Finally, a diagnosis!

A few weeks ago, I discovered that I have Lyme disease. Should you decide to google Lyme disease, you’re in danger of having a volcanic explosion inside of your brain.

Yeah, kind of like that.

Lyme seems to be a hot topic for debate between the traditional medical community and alternative practitioners. Fortunately I’m seeing an MD who practices holistic medicine and thinks a little outside the box. My family practice doctor also happens to be a close friend so she is a great support and source of help, too. I’m doing a six month treatment for my Lyme (known as the Cowden protocol) that is not the traditional course of IV antibiotics. For now, I’m taking about 50 or 60 pills daily and tons of herbal drops. Ugghhhh.

I’m definitely an optimist, but I’m also going to tell you how it really is. Ugggghhh really suits how I feel about taking all of this nasty tasting stuff. Enough about that.

I feel very happy and hopeful about having some kind of diagnosis after a long time of vague, disrupting symptoms that inhibit my driving and exercising. I also feel as if the diagnosis isn’t “real” as not every practitioner would recognize my Lyme test results as a positive. The American CDC has particular guidelines about Lyme and different doctors interpret the test results according to different criteria.

My friend recently challenged me by asking, “So what you’re saying is that you’re not content with this diagnosis?” Ouch. I’m heading toward contentedness, but NO. I was not content. I wanted a black and white, definite answer. But I have prayed and I trust God to lead me toward the path He wants me to go on.  So even if this is a narrow path with some nay-sayers, I will forge ahead and take my pills and drink my drops. And I know that on this dimly lit path to healing, God will carry me when I am too weary or afraid to go forward.

***Update: After 3 months of alternative Lyme treatment, I did not get any better. As a result, I went to the Mayo Clinic and was told I do not have Lyme disease. That wasn’t a huge surprise based on what I’d read about Lyme and traditional medicine. I’m still forging ahead with treatment for severe occular migraines. I’m not 100% well, but doing significantly better.