It has been a long time since I’ve written. Probably the longest since I’ve started this blog. I know many people have been wondering how I have been doing, so I will do my best to let you know why I haven’t written, and how things are going now.

Last year things seemed to go back and forth between regressing and standing still. I couldn’t take IV antibiotics without getting sick; and even with breaks, over time it got to a point (somewhere right after moving) that 20 minutes into a bag I was sicker than ever. I was extremely toxic, and for whatever reason, my body could not stabilize enough to get back on IV meds. So, in the fall, I stopped IV meds completely, and stuck to oral antibiotics, supplements, and my IV fluids. A phone appointment with my doctor had me feeling pretty hopeless when she recommended that I look into counselling so that I could learn how to live like this forever, essentially. I interrupted her and asked if she thought I wasn’t getting any better, and was quick to inform her that was not an option. From the beginning I have been promised that with time and the right combination of holistic (natural and medicinal) treatment, I would go on to live a healthy, normal life with the opportunity to have more kids. She immediately retracted her statement and said to follow the advice of our (former) specialist in the States in regard to my ability to regain full health; yet, I was left feeling lost, depressed, and more hopeless than ever.

Of course, in all of this, God had a plan for me. While I was too depressed to update everyone on my non-existent progress; having felt as though I was extremely close to back to square one: needing my cane again, being in high levels of pain, and unable to leave bed;  I prayed about the closed door and waited for a window to open. And low and behold, one did. I was contacted by a doctor with whom I have been part of an online moms group for years. This group has been a saving grace for me: connecting me to the outside world, providing me with prayers and support, giving me the wisdom to be a better parent; and now, giving me the connections needed to find the next (and final?) leg of my race against Lyme.  This doctor shares a practice with her father-in-law, both of who have studied Environmental Medicine. It was described to me as this:

Many people get bit by ticks, but don’t contract Lyme; or if they do, their bodies are able to fight it off themselves. Think of your immune system as a cup; you fill this cup with chemicals, toxins, etc. from the air you breathe to the products you use and the food and medicine you consume. Now, if you fill this cup entirely with toxins, and then get bit by an infected tick, your immune system will be so over-worked that it will be unable to fight off the Lyme, or whatever else you may get infected with.  By making changes in one’s diet, the products they use and the quality of air, water, and vitamins they consume, the immune system begins to get rid of existing toxins. The ones that can’t be gotten rid of by removing exposure to them can be gotten rid of in other ways; and once this happens, whatever Lyme is left can be fought off by my own immune system.

Now, while these are medical doctors that I am working with, once again, they are less than conventional (because we all know how the conventional doctors think about Lyme: they don’t.) And because of this, tests are being sent out to the States, new vitamins and supplements are being prescribed (without coverage), and we are embarking on another financial journey as well as a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual one. And yet, like I told Matt almost 5 years ago: I would rather be poor and healthy, than well-off and sick. God has never stopped providing for us, and I know He won’t now.

Matt commented back in January, when I had only seen the doctors a couple of times and we’d just started testing, that I seemed different since seeing these doctors... better. I responded with, “but we haven’t done anything yet!” And he said it was hope. I had hope again— and he was right.

 Now that the tests have come back, we have started making changes. I have started a new, nutrient-rich diet, some new supplements, getting outside in the sunshine, and moderate exercise.  Most importantly, I am off all antibiotics! We are working at rebuilding my immune system and overall health so I can fight this off myself. Tests showed high levels of toxins in my body, issues with bone density, nutrient deficiencies, etc. Aside from feeling really sick the first couple of weeks after changing over my diet as my body was detoxing, I have been feeling better than ever.

I am getting stronger, experiencing less pain, and have more energy. I’ve been feeling between 60-80% better on any given day; and though I still have my downs, they last for a day after a week-long marathon of overdoing it; not a week of recovery from a day of overdoing it! I have been bike-riding with Jack; volunteering in his classroom (which is so reminiscent of my old job!); running errands around Sherwood Park with Jack in tow; and helping babysit—all things that fill my heart and recharge my soul! Most importantly, I have been able to attend church almost every Sunday this year—something I have longed for and missed since I got too weak to attend 3.5 years ago. Things have come a long way, and while I am not there yet, I am blessed. This upcoming road no doubt will be a hard one—it hasn’t been without its challenges thus far; but I trust once again that I am where I’m supposed to be, and I am so grateful for that!

Thank-you all for your continued prayers—they mean more than you know!

Blessings,

Kate

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8