I'M ALIVE!

This will be a long post.  I have felt impressed for a while now to give an update and assure all of you readers that my absence has been because I AM ALIVE.  That means I am BACK! I love being back.
I can finally be a complete mom, wife, friend and functioning part of society.

Since that day 2 1/2 years ago when I did the "happy-dance" in my kitchen, shouting, "I feel good-na na na na na na naa", I have only had 2 minor setbacks requiring treatment.

I've been in "remission" from Late Stage Disseminated Lyme Disease now and various co-infections and disorders for about a year and a half.  What that means is symptom free for 1 1/2 years...

Don't be fooled by the face of Lyme Disease!  If you'll recall, the picture I first posted of me when I had full-on Lyme symptoms is for all intense purposes the picture of health (from the outside).  Lyme disease victims often look well, but are dying on the inside.

The last symptom to leave me was eye pain. You might be thinking- okay.. I could deal with that.  Eye pain with Lyme is the feeling of having your thumbs pushed firmly on your eye balls.  Try it for 10 seconds and then live it 24/7.  Not fun.

Symptoms I still get now and again:
Fleeting numbness on my face and pelvic floor, occasional numbness in my legs, arms and hands and  headaches.  My diagnosis of  Lyme was Neurological- so even though I know the bugs are still around, I expect them to show up where they left off.

Consider that since the end of 2006 I was chasing daily infections like a wildfire throughout my body- UTI's, ear infections, headaches, severe exhaustion (after a full nights sleep and 3 hour nap), stuttering, unable to sustain my weight, unable to walk without holding on, confusion, dizziness, no appetite, numbness. With no diagnosis, I was left to continuing chasing and chasing bugs.

How do I know I have turned a corner?
While there are no guarantees with a disease like Lyme, last weekend, I was on my feet for 8 hours making and serving 20 batches of homemade soup for a large function of 200!  No nap. No rest time. No symptoms.  I did this two weeks in a row for 2 separate functions!  Although I had wonderful helpers at the functions, two years ago, I couldn't have made even a small meal for my family of 6.  I couldn't walk to the edge of my driveway to get the mail.  I was just too tired and weak to do it.  I have also been walking again. I am up to about 15 miles a week or 3-4 miles every other day.

What have I done now that works? 
My regimen now consists of a "small" pile of supplements in the morning including:
Thyroid-prescription
2000mg Vitamin C
5000mg Vitamin D
probiotic
Max Gxl-product I distribute:  www.max.com/255092
Cellgevity-product I distribute
ADR- Pure Encapsulations
Eating healthier
Sleeping better
Taking a personal inventory daily

At bedtime I take an even smaller "pile" of supplements:
Calcium
1000mg Vitamin C
HRT
primrose oil

What I wish I had done and sooner:  
I have an amazing doctor!  Dr. Dee is patient and listens to her patients.  So much so that stubborn me got away with "doing it my way" until symptoms I had spun almost out of control. The number one thing I wish I would have done: start Lyme treatment sooner. I could have been better sooner and avoided a lot of cost and time.

What has contributed to my wellness:

• Sleep:  I finally allowed myself adequate rest- daily.  I slept in as long as my body needed it and took an afternoon nap for as long as my body needed it.  Sleep is key to wellness from Chronic Fatigue, EBV, Adrenal issues and of course Lyme.
• Daily Hydro-therapy: Hot showers followed by cold compresses, hydrogen peroxide baths, Epsom salt baths, saunas. CAUTION: DO NOT USE THIS THERAPY unless you have consulted with your physician.  Hydrotherapy is a fantastic detoxification method- so much so that you may not be prepared for the "die-off".
• Supplements: take what your body needs, but be reminded that Lyme is a tricky and will suddenly and without warning disregard what "has always worked".  Be flexible.  the 2 supplements that I continue to take that WORK are Max Gxl and ADR.
• IV Therapy:  Had I not started IV therapy at the aggressive rate, when I did, I can't say that I would be alive today.  My body was just not responding to the supplements that I was taking.  I wasn't getting better.  IV therapy- 4 days a week worked.  I did this for 6 months.  I was also taking 6 oral antibiotics at the same time.You really have to flood those bugs!   AGAIN-  YOU MUST CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR before trying any of these therapy methods.  

While in IV therapy, 2 of my dear IV- friends passed away.  Lyme disease is destructive.  It kills a person from the inside out.  Cells have no power because Lyme takes them over in populations that flood the body.

I am alive!  I love my Life!  I love my family for believing in my ability to recover when I had lost all faith.  

I love them for supporting me when I didn't "look" sick, but couldn't get dressed for the day or brush my hair because it took too much energy.  ( I used to sit on the edge of the bathtub to dry my hair because standing took the breath out of me!)

When your body and mind are sick, my advice to you:

1. Get a doctor: One you can trust.  One that will listen to you.  Do what they say. Don't be stubborn.  Be patient and get on the path to wellness.
2. Patient means: willing to drop everything from your plate of "to-do" to get well.  I mean everything!  YOU are your first priority. (Ya- try telling that to a type A person!) That's why I didn't get better sooner!
3. Find a support group- if you have the strength to attend.  
4. Keep up with friends and  family. You will be well again, my friend.  You will need them again, and they will need you.
5. Accept help- housecleaning, meals, running errands, taking care of kids.  This is no time to be a martyr.
6. Be True to yourself and recognize your limitations.  That's all I need to say about that.
7. Pray- Keep up your faith.  God will help you .  Trust in Him.

I have my life back.  Not sure how long it will last, but I am back.  I am full of gratitude.  I can honestly say, I did not anticipate ever recovering to the extent that I have.  It is a miracle to me.

Lyme Disease is mysterious.  It affects people differently and there is no 100% guarantee that any methods will cure you.  I know that I still have residual Lyme Disease, but I am so on it.  

Bye bye Lyme.  I hope I never see you again.

Shutting the Door to Lyme--- Forever?

I stand behind a heavy door that reaches to the top of the universe, ready and more than willing to slam shut the illness that has racked my body for the past several years.
Questions come to mind:

• What do the little twitches and random numbness in my cheek mean? 
• What about the bouts of fatigue?
• Is there really such thing as remission with Lyme?
• What if I get bit again?
• Will I ever be 100%?

Knowing most of the answers,  I resolve to do what I have been taught to do:

• Keep my chin up and continue to pray.
• Count my many blessings.
• Keep my covenants and remain faithful.

What else can one do?  As I reflect, I seek for answers in my journal and realize that I am much further along than I expected, and for that alone, I rejoice. 

Journal dated December 5, 2009:
It has been almost 1 1/2 years since my last entry.  It has pained me to write, as I really do not want to actualize the words that I must write.  As the days and years have gone on and I see the purple edged spine of my lonely journal, my insides groan and I resist.  Why do I resist?  I am a coward, I suppose.  Perhaps by writing, I will reveal things I don't want to believe myself, however, time is of the essence, so to speak and I must write now, before the time may come that I won't be able to anymore. I am scared.  For the 1st time in my life, I face the fact that the keys of mortality are jangling in front of me and I am simply not ready emotionally to face that.  But, come what may, it is a fact of life, that God gives it, and at some point is taken from us.  But thank the Lord for eternal life, and eternal families.  How grateful I am for that.  My health has taken so many twists and turns but continues to decline, as I see it.  In 2005, I was vibrant, active, and healthy and walking 15 miles minimum a week, organizing conferences, writing a book and homeschooling successfully, I was primary president, I had life wrapped around my finger. Today, I am sedentary, my speech is slurred, my tongue is numb, my throat won't swallow, I can't remember things and I say things backward, use the wrong words for simple things, have labored breathing and am unable to participate in activities, exercise or organizations.  I can't lead or take charge of most things.  My gait is unsteady, I have no appetite, my eyes hurt and sting and I can't see when I get up.  I am taking about 25 products to keep my brain healthier and being treated for late stage disseminated Lyme disease, Epstein Barr Virus, chronic fatigue syndrome, a bacterial infection in my lungs and now my symptoms are manifesting ALS.  More than anything I want to be well again.  I want to raise my family, be a wife to my husband and live. I will try to be positive and happy and keep a good perspective. It is scary.  The things I read aren't good and the prognosis is awful.  There is no cure.

I am turning the knob now............

REJOICE-- WITH MAX GXL!

I want to tell you about the most amazing product I have ever tried with the most rewarding benefits.
Many of you know how ill I have been and have been in treatment for over 3 years for Chronic Fatigue, Epstein Barr Virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes complex syndrome, endocrine disorders, Lyme disease and co-infections of lyme.
Crazy at it seems, less than 4 weeks ago I started trying out a product I found out about through a friend.
Skeptical at first, I started feeling a difference in 3 days time and now I am feeling better stamina, more clarity, and more energy than ever before! I truly feel I am going to not only make it, I will have regained what I have lost in the past 3 years.

The product I am using is called Max GXL, and it is only sold through independent distributors for a company called Max International, based out of Salt Lake City. This product is affordable, natural and it WORKS!

Have you have experienced less energy, poor concentration, listlessness, lack of sleep, aging, illness?
You are NOT alone! Our bodies glutathione levels reduce significantly as we age and when our health declines. We lose 8-12% of our glutathione levels every decade and as oxidative stress levels increase, we don’t have enough glutathione to help support our immune system.
· What is glutathione? A major antioxidant and protector against free radicals and is essential for our immune system. As we age, or have illness, our glutathione levels decrease to the point of no return.
Important Roles of Glutathione
• Fights against oxidative cell damage (from free radicals)
• Protein synthesis
• Amino acid transport
• Cellular detoxification
• Immune system enhancement
• Enzyme activation
• Fights cellular Inflammation
• ATP (energy) production
Our cells are constantly under attack by free radicals, which can cause a reduction of our cells' ability to function optimally.
· How can I raise my glutathione levels? Oral Glutathione is not effective because the molecular structure does not and can not penetrate cell walls, so to get glutathione levels up in your body, you have to have a product that stimulates our amazing body to create its own glutathione. Max Gxl does exactly that. It is a patented product that raises glutathione levels in the lymphocytes, developed by a medical doctor that researched glutathione for over 20 years. ((I had been doing my own research while I was sick and found the same thing: Our bodies NEED glutathione to live, and when we are sick and as we age, glutathione declines.))
· How do I get this product NOW and start feeling great in just a few days? Order online under my website at wholesale cost: www.max.com/255092
· Click on Preferred Customers, to receive wholesale pricing, or click ASSOCIATE if you want to be a part of this business today. NEXT- click on the product you desire (Max GXL in 60 individual packets, Max GXL Sport (180 capsules), Max N-Fuze (liquid patent pending nano technology that further supports glutathione production) /OR /Max WXL Weight loss technology- a product to retrain your body to regulate its leptin signals, without harmful stimulants or ingredients.
· Autoship is easy and if you choose not to reorder, simply cancel autoship for the following month and no order will come.
· The best news for me is: I AM GETTING BETTER AND STRONGER EVERYDAY AND I FEEL FANTASTIC!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me and I will find out the answers!
If this product doesn’t sound like something you would be interested in, but you know someone that it might help, please forward this information to them or let me know and I will contact them. They will thank you forever.

To wellness!
Maryalice
www.max.com/255092