|
Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website.  When life gave her Lyme, April Moor did not give in. After making important adjustments to her lifestyle, she continues to be a personal trainer and fitness instructor. April believes in listening to your body and maintaining a positive attitude through treatment. Through the interview I learned we have a lot in common, we are the same age, we both grew up dancing, we both practice yoga, and both love our dogs...a lot. I hope you learn something and are inspired by her interview. Tell us a little about your blog, what you do, and who you are:
My name is April and my blog is Happy Healin' Vegan. I am a personal trainer, fitness instructor, motivator, animal lover, positive body image ambassador and Lyme awareness advocate. Originally, my blog started as a way to promote my classes but it has become so much more. I am hoping that through my Lyme and Orthorexia (obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy) journey, I will be able to build a community of like-minded, positive people who can stick together through treatment. In addition, I share workouts, recipes, videos and health tips. What is your Lyme story? How do you think you contracted Lyme and how long did it take you to get a diagnosis? I was officially diagnosed with Lyme Disease in October 2015. I am not positive when I contracted it; however, I believe that I had it for about 4 months before my diagnosis. I started noticing that something was wrong after months of extreme leg pain, fatigue, brain fog and melancholy. After months of blood tests, Ultrasounds and doctor visits, my general practitioner suggested that I get tested for Lyme. He said, "I don't think you have it, but just in case." And the results were positive. He put me on doxycycline for three weeks and called me "cured." Although my blood work came up negative, I was still having symptoms and some of them had become worse. I now had tingling in my fingers, a twitching eye, fatigue, leg pain, brain fog, anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, severe digestive pain, bloating, and sinus issues. The Lyme was surely not gone. After doing research I found that Lyme actually can hide in your joints, muscles, and organs and that it can come on stronger when being attacked (ugh, antibiotics). I don't ever remember being bitten by a tick and never had the bulls-eye rash. We had traveled to a few tick "hot spots" over the summer including Monterrey, California. However, I grew up in Colorado and am beginning to wonder how long I have truly had this illness. I see you are a personal trainer and fitness instructor. Was there ever a time that Lyme prevented you from being active? What advice do you have for Lyme patients who struggle with fatigue, but want to exercise? Having Lyme Disease and owning my fitness business has definitely been a struggle. During the first few months, I continued to teach, train, and workout twice a day. This definitely did not help with my treatment. My poor body. When I learned that the Lyme may be affecting my heart as well, I had a huge wake up call. I realized that I need to be nice to myself and that I was in fact fighting a disease (when I first found out about my diagnosis, I wrote it off as no big deal). Now I continue to teach and train but am only doing workouts that my body wants to do. I am listening to my body and giving it what it needs. My workouts have switched from grueling burpees to ballet, barre, Pilates, yoga, swimming and walking. I truly think that we need to provide our bodies with a lot of self care. If you want to exercise, but are fatigued, keep it light. Do some stretching, go for a walk outside, or do some yoga. Find a workout that you are passionate about instead of forcing your body to do something that it doesn't want to do. It is already fighting enough battles. What was your lowest point and how did you find your way out of it? My lowest point was actually about a few weeks after my diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed I truly thought that Lyme wasn't that big of a deal. My doctor kept telling me that I had "acute" Lyme and that I would be fine after a few weeks of antibiotics. I decided to do some research on my own and found incredibly, heart breaking stories of people who were in comas, had seizures, or were on IV treatments for their whole life. At this point I was also dealing with Herxheimer reactions to the antibiotics and I was in extreme pain. I often cried myself to sleep and was so scared. I couldn't believe that one little bite could do this much damage and I couldn't understand why this was happening to me. I found my way out of it while finding support from family, good friends, and an amazing Lyme community. For some reason, I found comfort in reading other Lymie's stories and watching their videos. I also truly believe that everything happens for a reason and there was a reason that I was dealing with this...maybe to inspire others. What is the one thing that you have found most helpful in treatment? The one thing that I have found most helpful in treatment is to decrease my inflammation by cutting down on my stress level. Things that really help me are being in nature, coloring, meditation, good sleep, healthy food, eliminating foods that bother me, yoga and allowing myself to rest when needed. What are you most grateful for in your healing journey? I am the most grateful for my husband, my family, our two fur babies, amazing friends and clients who listen and support me during this difficult journey. I am also extremely grateful for our vast Lyme community. There are so many of us fighting this battle and promoting awareness. It makes it so much easier to know that you are not alone in this fight. Do you have any advice for the newly diagnosed? There will be good days and bad days. Enjoy the good while resting on the bad. Also, do as much research as you can; there are many different treatment options and it is important to find what works best for you. In addition, reach out to people that you find on social media who have Lyme Disease. It's crucial to find a support system and people who have been through the same thing. Who inspires you in the Lyme community? Every Lymie out there. Please share a mantra or quote that inspires you? "You are the only you there is and ever will be. Do not deny the world its one and only chance to bask in your brilliance." - From You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. "The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them." - George Bernard Shaw
0 Comments
Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website.  I am so grateful for the people who are willing to take the time to write about their Lyme journey. This edition features author, Janice Fairbairn. Her story in a roller coaster that will ring true for many Lyme patients. As we all use different modalities to heal, Janice shares about how her relationship with God, her family, and some amazing health professionals, helped her through her illness. This inspires her to write and share her stories with others. Janice authors the website Just Living After Lyme and Chronic Illness with a strong message of encouragement and hope. She is also the author of five books about Lyme disease: Surviving Lyme, Support in Lyme for Families and Advocates, My God, My Lyme, Finding Hope in the Panic Cloud, and Hope Matters. What is your Lyme story? How do you think you contracted Lyme and how long did it take you to get a diagnosis?
Both my kids had severe digestion and behavior issues the minute they were born and soon more seemingly unrelated health problems emerged. My life was a constant duct-taped stress ball trying to help them and maintain any normal parenting routine. My health had been fading for years, I had a miscarriage, two sick kids in my mid-thirties and I chalked it all up to that. Finally, I realized late one night as I couldn't sleep because the chest pain was so severe, that I had to do something about it. Dreams of lung cancer (I was an ex-smoker) or heart attack raced through my mind. I also had surgery on my esophagus in college to remove tissue webbing and it was very close to that area of my sternum. A few weeks later, we went for a family walk one afternoon and I got severe chest constriction, pain and dizziness and almost passed out. My vision got "weird" and my heart rate wasn't recovering. From ER visits, to scopes, to 6 months, losing 30 lbs and twelve doctors later that I finally received a diagnosis. The first eleven tried to give me antidepressants and blow off all the dozens of symptoms I felt. In the meantime, I had been diagnosed Sjogren's, Lupus, Hashimoto's, Glaucoma and other possible autoimmune diseases. My family doctor told me that 3 weeks of doxycycline would fix it. It nearly took my life. I spent way too many nights racking my brain for my ground zero. I had no bulls-eye rash, I had no discernible tick bite. I spent my childhood in the woods of Missouri camping and running around barefoot. I spent my college years traveling to Europe and to the Caribbean. Who knows. I finally realized it didn't matter where I got it. I had it. I had Lyme and nearly a dozen of its evil friends. Did they come together or accumulate over the years? Who knows. Since my kids had every single critter I had, it goes back at least 12 years or more. I let it go, no more thoughts of its origin, only its exit. Tell us a little about yourself and what you do: In my previous life, I was a marketing and communications executive and then a work-from-home and stay-at-home mom. I have now become a PhD in health, healing, living right, and all things Lyme. My passion is to see people embrace God's love and faithfulness by providing hope for their journey to healing. I love talking about health and healing to anyone who will listen. I adore my kids and how God has used our hardships to grow them into amazing young people with character and perseverance. In 2014, I released that story called My God, My Lyme and the website and blog Just Living After Lyme and Chronic Illness. The website is a place to come for all those who are just "trying to live" despite their circumstances of chronic illness. Also, on Facebook. What are your talents and passions? In my previous life before kids, I was a communications and marketing professional who was known for taking charge and being independent. Then after having kids, my immediate job was not just mom, but health advocate mom. I had to become an expert on all things healthy and had to do it all in uncharted territory before Whole Foods Market was mainstream. Then Lyme hit for me and we had a name for what had been plaguing the kids for years. So now, I'm an expert at cooking from scratch, gluten-free, organic and healthy. My talent is recovering my kids health and helping my family become fully functional and live again. Oh, and being a fierce mama bear. My passion has become helping others heal and sharing hope. Fighting Lyme disease, we all know is uncharted territory with new treatments and information coming out all the time. I don't want anyone else to have to suffer with no answers. Even more than that, though, I don't want anyone fighting this terrible illness without hope. My belief in God and his faithfulness gave me hope. That hope was the only anchor I could hold onto to get up each day and continue to fight. Battling Lyme's darkest days, months and years require hope with a capital H. The battle was God’s not mine alone. He gave me the strength and he healed. What was your lowest point and how did you find your way out of it? Before I had CCSVI surgery on my jugular veins, my lyme treatment was touch and go. The amount of intense pain I had against my heart and in my cranium was unbearable. Add that to my other varied symptoms and I just never slept and spent many nights thinking morning would never come or that my kids would find me dead in bed when they woke up. It was in those dark long nights that God spoke to me, comforted me and gave me hope. There have been many moments, nights and weeks I which I felt impending darkness over issues with my kids also. I claimed the promises of God. I asked for strength. I asked for wisdom and guidance. I asked for provision. His answers were not always what I envisioned, but he answered each one. When I couldn't pray I asked others to. When I had no strength left I played praise music. When I thought hope was lost, God actually said, "While you're awake, let's pray for others," and so I did. One small step at a time, one day at a time with my head down and focused on Jesus and getting well. What is the one thing that you have found most helpful in treatment? The overarching best advice I could give is that physically, emotionally and spiritually healing must happen simultaneously. There is no true lasting physical restoration without the other two. They are dependent upon each other. In fact, the physical body has likely gotten weak over years of emotional strain and stress. Fix the root of the problem and the body will follow. Specifically, I completely believe and give credit to the Hansa Center for Optimum Health for their natural methodologies for treating Lyme disease. Their methods are safe for those who can't tolerate antibiotics and safe for kids. They treat all three aspects of the person to help manifest complete restoration. Thirdly, altering your lifestyle would be important. Reducing stress, changing diet, exercise, positive relationships, and or shifting careers all become fair game. Nothing is off the table if you want to get well and stay well. The new normal looks different for everyone, but for successful recoveries, life is completely different on the other side in a good way. What do you want people to know about Lyme disease? Lyme disease exists in hundreds of forms and its symptoms vary depending on each person afflicted. There are dozens of autoimmune disorders and other diseases misdiagnosed each and every day in the traditional allopathic world of medicine, which are really Lyme. It is the great imitator. Modern day doctors are not educated in Lyme disease and are actually swimming upstream against their patients who have it and are trying to get a diagnosis. The CDC is not our friend and with their falsehoods, the insurance industry will not come on board to acknowledge chronic Lyme or its varied treatments. If you think you have Lyme, you have to get educated and be your own advocate. You have to personally fund your own healing treatment to the tune of $50,000 per year and up. It is faster growing that AIDS, it attacks more people each year than heart disease and breast cancer, yet no one is talking about it enough. It can be defeated though. It will not win. What are you most grateful for in your healing journey? Doctors who listened and weren't afraid to try anything. My army of friends and family who kept praying and kept my family afloat. My warrior mommy friends that help me walk this walk on the hard days. My husband who never gave up and never left. My kids for have the tenacity and courage to fight for healing. Facebook groups and the Internet for a stream of knowledge, especially Scott Forsgren the BetterHealthGuy! Ultimately, God's faithfulness is the thing I am the most grateful for. He held me up and I survived because he provided in a hundred big ways and a million small ones. Tell us about a person who inspires you in the Lyme community? That is too difficult to name just one. I already mentioned how much I admire and rely on Scott Forsgren for his willingness to dedicate his life to spread Lyme knowledge and awareness. Recently, I have the utmost respect for Yolanda Foster and John Cauldwell for their public vulnerability and commitment to raising awareness and making a difference. Amy B. Scher's books and work are also adding fantastic things to the Lyme community. My heart though, is in the patients and doctors at the Hansa clinic. The team of doctors are groundbreaking, hard working and open minded to anything cutting edge that gets success. They are relentless. My favorite people are the Lyme warriors I meet; the hearts and faith and hope of the people holding on to a thread for themselves or their kids to beat this beast. My husband and I now own a long term stay house in Wichita just for Lyme patients that come from all over the country and world to get treatment at Hansa. We get the pleasure to meet and serve this vast array of Lyme warriors that still love, laugh and find hope in the darkest places. They bless me immensely. Please share a mantra or quote that inspires you? Never give up, there is hope. God will never leave or forsake you. Favorite scriptures – Proverbs 2:1-5 and Psalm 27:13-14 "Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us." - Oprah Winfrey Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website. I'm no cook, so it's taken me a long time to adjust to a clean diet. And I mean a loooong time. Full disclosure, I'm still working on it. Like most people, I don't typically have the energy to cook from scratch using only whole foods. Again, working on it. I know it's important and I will get there eventually, but in the meantime I try to get my nutrients in the simplest way possible. Enter smoothies. If there is one thing I make like a pro, it's smoothies. Throwing a bunch of healthy stuff in a Vitamix and turning it on—no problem. I got this. Over time I developed my go-to smoothie that I make every morning. I start my day on a nutritional high note to ensure I get greens, healthy fats, and antioxidants daily. Plus it tastes delicious This recipe can be made Paleo/AIP if you omit the kefir. I add it, because Lyme disease patients can benefit from probiotics to offset the antibiotics. It can be made vegan if you also omit the collagen. The collagen helps me make up for eating a very limited amount of meat.  Nutrition Packed Go-To Every Day Smoothie Recipe: Serves 1-2 -1 cup water -½ cup kefir or hemp milk (omit if Paleo/AIP, vegan) -1 tablespoon grass-fed collagen (omit if vegan) -Handful of greens -1 tablespoon raw cacao or raw carob powder -½ small banana (frozen) -¼ avocado (frozen) -1 cup frozen organic berries (any kind, but I prefer a mix of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries) Throw it all in a Vitamix or high-speed blender until well blended. In Vitamix: level 10 for about 1 minute. Voila. This is the model I have. It is by far my favorite kitchen appliance. Prep Tips: -Each week I halve 4 small bananas and quarter 2 large avocados. Then, I put them in freezer bags and keep in the freezer. It's enough for a week's worth of smoothies. -If you want to use fresh fruit and veggies simply add ice instead of water. I use this Great Lakes Grass-Fed Collagen. I use this carob powder. Leave a comment if you give it a try or discover any delicious adjustments to the recipe. "So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow." - Rainbow Rowell Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website. My chosen profession is social work. I thrive on helping people find the best in themselves and sitting with them in their darkest moments, but it doesn't come without a cost. As much as I desire a mindful lifestyle, sometimes it doesn't always seem to jibe with my job and other responsibilities. At the end of the day, I know whatever I was stressed out about wasn't worth it compromising my health. In the United States we reward hard work, not balance. The person who stays at work until 7 o'clock at night and then sits behind a laptop until they go to sleep gets the raise or promotion, not the person who leaves work at work to spend time with family or to hit up an evening yoga class. The latter is actually harder and better work. The reward is long-term health and sanity. Part of the reason illness shows up in our lives is to tell us to slow down and reevaluate. Let's be more aware of the stress we are allowing into our bodies and do some good old fashioned self-care. And, most importantly, don't get stressed about being stressed. It's a part of life, especially when you have a chronic illness. That's where forgiveness and self-compassion come in.  My Top 5 Stress Relievers: 1. Positive Self-Talk and Mindfulness I'm getting better at putting things in perspective and practicing gratitude. When it's all said and done, there are very few things that truly matter. That Don't Sweat The Small Stuff guy had a point. 2. Meditation When I meditate, it can change my mood or pain level in as little as 5 minutes. It is truly as good as everyone says it is. I started with one minute and worked my way up to 5. 3. Yoga Taking an hour to stretch, strengthen, and be present is essential, but it's not always easy to fit into a busy schedule, especially when you add on debilitating fatigue, but once or twice a week is enough to make a difference. 4. Writing There are few things that I find more cathartic than writing. Writing can take many forms—a lighthearted Twitter feed, a private journal, songwriting, etc. The point is to get what is in your head down on paper, or screen, or whatever. 5. Travel or Travel Planning The farther I get from the stress of daily living, the more I am able to be in the present moment and enjoy all that life has to offer. But it's not always possible or affordable. That's why I love travel planning. I plan trips I may never take. I create Pinterest boards of travel photos and far off places I want to visit one day. Travel planning makes me feel calm and excited at the same time. Is there a better feeling than that? What are your stress relievers? How can you practice more self-care in your life? "You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy." - C. Joybell C. Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website.  Prepare to be inspired. This interview is with Nicole of the blog Bite Me. The Epic Saga of Lyme Disease & Me. As you read on, you will see she is a talented writer. Nicole's personality shines through her illness and she has wisdom beyond her years. I hope you enjoy the interview and visit Bite Me. to follow Nicole along her Lyme journey. You will definitely learn a thing or two. Tell us a little about yourself and your blog:
My name is Nicole, I'm 23 and have been blogging away at Bite Me. since I was 15. I have always had a passion for writing, and it is a healthy, therapeutic way to share what I am going through, and to process all the craziness that comes with being chronically ill. I had very little energy when I started, but words are something that have always come easy to me. When I first became ill in 2008, there was much less Lyme disease awareness, and few people were sharing their stories. I want to help educate, and maybe bring hope to people using my tiny platform in this corner of the universe. What are your passions? Okay, how much time do we have? I am an extremely passionate person, and have to censor my use of exclamation points! The arts are a huge part of my life: I love making collages, singing in choir, playing classical piano and composition. I knit for hours every day, and have a shop on Etsy called "Fresh Squeezed Lyme Aid" where I sell my creations. I designed knitted picc line covers for myself during years of treatment, and received so many compliments that I opened up shop. It seemed like a wonderful way to help people, raise awareness and donate money for Lyme disease charities. I also spin yarn (although I've yet to learn to spin straw into gold) and create art batts. It's such wonderful therapy for my legs, too. I started a sister shop on Etsy for fiberish endeavors, which is magical, called "The Spinnacle." I practice yoga and mediation. I read voraciously and am a photographer. I love cooking scrumptious gluten-free vegan foods (particularly refined-sugar free desserts). I spend a lot of my time resting, and have a ton of time to pursue passions, which is a lovely silver lining. How long did it take for you to get a diagnosis? Like a lot of people, I don't know how when I was bitten, or how long I've been sick. I believe I've been unwell since early childhood, where I had some strange health problems. I became really ill when I was 12-13 years old, so it took me about 3 years to get diagnosed from the point I started "really" becoming debilitated. What was your lowest point and how did you find your way out of it? Hitting rock bottom is so humbling, and an experience I hope you only have to do once, maximum. It has made me realize how simple most things in life are, and to not sweat the small stuff. I went from being a super active grade 10 student to being in a wheelchair in a number of weeks. That was crazy. What began as a short trip to the US to see an LLMD ended with us traveling to 3 states, and staying 9 months while I was undergoing treatment. Doing IV therapy for several years was a sort of extended low point in my journey, because I felt pretty crappy. I guess a recent rock bottom was somewhere between getting pancreatitis and withdrawing from pain medication. I clawed my way out through sheer force of will, practice, meditation, hope, supplements, and love. Looking up from the bottom, it never seems possible, so I usually tell myself that in the future, I will look back at this moment with pride because I survived. What is the one thing you have found most helpful in treatment? Staying positive. Keeping my face to the sunshine, and being strong enough to reach out for help. I try to bring to mind the things I am grateful for in my life. Even if it's something simple, like the way today, in between stormy clouds, rain, and gusty winds, there was a bit of brilliant blue sky and sunshine. I try to hold on to those moments of simple joy, and store them for when I need them most. Okay that's way more than 1 thing, but hopefully you'll forgive me because I am chronically verbose. What do you want people to know about Lyme disease? Lyme disease is much more common than we've been led to believe. And I'd want people to understand more about it, to help break the stigmas surrounding tick-borne infections. It is incredibly difficult to fight both an infection and misinformation and prejudice. Lyme prevention is like that teddy bear picnic song, so if you go out in the woods today, please check yourself for ticks after, and go in disguise (tuck you pants into your socks and wear light colored clothes). And If I never again heard the phrase, "Hard to catch and easy to cure," again it would be too soon. What are you most grateful for in your healing journey? Community. Family. Friends. Music. Ocean. Amazing, compassionate doctors of all different disciplines who put their livelihoods on the line to help patients. I've met so many incredible people on my healing journey, and feel so blessed to have been shown how much goodness there is on this beautiful planet. "Passion is an amazing flotation device." - Lizz Winstead Most of the links on this post are informational, but a few are affiliate links to help maintain this website. Under Our Skin came out in 2009, and aside from small victories, things are very similar in Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. Lyme disease is one of the most common and fastest growing infections in the country, yet there is still no reliable test or successful treatment protocol for late-stage, persistent, or chronic Lyme. This film is a voice for all the silent sufferers. The film follows a few specific cases of Lyme. The one that stood out to me was a young, vibrant woman, who had severe Bell's palsy and frequent seizures. She was referred to a psychiatrist and told it was all in her head. Her desperation was heartbreaking.  One featured patient travels with U2 on tour. At one point she said, "The hardest thing is everybody thinks I'm normal." On the outside she looked perfectly healthy, but she was walking around in constant pain. This is a common experience for Lyme patients. Another patient recalls a time when a doctor said, "You don't have Lyme Disease." This type of invalidation happens frequently to Lyme patients from multiple sources, such as doctors, other medical professionals, friends, and family. The movie left a bitter taste in my mouth. People simply want a diagnosis, not a controversy. Unfortunately that is the reality for Lyme patients around the world. Near the end of the movie a doctor says, "We're going to learn more about chronic illness." This is one way to look at the controversy in a positive light. I think as we solve the mystery of Lyme disease and other chronic infections there will be a breakthrough in conditions previously thought of as incurable, such as certain autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer's disease. The movie runs 144 minutes and you can buy the director's cut on Amazon. This is a must see if you are a Lyme patient or know someone who is. "You can damage the brain, you can damage the body, but the center of...the person you meet...she was whole." - Karen Cavanagh from OWN's Belief |
WelcomePast blog posts. Archives
May 2018
Categories |
RSS Feed