Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Imagine Lyme

Imagine having never seen a tick or rash.

Imagine the foods you love suddenly causing you to become ill.

Imagine you can't sleep, but you're so exhausted, for multiple nights on end.

Imagine you can't sleep from pain so distressing(10/10) that it feels like someone is stabbing you with a knife and no pain medications help.

Imagine your heart beats so hard you feel as if you have to catch your breath and you weren't running a race, you were sitting.

Imagine you've suddenly forgotten your name and after you finally remember, you can't say it out loud.

Imagine gas/stomach pains so severe it feels like a grapefruit moving through a straw.

Imagine you've never had issues talking in your life before, but now you can't stop stuttering.

Imagine somewhere you've driven every day and now you can't remember how to get there.

Imagine that your stomach is on fire.

Imagine that your joints feel swollen, look swollen, and you're 30.

Imagine that these are just a small handful of hundreds of possible symptoms with varying severity for people who suffer from Lyme disease.

Imagine that a doctor tells you to avoid Mexican food.

Imagine that you've told a doctor all these symptoms, and he tells you it's an ulcer. Repeat visits he prescribes continued doses of said ulcer medication when it has never helped.

Imagine that someone tells you that Lyme is no big deal.

Imagine that it gets worse.

Lyme Disease is colorblind


Monday, August 29, 2016

A boy's imagination


the neighbors' dog

That moment when you're outside and you see your daughter playing with rocks, and she comes up to you and says "My hands are dirty," and you thinking it's mud, do nothing, only to walk over where she was playing 10 minutes later, and you realize she was playing with dog poop.

Friday, August 26, 2016

ILADS press release

International Lyme and Associate Diseases Society press release on the Proposed Rule of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Link Below.

ILADS Statement on CMS Proposed Rule Concerning Antibiotic Stewardship

Monday, August 22, 2016

Zoo & Piano



Here today, Lyme tomorrow

Someone told me I should not tell people that "I'm OK" when they ask how I'm feeling as this lessens others' struggles who also suffer from Chronic Lyme disease. I'm not sure why I always say that. Maybe it's because I often feel/felt a little under-the-weather due to Diabetes, and so it's more habit. 

I decided today I would talk to the internet wall that I can't see. Today was mostly like all other days of feeling so tired I can't concentrate and feeling thick-minded and dumb.  Then started the stomach bloating which turned into some intense gas pains. Would these gas pains run their course or turn into something worse?  

They decided to turn into stomach cramps/gas pains so bad that it felt as if my digestive tract was going to explode. It makes my head feel white and hazy, and makes me feel that I could pass out from the pain. This usually turns into a bathroom visit that feels like burning in the digestive tract. You would think that after this would be relief, but the bloating/cramping continues and so do the bathroom visits.

Usually I can pinpoint this to eating corn, tortilla chips, popcorn, anything with corn, etc; but sometimes it's random.  No corn on the cob for me this summer or maybe ever again.

Hopefully this week continues better for Wes and I as he also had a rough weekend.

On a positive note, I think Marshall gained another 5lb today! I can't hardly pick him up anymore.




Thursday, August 4, 2016

Mid-Summer Fun

What to do when you lose power during a storm:


A Growing boy must eat.

Fitting that I got the top fortune, and Wes got the bottom, although I don't think he's been enjoying Lyme.


Proof is in the pudding/picture that Marshall weighs as much or more than Olivia.



Olivia asks a very serious question, "Is this mine?"

It needs a couple repairs before it can run, but it still provides entertainment.

After a hot day of swimming, lawn mower rides!