My sister recently told me that I need to get real on my blog. She said that if I’m struggling with my health I should share it, be open about it and let my readers know what’s going on.

For obvious reasons, it’s much easier for me to share the posts that are positive or those that include action plans with clearly defined steps but sharing the personal stuff well that’s a lot harder. The truth is, I haven’t been feeling well. It’s been going on for quite a while now. I chalked it up to my immune system becoming compromised from a super busy schedule with no margin.

Then I had a reactivation of a viral infection that I had a very hard time overcoming. When I still didn’t feel well a month later I figured it was just age, peri-menopause or that I needed new vitamins.

Fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s the kind of fatigue that a full night’s sleep doesn’t even touch. I’ve been trudging through my days just wishing I could lay my head down on the nearest surface.

I’ve had a lot of pain and stiffness in my legs, making it difficult to walk so I figured it was just the Bartonella infection that I had. Bartonella is a tick-borne infection that can also be transmitted by the saliva or scratch of a cat.

Last year, I tripped and fell three times because my leg wouldn’t work so I began doing lots of stretching thinking my muscles were just really tight. I’ve been having joint pain, shooting nerve pain, muscle pain and the worst muscle spasms ever. My hands get stiff, painful, and sometimes numb causing me to drop things. I noticed that my eyes have been strained and sometimes I feel like I can’t control them but I just figured it’s time for my eye check-up.

I’ll spare you my long list of symptoms because there are more, but the one that really affects my day is the buzzing in my brain, (something most people with late-stage Lyme can identify with) and head tremors that no one believed I had until I was at my physical therapist’s office and she came around to the front of me and almost whispered, “do you know that your head vibrates?” I almost wanted to hug her because I finally felt validated.

Despite all of these symptoms, I would’ve told you that I was practically Lyme-free. I’ve been focusing on sharing encouragement on my blog and on social media, trying to spread hope. I wanted others to know that if you’ve been struggling with Lyme disease you can get better. The only problem is while doing that, I’ve also been ignoring the fact that my symptoms have been getting worse.

Of course, I’ve been trying to eat better and make sure that I’m taking good quality supplements but I began to realize that something wasn’t right and so I made that much-needed doctor’s appointment. I found a new to me Integrative Doctor and scheduled my physical.

Negative health symptoms are a warning sign, telling us that we need to step back and deal with what’s causing them.

[bctt tweet=”Negative health symptoms are a warning sign, telling us that we need to step back & deal with what’s causing them.” username=”aboundinginhope”]

I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty discouraged. I kept telling myself I was better, done with Lyme and that I could jump back into life full-force. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to the place where I was truly done with Lyme but I was at a place where I felt pretty darn good as long as I lived within my limitations.

No matter how much better we get, we still need to practice self-care which can be very difficult in this day and age. Sometimes I feel like self-care is selfish but it’s really just the opposite. It’s necessary and good.

Self-care is absolutely essential for anyone dealing with Lyme disease and co-infections. Why? Because when your immune system becomes compromised or weakened, it’s almost impossible for it to keep Lyme at bay. No one is ever cured of Lyme, we can push it into remission so to speak, but it can come back if we neglect the essentials of keeping a healthy immune system.

[bctt tweet=”Self-care is absolutely essential for anyone dealing with Lyme disease and co-infections. #lymedisease #selfcare #healing” username=”aboundinginhope”]

My Neurological Lyme can potentially get out of control if I’m not careful and my new primary doctor is quite concerned. While she’s an integrative doctor, she doesn’t understand the Lyme-brain connection so she wrote me a list of labs and tests to get done. She wants to rule out Multiple Sclerosis and some other auto-immune diseases.

Quite honestly, I’ve never had any of these tests done because the first doctor I chose to go to after finding out I had Lyme focused on the tick-borne infections. I don’t think those tests are truly necessary if you’re focusing on your building your immune system and getting rid of the infections.

If you’ve spent any time reading from the great Lyme doctors or if you’ve been on any Lyme blogs or forums, you already know that Lyme can mimic other diseases (like MS, ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s) and because I’ve had Lyme for a good 10 years I know that Neurological Lyme is still what I’m dealing with.

[bctt tweet=”Lyme mimics many autoimmune diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS. #lymeawareness” username=”aboundinginhope”]

Lyme can act just like MS causing white lesions on the brain and therefore causing the same symptoms. I recently read that Lyme can induce MS and other autoimmune diseases.

I plan to focus on healing through food and I’m very encouraged by the work of Dr. Terry Wahls who healed herself from MS through food. When you get a chance I recommend listening to Dr. Wahl’s Ted Talk, this is for everyone who wants to have a healthy brain.

I know that many others with Lyme disease are much worse off than I am, I’ve met them and I’ve talked to many of you with Lyme who have had similar symptoms to mine. While I know I’m not alone in this journey my recent physical opened my eyes to realize that these symptoms are a warning sign for me to stop living like I’m healthy and to step back and make some much-needed changes.

So, if you want I’ll take you on this healing journey with me. I’ll share what I’m researching and I’ll share my progress as I work toward my recovery. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook where I’ll share my day-to-day journey.

Sometimes I’m reluctant to share because of the comments I get from well-meaning onlookers. Just to answer those questions and concerns ahead of time; Yes, I was feeling better and yes I can relapse. I will always have to be on top of my game in order to keep my immune system strong. I like my doctor and he did a great job helping me before. I use Young Living products every day and still needed other treatment in order to feel better. I’ve used Plexus and maybe I will in the future but it’s not on the top of my list.

Here’s what I plan to do in the upcoming months:

• Get my labs run. (I already did this & I’m waiting for the results)
• Get a brain MRI.
• Study Dr. Terry Wahls protocol.
• Take a gentle walk for at least 10 minutes a day.
• Stretch daily.
• Get 8-10 hours of sleep daily.
• Get natural sunshine and fresh air daily.
• Visit with the Nutritionist at my Integrative Doctor’s office.
• Modify my eating to follow a more brain-nourishing plan.
• Go back to using my protocol with homeopathy and supplements.
• Have a daily quiet time:  reading scriptures, praying and meditating.
• Maintain a positive attitude.

If you have Neuro-Lyme share what you’ve found to be helpful. We’re in this together!