So, back in January I decided to get on the one word bandwagon. That’s the idea that you pick a word to focus on throughout the year. I chose health as my word and I was going to try and work on one aspect of my health each month.
I started with sleep because it seems to affect so many other things, especially weight gain/loss and mood which I also wanted to improve. I worked on my sleep environment, my pre-bed routine and trying to keep my wakeup and sleep times consistent. I did okay but had trouble staying consistent – my usual problem. I can do something for so long but never long enough for it to become automatic.
Next I tried to work on my water intake because it also seems to affect so many other things. I really struggled with this one. It takes a lot of effort for me to drink that much water. You would think that it would be easy since water is the only thing I drink but I don’t make it most days.
I decided to make an appointment with a functional medicine practitioner because I was getting tired of the way I was feeling and I wasn’t sure if the meds I was on were really helping me. (Background – I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 18 years ago, have postpartum depression/dysthymia issues and am going through menopause) I had heard good things about this doctor and decided to see what she had to say.
There was a two hour initial meeting that was very thorough and I felt like there was a possibility that things could change if I went through the testing she recommended. I wasn’t as excited about all the supplements she wanted me to try but figured it was worth a shot. She put me on an elimination diet which I was sure was going to be hell. I had to do blood, urine, hair and salivia testing as well.
I spent the weekend enjoying a last taste of my forbidden foods and was ready to start my new diet bright and early one Monday morning. I was supposed to take a protein shake in the morning but I wasn’t really hungry so I put it off until lunch. I’m not really big on shakes or smoothies – its a texture thing – I just don’t like that thick stuff. This one smelled really bad and I had to force myself to drink it. In fact, it took about 30 minutes for me to drink it all. It didn’t stay down long – I was in the bathroom throwing up within the hour. Later that evening I started feeling sick and ended up going to bed early.
The next morning I still wasn’t feeling well but I was hungry. I had a craving for an apple. I ate a slice but was back in the bathroom dry heaving. I was still tired so I just went back to bed. Then I started having chills and aches. I thought maybe I had a stomach bug or something. I had no appetite and slept 12 – 16 hours for the next 4-5 days. I talked with the doctor and thought I might have the flu. I tried to rest and stay hydrated – not something I’m very good at.
Then I developed a red circular patch on my arm. It started out about the size of a quarter. It didn’t itch, it wasn’t crusty, it just got bigger and bigger. Then I noticed a few more on different parts of my body. Finally my husband convinced me to have them looked at. That’s when I found out that I had Lyme disease.
This is getting kind of long – I’ll stop here for now and finish up tomorrow.