Summer heat and the best Houttunyia/Enula rotation ever

It's been warm warm weather the last several days and I am in love with it.  Temps have been close to 30 degrees with a humidex closer to 40.  It feels so good to my body.  I'm not bundled up in a tonne of layers all the time - and still freezing.

I'm also doing fabulously well on this Cowden rotation!  As I mentioned in my last post, the Houttunyia and Enula are usually my roughest rotation.  Not usually actually - always.  I've just hit 26 drops and am feeling pretty decent. Relatively speaking of course.

The agitation and wanting to hyperventilate feelings seem to have passed for the most part too.  I don't feel completely settled and grounded, but it's way better.  I can nap more easily again.  My energy is such that I do have to sit and lie down for brief periods in the late afternoons and evenings, but not so bad that I'm in bed from dinner onwards.  I don't even want to be.

It's blowing-my-mind incredible. :)

So there is my update - I'm doing the best I have done in years and the hot weather is probably helping too.  My only concern centers around thoughts that perhaps I am going too slow on this rotation - taking too much time to ramp up the dosage.  I need to get to 30 drops and I'm already at 24 days.  If I followed the Protocol directions perfectly I would already be on my next antimicrobial rotation.

But that's what I have done for over 2 years.  And herxed like crazy the whole time.  My LLMD says I can try this as long as I still keep getting better.  I don't know how long it will take to know.  Willing to give it a few months to experiment though.

getting better at balance with lyme

I haven't posted in a week because life has been so busy.  What is it with kids and June?  All the school's-almost-out activities and last minute To Do's.  And everyone with a summer birthday cramming their party into June.  Don't get me wrong.  It's a fun month.  But wow, we are ready to slow down.  2 weeks to go!

I ended up coming out of that last herx and doing really well last weekend.  So well that I was out wandering around an outdoor street festival in our neighbourhood for 2 hours on Sunday with my fam.  And then I walked home!  At a normal pace!  It's only a 20 minute walk, but I hobbled at a snail's pace when I attempted the same thing a year ago.

Bonus was that I didn't feel like going straight to bed when I got home!  No spinning head, no aching body.  Well, a tiny bit.  But not enough that I was anywhere near the state where I could no longer handle standing or sitting upright.  I actually made lunch for my family after sitting outside in the hammock to regroup.  LOVE this. 

I think this is evidence my 'go slow' idea with the Cowden drops is working. I have a doctor's appointment next week and will discuss it with her.  I'd love to keep it up if it won't impede healing progress. Can you imagine a life of healing so much more bearable and, heaven forbid, fun along the way?  I dare to dream.

This last week has been a bit up and down in terms of herxes.  I've actually had an activity booked for every day.  From a 2 hour tea to a track and field meet for my kid to a dog training session for my unruly pup.  So nothing more than a couple of hours per day for the most part.  And I'm still napping daily.  I'm stronger and less fatigued and hence my activity level is up.  I haven't figured out how to balance my body quite right though.  Going in and out of herxing and I think maybe I don't need to... 

Yesterday was terrible. I actually ran out of the Cowden drops for my current rotation (Cumanda and Mora).  Poor planning! ACK!  So I did an early 'in between day' where I am off the antimicrobial drops and only on the herbal detox drops.  I usually look forward to and cherish these days as I feel so good on them - no herxing.  Well, clearly I had messed up my balance as I had a lot of fatigue, tongue and throat swelling, headache, plus general malaise going on.  My only conclusion is that it had to be the stress of the busy week.

Proof right there that this balancing act with lyme isn't easy.  My friend likened it to walking a tightrope - the smallest thing can knock you right off. 

Will keep practice getting better at it though - this is life right?  Everyone, lymie or not, has to come to know their own bodies and spirits deeply so as to keep that delicate balance of enough rest, enough play, enough nourishment - all on a daily basis.  Lyme just takes the whole deal up a notch - keeping us on our toes.

Good days

I haven't posted in a little while simply because I haven't been lying in bed as much.  How absolutely freakin' fantastic is that?!  This has happened to me a few times now in the nearly 4 years that I have been sick, and 2 years that I have been under treatment.  Literally, a FEW times.  Once last fall, once in December, once in January, and now this last week.

Yippeee skippy, happy days!

I like this.  A crazy lot.

I'm on my best antimicrobial rotation - Samento and Banderol (Cowden Protocol) right now.  The one I have been on the longest.  The one I now herx on the least.  It's my first week on it for this go round and I have been up'ing my dosage very very slowly.  Trying a new idea out...  What if, heaven forbid, I increase my dosage drops at a rate that does not make me herx to the point where I feel brutal all the time?  And the answer to that question is that I honestly don't know.  I love this protocol.  I'm healing.  But I herx nearly all the time and hence am an inflamed, sicko mess nearly all the time.  Pulling myself through the days on sheer willpower, faith, and feigned enthusiasm.  Which are all great - but how about giving myself a break for a bit?

This is what I want to try.  Not much of an experiment when I start out on it with my best rotation.  But, I have to start somewhere and this is the next one up. It doesn't hurt that summer seems to have appeared out of nowhere too.  Snow two weeks ago and 27 degrees today.  Such a relief!

I've still been in bed enough.  The usual nap-time calling my name from 12:30-2:30 each afternoon.  Forcing myself to get up when I wake up.  Bed enticing me to retire for the evening at 7:30 pm or so...  But the time I'm up in between isn't as difficult as usual.  I'm in a better mood because my head isn't spinning and hurting as much.  My body still hurts too, but maybe not as much either.  (I don't know - I tend to ignore it a lot to keep the positive vibe going). I'm more active though.  Doing a bit more, sitting a bit less.  Did some weeding in the garden, took not one, but two walks with my child - even took the dog along which usually I don't have the patience for.  Cooked a bit, cleaned a bit, a few loads of laundry, swept the decks and patio.  Fun, fun, regular person weekend stuff.

I love the good days!

Puppy heater

I take an afternoon nap every day. Not really an option with the lyme fatigue. Also the headaches... sleep seems to reset me somewhat and dinner is more doable if I have slept.

My dogs get so excited as I finish up lunch: Are we going for a nap now?! Are we? Are we? Hooray! We loooove naps. They bounce around my legs, hyper-happy, like we are going to go for a walk.

I find it odd, but they really do this. Sometimes, when I get a bit depressed about having to spend even more time in bed, I just look down at them pleading with me to go curl up in bed and realize that hey maybe napping is actually pretty darn awesome. Something to be celebrated. Clearly, they say. Clearly!

My fave part is that my oldest dog, she's 15, insists on napping under the covers, curled right up tight against my back for afternoon nap time. Not at any other time of day - it's weird. But I love it. Her energy is soothing, as is the heat.

The difficult part then becomes convincing myself (and them!) to get back up.