EIGHT time Lyme Survivor!


Hi there, I am BACK from the Spirochete wars. So the PRE-REQUISITE for this article is to read the discussion on my LAST article on Lyme Disease

The fact that I have now given up a 30 year career as a professional gardener may look to some of you as though the Spirochetes won, but OH no......it's a little case of 'Don't Shoot The Messenger'. I be one STUBBORN woman, so I guess it took yet another HERD of the little devils to knock me down and SIT on me until I GOT it.

I have not been able to work even a full 30 hour week since the day I called in sick back on July 14th. Since then, I have made the occasional guest appearance and used up every sick and vacation day I've accumulated over the past 4 years. During all that time I have been TRYING to manage the garden dept of this huge conference center over the phone and every trip back was fraught with anxiety over how I would ever be able to get up to speed again.....until it DAWNED on me to just LAY IT DOWN. Let It Go. My, my what a difference.

You see, Lyme just doesn't do stress very well. So even when I tried NOT to go into the gardens to actually help with the labor and just 'manage' from my desk, my body still said NO. I never ever feel as bad when I work at home and I'm not sure if it's because I pay attention to my body and rest when I'm tired, or if it's just the lack of STRESS in doing my own stuff. Probably a combination of the two.

Yes, there is a certain amount of stress in no longer having a steady paycheck, but I'm not QUITE staring homelessness in the face yet. And I do believe that the freedom (which is just one of my FAVORITE vitamins) to pursue my own way is one grand incentive to translate some of my talents and knowings into a livlihood. I like that word MUCH better than J O B........

My recovery here, over 2 months past the onset of this EIGHTH round, shows the only SYMPTOMS I have are the occasional weakness in my legs, (this seige did some sincere nerve DAMAGE and that's slow to heal) and a feeling of just having no buffers. I feel physically shaky if I get over hungry or over tired or aggravated. (You should have seen me getting just a LITTLE lost going to one doctor's appt). My brain is back to firing on all TWELVE cylinders at times. But as long as I listen to myself, I feel quite well, and that's pretty AMAZING considering just how sick I was.

The copyright of the article EIGHT time Lyme Survivor! in Weeds & Wild Plants is owned by Barbara Hall. Permission to republish EIGHT time Lyme Survivor! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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