I had my three month check-up on tuesday and it went well. My goal has always been to handle everything better than my doctor expects and that is exactly what the Lord is doing. I am doing a lot of extra treatments to help my body handle the medicine and those extra steps enable me to live a pretty regular lifestyle which most lyme patients don't have the blessings of.
I have had drastic improvement since the last time I was in two months ago. My doctor was very impressed that I have stayed a student during this whole time. I say this because this was not me, it was purely by the strength of God that I was able to remain a student. I was part time for most of it but due to friends and the grace of God I was able to finish all of my classes with great grades.
In the last two months I have gone from being tied to the couch everyday, taking daily naps, sleeping till eleven, barely able to eat, very sore organs, exhausted, could walk less than a block, couldn't drive. Where as today I am waking up at 7:30 some days, can drive my car, taking ten credits of classes, I don't need to lay down, I can go almost all day (a different kind of go than I'm used to but still go) I can walk a lot further, I can eat more food, and so many other blessings! Trust me, I am not taking one of them for granted! I always notice the blessings of things when they are gone but I pray I never take even the simplest thing for granted again.
During this doctor visit I have been put on my last of the three antibiotics; there are three stages to kill the lyme. The first antibiotic breaks up the bacteria and they go into hiding where the medicine can't reach. So the next medicine is added which breaks it up further; some die and some hide yet again. This is the stage I was at and am now beginning stage three. The hidden lyme bacteria is surrounded by a shell called a biofilm, the last antibiotic focuses on breaking the biofilm surrounding the bacteria left in my tissue. The biofilm breaks and the lyme is let lose in my body again for the other medicine to kill.
This is a stage where you get worse before you get better, old symptoms come back. But to a point that is good because it shows that the first two antibiotics are doing their job. This third medicine I only take two days a week so I have chosen saturdays and sundays. My first weekend was last week and it went very well. The goal is to take four pills a day on both days and my doctor said most of his patients get so sick they can only handle one or two a day. He told me to test the waters and see what I can handle and plan to stay at home most weekends.
I began the pills and I did feel more sick than usual but was still able to go about my day normally, went to breakfast with my parents, went grocery shopping with Katelyn and out for lunch. Later I was able to go to church, my huge prayer in this! Sunday was a harder day but my morning was about normal; had prayer, planing, and pancakes and went to cheer on a friend running the HYVEE Triathlon. The afternoon on sunday was rough, I was really nauseous so I slept most of the afternoon and evening.
Looking at my first weekend I was pretty proud. I took all eight pills and lived fairly normally during them. After the first dose I have had some symptoms return that were gone but they are not near as bad as they used to be. For example it is difficult to breathe again. This is in part due to a co-infection, I take medicine ten days a month for it and it has been getting much better I barely noticed it anymore. Also returning with the breathing issues include a very sore spleen and liver, more nausea, I also have a little more joint pain but not anything like it used to be.
I began the ten day medicine today for my Babeisa co-infection, this medicine also makes me sick so please be praying that I will be able to get done what needs to be done. That I will use my time wisely. Also for strength this weekend on this ten day and my new weekend medicine.
I am praying treatment continues to go this well! I have been told every week will get easier as more and more lyme dies. I am so thankful for how my body handled the new medication and am excited to continue healing from lyme disease.
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all of your iniquities who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion. ~Psalm 103:2-4
Prayer Requests:
*That Dr P. will be able to keep his practice in Iowa and turn to the Lord during this time
*That I will daily see the blessings of healing
*That the medicine will continue working
*That I can continue living a 'normal' life during this treatment
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