Category Archives: Health Journey

Rough Road

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I love the fall season in Minnesota with the colorful leaves and the fall decorations like big spiders on people’s doors or scary things hanging from the entryways! Just love it.  Although it also means we are coming upon “Why do I live here season?”  Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy winter; however, I sometimes think I should live somewhere warmer and just enjoy winter from afar!  A girl can dream!

I started treatment for Lyme’s Disease two weeks ago and treatment for SIBO this past Monday.  Honestly, I have to admit – IT IS KICKING MY BUTT!  My doctor said both treatments could make me feel lousy!   Lousy is an understatement.  I generally have pretty high tolerance for anything but when my daughters have to put me to bed at nights, that’s when I know its been a rough road!  Battling with severe fatigue and abdominal pain, flu-like symptoms, RLS, blurred vision, night sweats, etc, etc, etc.  Remember this is only the physical side effects, my emotional and mental state is for another blog post!

I am still trying to find humor in all of this which was the case when I made my dad chuckle the other night when I talked to him.  He said he was worried about me.  So I told him I was worried about me too!  Thanks Dad! A little laughter goes a long way especially since this has been the toughest week yet.

On the bright side….. I hope I turned the corner today.  I was able to shower and get ready this morning without thinking how much time do I have to nap before starting my day!  I’m still severely fatigued, but a little more energy and a little less of everything else!  As I say in my book…I may not be where I want to be, but I’m doing the best I can right now!

“When life gets hard, challenge yourself to be stronger” –Unknown

I wish you a joy filled day today and may your Halloween be filled with lots of scary stories, chocolate candy and little smiles as the children run up to your door.

The Verdict is in

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It’s Lyme Disease.

I suspected I had Lyme’s for quite some time but now I have the proof.  I have to admit that after finding out, I had many days of sadness yet I was also grateful for knowing.  It’s definitely been mixed emotions.  We also found SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and new food allergies and sensitivities– I will comment on those more later!

According to Dr. Mark Hyman in 7 Strategies to Tackle Lyme Disease, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi by an infected tick transmitting the virus to humans.  Borrelia burgdorferi can affect the entire body, hiding from and suppressing one’s natural immune system. “Lyme infections literally hijack your immune system like AIDS.”  He also indicates its one of the most challenging and difficult situations in his practice because it mimics other illnesses.

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, its the pebble in your shoe.”  – Muhammad Ali

This may be the pebble.  This may just be the underlying issue. If so, I’m so elated because now I can start paving my road to recovery!

I’m grateful for Dr. Litchy. I’m grateful for his patience and expertise. I’m grateful for now knowing.

May you be blessed in your days too!

Lost in Health now available

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I did it!

I released my new book Lost in Health on Monday!  Exciting, nerve wrecking, but truly amazing and grateful for the overwhelming response and support I received!

It took a lot of courage to release the book especially since its my personal journey.  Having now completed the book and released it for the world to read, I feel confident and strong!  My hope is to inspire others to continue fighting for their health and well-being.  I hope to encourage people to keep moving forward, no matter how small the steps.

Remember your health matters, and its worth fighting for–live well, and experience the renewal that comes from refusing to give up!

Summer Camp

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Does anyone remember what it was like going to summer camp with your friends?

Well I do and it brings me back to my childhood when I would go to camp in my home town. It was called 3 day camp and it was so much fun.  No parents, fun counselors, lots of food and activities, campfire stories and bonding with friends!  We slept in bunk beds and stayed up for hours talking!  I miss those days!  Now that I think about…we should create a camp like that just for adults!  How much fun would that be….outdoor activities, comfort food, friends, campfires stories and songs!

Today I sent my oldest daughter, Ella, off to summer camp for 5 nights/6 days!  She’s been going to camp since she was 5 years old, but I have to admit, it doesn’t get less emotional the older she gets!  Yes, I held back tears but tears of joy!  She was so excited and I can 100% understand why! She’s going to love the time with friends up north!

Take time today to appreciate the small things like summer camps, counselors, campfires and friends!   Today, let go of your daily stresses and reflect back to the good old days of summer!

Aww…what a wonderful memory!

Juicing Recipes

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Happy Monday!  Hope everyone enjoyed some BBQ’s, fireworks and family and friends this weekend!

Since I love juicing and feel so much more energized and just plain healthy when I have a homemade juice everyday, I thought I would share one of my favorite juicing recipes!

Just Beet It:

2 cups kale (stem removed)

2 cups spinach

1-cup romaine

1-cup celery

2 small cucumbers

½ -1 beet (cooked)

Couple leaves of parsley

¼ lemon

1 Tbsp. ginger

If you want more of a sweeter taste, add a few slices of apple or pineapple and you will sweeten the juice up!

Enjoy and have a terrific full first week of July 2015!

Mixed Opinions

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Where did January go? Maybe it was the unseasonably nice weather which made us think it was spring!

Not long ago, I went back to my allergy/asthma doctor (here in Minneapolis) for my annual check in. My doctor was not the one who completed my food testing when I went in last summer, so we had some good topics to discuss this time. She mentioned my breathing tests were a bit of a concern from last summer and believes I have chronic inflammation in my lungs. Guess what? She gave me a list of medicines I should take, but after my push back, she only asked me to fill one of them. I will keep the others on hold for if/when I need them!

We also walked through my food allergy testing (from last summer) – showing immediate allergy to almonds, blueberries, eggs and peanuts. Her response….eat everything but be careful when eating peanuts. If wish to remove peanuts, then must remove completely, otherwise, no need to remove any of the foods! Well, I don’t know about you, but that was shocking! I’ve been told to remove 40+ foods from my diet from 10+ doctors and here my allergy doctor says not to remove ANY foods! Who’s opinion matters? Who do I believe? All? None? Maybe its best I figure out what works best for me especially since I’ve received mixed opinions from so many doctors! The journey continues….

Sending my thanks and appreciation for all who follow, read and keep in touch!

Raynaud’s phenomenon

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Happy New Year! I hope you are as excited for what 2015 will bring as I am!

Another opportunity to grow, create, laugh, inspire, love, succeed….and the list goes on!

I recently received the test results back from my OB/GYN and they confirmed I have heightened estrogen levels. Interesting enough, I had more proof of it as well. I attended my daughter’s hockey practice and then went to my oldest daughter’s basketball game. When I arrived at the basketball game, a couple of my fingers were going numb. I didn’t pay much attention as I’ve been having issues with my toes and fingers going numb when I get too cold. Nonetheless, for some unknown reason, I looked down to see three of my fingers on my right hand white as snow. The friend I was sitting by (who happens to also be a nurse), said immediately, I had raynaud’s phenomenon. Of course, I did my research and found raynaud’s is discoloration (lack of blood) of your digits after exposure to changes in temperature. Basically its loss of blood supply to your fingers/toes. The cause is unknown, but most commonly caused by nerve sensitivity which could be caused by autoimmune disease (which I have several). One with raynaud’s needs to be extra careful in cold temperatures and keep yourself warm. Personally, I’m thinking this shows my heightened estrogen is causing more havoc in my body!

With this new development, I am confident I need to be 100% disciplined and focused on healing my body versus always reacting. 2015 will be the year of healing, happiness and health!

Finally….rheumatalogy appointment

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Good day friends! With school starting and the weather turning towards fall, I am excited for what the new season brings.

Basically an uneventful appointment with the rheumatologist last Thursday. After a lengthy discussion on my health history (I could write it backwards I’ve told it so often), he decided to order blood (to check for lupus, lymes, and other autoimmune diseases) and urine tests as well as an xray of my SI joints (checking for inflammation.) I won’t hear back for a couple of weeks with the results, but the doctor was pretty sure the blood tests would be negative since my symptoms appear more related to endocrinology then rheumatology.

Continuing to pray for answers and guidance with my health!

Until next time…

Thank you then Update

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Since starting this blog and making it public, I have received (and absolutely love) the stories, the messages, the calls, the words of advice, the words of wisdom and the words of courage!  Thank you – Thank you – Thank you!   This journey hasn’t been easy and its difficult to be positive, but I am so hopeful after all the support and positive reinforcement I’ve received!  Again, Thank you!!

Now, update from Dr. appt yesterday!  First, they took enough blood to fill a small outdoor pool so they should be able to figure out something.  Second, the doctor ultimately wants to review my medical history and see what the new blood tests show before indicating what she believes is going on.  However, she’s thinking its likely related to my thyroid (diagnosed me with thyroid disease), autoimmune disease (diagnosed me with malaise and myalgia- both could be caused by autoimmune) and recurrent infection.

Please pray the blood tests bring answers and possible solutions!

What other things could it be? May 2014

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Since I’ve made the appointment with the U of M, I’ve had medical professionals tell me to seek out an Immunologist and Infectious Disease doctors. In addition, I’ve been told to request testing for issues like Celiac, Lyme’s Disease, kidney disease, lupus and food sensitiveness.