Lyme and Exercise

I love hot yoga. I stretch my body and focus my mind all in presence of infrared heat. Oh, so nice. Until later. Detox time. My body is so toxic that when I induce sweating and raising my body's internal temperature, I end up "herxing." Herxing, short for Jarisch-Herxheimer, is not a bad thing, but it is difficult to endure. It often occurs with large doses of antibiotics, but I have found that it occurs with alternative treatments as well. Basically what happens is the dead bacteria release their toxins into the blood and tissues. This provokes an inflammatory response that is exaggerated.

Recently I have had such intense regression that Hot Yoga has not been something my body can handle. However, just laying in the infrared heat can be beneficial.

"Sweating in the infrared sauna flushes fat-soluble toxins (including heavy metals) out of the body via the skin. This detoxification which occurs at the lower heat available in infrared saunas assists the immune system and the healing process while increasing circulation, invigorating the body and allowing the meds to reach all parts of the body in a more efficient manner. Infrared sauna therapy also relaxes the muscles and joints, giving the patient some relief from their pain."
 -Quote from Sunlighten

In addition to infrared heat, exercise is very important for Lyme sufferers. This may sound impossible to you as it often does to me. When you can barely move or get yourself out of bed due to pain and discomfort, exercise is the last thing on your mind. However, according to Dr. Raj Patel

"Exercise offers many benefits in the treatment of Chronic Lyme disease.  The treatment of Lyme and its co-infections (regardless of the modality used i.e. antibiotics, herbs, rife, etc.) results in a significant load of toxic byproducts in the tissues and lymphatic system.  These byproducts include remnants of dead bacteria as well as the heavy metals and chemicals being released as the Lyme load is reduced.  The body mounts an inflammatory immune response to these bacterial remnants which is responsible for the well known "Herxheimier's reaction."  Exercise, through increased circulation and lymphatic drainage, enables the body to more quickly and efficiently rid itself of these substances, and thereby reduce the length and intensity of the herx reactions.

Another potential benefit of exercise, when done correctly, is that it can raise your core body temperature, and thereby aid in eradicating these infections.  We know from research that borrelia, the Lyme bacteria, thrives in certain areas of the body like the sinuses, collagen tissue underneath the skin, and joints and ligaments due to their scarce blood flow and lower temperature.  Proper exercise enables one to raise his core body temperature for a sustained period of time."

I have found Dr. Patel's evaluation of Lyme and Exercise to be an accurate assessment for me. When I am having a "good day" I have been walking on a treadmill at a very slow pace and then sitting in a sauna. Shortly following my workout I will take a nap for a couple of hours. Even with this simple exercise plan my body will herx and I may not be able to exercise again for several days.

I encourage you to find an infrared sauna or hot yoga place and utilize the benefits of infrared heat. If you are unable to do yoga, just remain in child's pose and let your body detox as the heat penetrates your body. Drink loads of filtered water and take a warm shower afterwards. REST IS ESSENTIAL. Do not choose a time to exercise or sauna when you have errands or work directly after. You must allow your body to rest in order to lessen your herx.

To learn more read Dr. Wilson's information on Parasympathetic Healing

The Fierce Warriors

As I was itching my first tic bite of the year I thought about writing a post entitled "I Hate Tics." Considering I live with Lyme Borreliosis, I could give a thousand reasons for hating tics. Then it occurred to me that there is something I  respect about tics; they are Fierce Warriors.
They are...
Terrific Hiders - They like to hide in dark, warm places of your body such as your armpit, head, or crotch. If you start itching you better make sure you haven't been attacked.
They have...
Ruthless Weapons - Once they bite you they can fill your blood stream with all sorts of bacteria. If you are infected you will feel fatigue and other flu like symptoms.
They don't die easy...
Wounded but not Dead - You may think you have removed the tic but, indeed if you did not use the proper tool their head may still be stuck inside your body. In which case they can still infect your blood.
Just when you think the battle is over...
Leaving Their Mark - If you have been infected by a tic carrying Lyme and you don't catch the symptoms in time you may end up with symptoms that are difficult to diagnosis, treat, and in some cases re-appear. 

In the Wilderness While the Storm Rages

 I just need to get this out there...Regression SUCKS!! I hate it, hate it, hate it. Right now I am trying to write this post and it is hard to even keep my head up straight. I have been sick off and on for the past month; I don't know why. This week has been very bad. Shaking, major pain in the bone behind my ears. Hard to walk. Lots of the old symptoms are back. I have felt like screaming and yesterday actually put the pillow over my head and let out a few yells.

I keep asking myself, "How can I thank God for this disease(s)?" Yes, diseases plural because this week I found out I have Celiac. Well, I actually was thankful to find this out because it was one more piece to the puzzle. So, I have been telling God that I am having a difficult time saying thank you for where I am at right now. Then, I am reminded that I am in the wilderness with a raging storm. When I am in the "wilderness" the main thing I am thankful for is to know that I am being made stronger in character. That God is moving and molding my life and that it will effect others.

There was a really amazing sermon preached a while back by Keith Simon entitled Living in the Wilderness . I can't tell you how much this sermon has helped me. Honestly, I am not going to try to explain it because you really need to hear it. Really! It doesn't matter if you are sick or healthy this sermon will impact your life at some point, in some way, and you will be able to go back to God's word and remember that he knows right where you are at and is in control.

One more thing that I want to share that has been a real comfort to me for quite a few years now, during other storms in my life is a song by Casting Crowns entitled "Praise You in this Storm." No matter what our circumstance we can praise God, because no matter how awful we feel or how desperate our situation, or how much we just want to disappear, WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Lyme vary somewhat depending on the individual and how the Lyme is affecting their body. In an earlier post I shared a little about the beginning symptoms I had; in this post I want to go into greater detail so that you will have a better idea of what can happen the longer you go undiagnosed.

FATIGUE - MAJOR FATIGUE
I have always loved sleeping and I am a mama of three so an amount of fatigue and sleep deprivation is expected, but not like what I felt. I had hardly any energy and felt like sleeping a lot.

MUSCLE PAIN
The muscle pain I experienced was a deep pain mainly in my arms and legs. The pain was pretty much constant and got worse the longer I went untreated.

TREMORS
The tremors I experienced were primarily in my right leg. My leg has had small tremors throughout the years whenever my back would be in pain, but they usually were brief and could be settled with some stretching or rest. The tremors that accompanied the Lyme would last a long time. As time went on the tremors moved into my entire body.

FACIAL PALSY
This is a picture of what the facial palsy looked like for me. I could not keep my face from what felt like a strong force of gravity pulling it down on one side.

NEUROPATHY
Mainly experienced in my arms and back. Wearing clothes was uncomfortable and even the lightest touches would cause a "knee-jerk reaction" to pull away. This also included tingling in my hands at times.

DIZZY & EYES ROLLING BACK
Felt like my head was spinning around causing it very hard to hold my head up. This was often accompanied by my eyes rolling back in my head. First my eyes would blink uncontrollably and then roll back.

UNABLE TO WALK
It's very difficult to walk when you feel off balance. My body would shift to one side making it nearly impossible to stand straight up. A cane became my best friend!

STUTTERING/LOSS OF SPEECH
My speech at times, not always, would become slurred, slow and I would begin to stutter. It was very difficult to get words out. I could almost see them in my mind and yet I could not speak them.

BRAIN FOG
Very difficult to think clearly. Had a hard time formulating or expressing my thoughts.

BURNING FEET
When I was at my worse my feet felt like they were on fire.

A Gentle Whisper

Oh My Goodness, I love acting. I remember as a child wanting to be in every school play! I could barely stand the anticipation of being old enough to compete on the high school drama team. It was thrilling, even a rush, to take on a personality and present a story in a way that would bring emotion to the audience.

When I got to college I decided I wanted to work with drama and the arts in worship. The church I attend has an amazing children's program. They come up with tons of creative ways to teach kids about Christ! I bring all of this up because it relates to being limited on what I can and can't do, and how God uses limitations to teach me. This Easter the children's programming is doing a play called "Scooby Doo and the Mystery of Easter." Well, let it be known that I  am a big fan of Scooby Doo, especially Daphne. So, when I was asked if I could be a part of the play, (an opportunity to act and worship by ministering to children) of course I said NO.

I felt crushed. It's been a hard week and I have been uninvolved at church in what feels like forever. I looked at my calendar to see if I could make the practices, and then I thought about how unpredictable my health is. Tears started to roll. My husband asked me if I could see anything that God may be doing in this situation. I did not want to explore this, but felt pressed to none the less.

As, I was thinking and kind of trying to pray (didn't really want to) the story of Elijah and God's gentle whisper came to my mind. You can read about it in 1Kings 19:1-18. Quick summary…God had just done an amazing miracle on Mt. Carmel and showed the prophets of Baal who was the one true God. But Elijah quickly got scared when he heard the queen was going to come after him and kill him. So he ran and hid. God came to Elijah and asked why he was hiding then he told him to stand on the mountain and watch for him. The wind came and tore the mountain apart, then an earthquake, and after that fire; God was not in any of them. But, after the fire, came a gentle whisper and Elijah felt the presence of God.

This reminded me of something that happened almost exactly a year ago. God gave me a gentle whisper and it has been a constant comfort to me. I had gone to a retreat for adoptive moms and was having time in prayer. I kept envisioning God's arms around me and when I opened my bible I turned to Isaiah and the scripture before me was 40:11, "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Almost immediately after this a woman came up to me, asked if I had a tattoo on my back (Yep, I do). She felt God telling her to let the woman with the hidden tattoo know that, "God sees her."

Today, as I started to feel sorry for myself I was reminded that God is in the gentle whisper. He has promised to carry me in his arms and that he sees me. No matter what place you are in, God sees you too. You will find him in the gentle whisper.

Looking Back - The Beginning

When I was young and a runner I learned quickly that if I wanted to do well in the race it was best to never look behind me, because it always slowed me down. If I wanted to win I needed to keep my eye on the goal, the finish line. I have found that looking forward and be focused on a goal has been a useful lesson in many areas of my life, but I have also learned that it is not always applicable.  As, someone who is grateful to just be walking, looking back is one of the most helpful things I can do. Remembering where my health was a year ago and the strides in recovery I have made, brings me hope. So, as I lay here in bed having had several very challenging days in a row, looking back is exactly where I am going to begin this blog. My hope is that it will be informative and encouraging to you in your walk with lyme.

It was the summer of 2012, I clearly remember saying to my husband one day, "I am so tired and just don't have any energy, so I think I need to stop eating sugar." He laughed and replied that instead of cutting out sugar I might want to try working out. Ugghhh, I did NOT like working out, but I thought I would give it a try. I joined Jazzercise and for a couple of months I felt better. This new energy was short lived as the fatigue got worse and worse, to the point that Jazzersizing no matter how fun it had proved to be, was no longer an option.

At the time I had 3 small children ages 5 and under, with the youngest having only been home from Ethiopia for about 6 months. I am telling you this because many have said, the fatigue was most likely due to stress of an adoption and the life of being a mother. Honestly, I wondered about the stress and will go into this more later, but the fatigue was completely different than being worn out from chasing kiddos.

I walked around feeling like I had the flu. My muscles began to ache with severe deep penetrating pain. By Fall I wasn't only experiencing pain and fatigue but neuro-symptoms began to surface. My leg would tremor/shake uncontrollably for long periods of time. The skin on my arms and back would get so sensitive that clothes were uncomfortable. The last straw for me was when my little girl would try to give me sweet kisses on my arm and it was so painful that my arm would have a "knee-jerk reaction" and pull away. Not being able to enjoy kisses was not an option for me! I needed help.