It DOES get better!

Pussyfootin' to health in my beloved toe socks

As I'm trying to write this post without being overly dramatic, I hope you'll get the feeling that goes along with it. But if not, please ask or reprimand or comment and I'll try to fix or explain better. For now, I'm softly stepping onto the path of better health.

It is now going for a month of my being off antibiotics. (blog post)  The first few days were giddy ones, feeling like a vacation and freedom, not having to swallow pills every few hours. And then the symptoms slowly started creeping back. I didn't notice so much, or I tried to ignore them, but hubby was ever vigilant. I felt bad for a few days but of course nothing was as bad as it was before.

And that's what I want to say to other Lymies who might be reading here: It DOES get better.
Truly, it does. We might slip back, might feel worse for a few days, but not those horrible, dark, pain-filled days that seem to be never ending as when we are very sick. This I've heard from a few lucky ones who have experienced these golden days, and now I can add my own voice to theirs.

What I didn't realize, is that a meal replacement hubby started me on years ago when I was too sick to eat and didn't feel like chewing or going to the trouble of digesting anything, did more for my general well-being than I knew. We ran out of the powder more or less at the same time as I went off the antibiotics. As I became more run down during the days following, hubby started saying we need to get the powder back and start using it again. It took a few phone calls but we were quickly back up and running.

Almost immediately I felt a difference. After about two weeks it is clear: The powder does help, and I feel so much better for drinking my smoothie again in the morning! I should probably do a blog post about that on its own, but please ask if you want to know. There's a contact button at the top of this blog. If you view this on your mobile device, you might have to switch to the Web version - not sure how everyone's displays work!

BUCKET LIST
Maybe you had a look at my Bucket list before. Items 5, 7, 10, 11 and 15 on the list could probably be scratched out now, since the last two weeks or so!

Examples:
Going out at night (item #11): On Friday, March 15, I enjoyed an evening of darts with a group of friends. I'm no big darts player and am happy when I hit the board, but my husband is and he loves it. On that evening, I closed two games (gasp!) and was promptly dubbed "Hawkeye" by my team captain. It was a fluke, be sure ... but afterwards, we sat and chatted, sharing jokes and taking pictures, and I was in no big hurry to get home to bed. I didn't think much of it until the next morning, when hubby said it was the first time in years that I actually sat and visited with the people after darts instead of being dead on my feet.

Thanks, patient friends, for still allowing me to play sometimes even though I've been a deadbeat the last few years! And Tom, I still believe you were "crying-laughing" !

TV Programs (item # 5): The last week or ten days I've been able to actually follow along while watching "Criminal Minds" instead of having to pull over the laptop and look for a synopsis of the episode. I could do it all by myself! I didn't want to get too happy, thinking it wouldn't last. But now I'm starting to think it might be a sign of getting the concentration back.

Made 11 jars of antipasto and didn't burn anything!

Recipes (item #7): Last Sunday I attended an event at a home with some friends. Girlfriend Pam was hosting and had several goodies to share. I tasted around all my old favourites and then found a mixture with olives and things. It was delicious and I stayed put, munching away, insisting that she shares the recipe. She did and five days later I made a batch of Antipasto myself. Sure with hubby helping to chop, but for the first time in years I was in charge of the pot and the mix, while he was behind the chopping board! What joy! Especially to take a jar full to an event last night and to watch the ladies scoop out every last drop of the mix, commenting to Pam that they need the recipe too. They didn't know how joyful it made me, seeing them smack their lips and knowing that I knew what is in the recipe and could recite it back, as in days of old. Before Lyme, that is.

Concentration (item #15): The biggest improvement that makes me happiest is that the concentration seems to be coming along. So much so that I am enrolled for an online course and have done several of the assignments already and actually retaining the information. Humbly grateful to have that gift again, which I used to take for granted before. Hey, I could even tell a few jokes the other night and remembered them all by myself as before!

Lymies: We have to change the tide and together we can get better. It is such a supportive community and having someone say, I understand, is a powerful gift to receive when you're awash in a sea of disbelief.

I also looked back on my "List of 100" and had fun reading them again, thinking that some of them might get crossed off now in the near future. Always did want to jump out of a plane, so maybe one day.

NEWS ABOUT THE BRAMPTON WALK
Things are getting together! We need a few official sponsors, though - they will come, I firmly believe. I've ordered the small items that sold so well last year at the Walk and they should be here by mid-April.

Confirmation received that Dr. Murakami will be with us on the bus to Niagara Falls, and will attend the Brampton Walk on May 18. Have you booked your seat yet? There is an online registration spot if you want to join in, but you can also send me a cheque or pay via PayPal if you want. Just let me know in time, please, so that I can secure the bus.

As the last thought: My dear friends who read here on this blog from time to time, thank you for being on the journey with me. Without your support I wouldn't be doing very much of anything. Thanks for your acceptance and for sharing your lives with me, for helping and volunteering and cheering along, donating your time, giving me a gift of yourself.