingling in the face or extremities
dryness of mouth and eyes
difficulty swallowing
projectile vomiting
menstrual problems (PMS/endometriosis)
recurrent yeast infections
recurrent ear infections
skin rashes
dry/flaking skin
eczema
dermatitis
acne
skin discoloration/blotchiness
dandruff
jock and rectal itching
chronic athlete's foot
chronic toenail and fingernail fungus
ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
allergies
sensitivity to noise/sounds
sensitivity to foods
sensitivity to chemicals
sensitivity to odors
anemia
weight changes without changes in diet
lightheadedness
feeling in a fog
fainting
muscle twitching
muscle weakness
jerky-leg syndrome
low sex drive

Funk

Okay, so I've been off of the antibiotics since Monday Afternoon and now it's Friday afternoon and I'm not feeling so great. I've been having ear pain and it feels like there is a lot of pressure inside my ear and the cold air really hurts. My knees and lower legs are hurting again, and I'm feeling spacey. I keep forgetting what I'm doing in the middle of doing it and I have a headache. I can always tell how I'd doing based on my typing and today it has been bad. I'm typing letters that don't come close to making the words I want to say. Horray for spell check! I think I better get going on the salt/vit. C thing pretty soon.
One of the most frustrating things is that I feel bad so I take meds to help. Then, the meds. make me feel bad so I stop taking them or I take a new med to counter the effects of the first ones. I feel better at first then, I feel bad again so I go back on the meds. AUGH!
I'm frustrated because I feel like I'm not getting anywhere and I can't eat anything because it'll make either the Lyme, yeast, or my allergies get worse. I wish this treatment was more clear cut.

Change of Plans

After I made my last post I realized that going straight into a new treatment that will likely cause me to herx was not a good idea. Instead, I'm going to take a week off and consume only the most important meds and supplements and focus on detox, then I'm going to work into the new salt/C regimen. Yesterday I felt yucky until about 3:00 and then my energy peaked and I ended up going for a short walk and went to the clothing exchange with Janine. Today I'm feeling decent. Will up date as things progress.

Alternative Approarch

I had another visit with my Lyme Literate Dr. yesterday. I received another score from the CD-57 test. This test measures the strength and functioning of my immune system. My score has gone from 60 to 69 and now is back down at 57. The goal is to get me into the 200 range. She has said that any given person's score can range up to 30 points in a given day, but what we see here so far is that I'm not getting any better. This matches up with how I feel, which is pretty much the same as I have for the last year. Some days good, others not so good. I've developed a nasty oral thrush infection, which likely means that I have systemic yeast. This is mostly from the antibiotics I've been taking for the last 6 months with help from my diet. I didn't realize that I eat so many foods that are hi glycemic. Carbs + sugar = YEAST.

The new plan for now is for me to take 2 weeks off from the antibiotics. This should help me have time to detox and get rid of the oral thrush. While taking 2 weeks off I will only take my probiotics, sleep aids, an immune booster, antifungal pills and antifungal lozenges. I am also going to be trying a natural protocol for killing Lyme and related co-infections. The protocol calls for consuming continuous quantities of pure salt and vitamin C. It sounds weird, but bacteria can't live in a saline environment and the vit. C helps with detox and supports the immune system. If this works i should have a herx reaction from this treatment as well.

Right now I feel tired and light headed and am having a hard time maintaining my train of thought. I'll check in regularly. In the meantime if you want more information about yeast infections or the salt/C protocol check out these links.
PS. Thanks for your support, it really helps.

http://www.sheilashea.com/candida.html

http://www.fettnet.com/lymestrategies/groupnew.htm

The debt plan is working!

So about 2 months ago we paid off my car WOOOHOOO! Now I've got the pink slip and can really say it's mine. That feels great. We took the money we were already paying and applied it to the last bit of my old Mervyn's card I had from way back. Two payments later that is all paid off as well. Now we'll take the money for the car and the Mervyn's payment and add it to what we already pay on a Citi Health card and get that payed off soon. We're also going to be using almost our entire tax refund to pay down debt. We decided that my car really did require some new tires and an oil change and so we'll use a bit for that and the rest goes off to debt.

We're broke as heck with me out of work, my medical bills, and putting every spare dollar into debt reduction, but it feels really good to be making progress and know that finally our money is doing something for us. It's hard not being able to do fun things with our friends and family whenever we want, or being able to buy things just because we like them. We're learning how to be creative with our money and resources, learning what we really NEED and what is important, and we know that soon we will have all of our debt payed off and will have money in our pockets.

Under Our Skin - an important film

Hi Bay Area and Nor Cal friends,

I'm writing to share with you about a very important and special series of movie screenings in you area. There is a very important documentary about the Lyme Disease epidemic and the issues surrounding it called UNDER OUR SKIN.

This documentary is currently on the top 15 list for Oscar nomination and I hope it makes it through the next rounds of voting. Not only is this a good film, but it is an important one. Lyme disease is spreading faster and the number of cases being reported is doubling yearly. Please go and see one of these screenings. The film will educate you on the problem at hand, which is a much bigger problem then most think, and help you to protect yourself/family/pets. In addition it will shock, surprise, inform, and infuriate you. As if those reasons aren't enough themselves, please go and see a screening just for the simple fact that I'm living with this illness. This is one of the ways you can support me on my journey to wellness.


To find out more about the film and currently scheduled screenings please visit the website www.uderourskin.com. Most of these are one date and time so please visit the website for further details.


1/20 St. Helena @ Cameo Cinema

1/23 Cloverdale @ Public Library

2/05 Petaluma @ Hill Park Medical Center


Seriously, please go and watch this important movie.


Thanks in advance,

Keri Aragon