My Husband's Lyme Treatment

My husband, Jerry, has cared for me, from day one. I am so fortunate, because so many don’t have support, or anyone to care for them! However, after a time, Jerry started to wonder if he had Lyme, too. He started thinking about how his hips and knees had hurt for ages. He assumed it was due to his work as a construction worker, and that one day, he would need surgery. He had had some really tired spells, too. By this time, we had no insurance. Our Unemployment had run out, so affording the $260 blood test wasn’t an option. Our insurance application was/is taking forever! We were so fortunate to have help from family, and an occasional sale from a car, etc. Jerry started to get worse, needing a lot of rest. He went to our alternative doctor, since it was a cheaper “test”. He confirmed that Jerry also had Lyme and co-infections.

This was a very difficult time. It was hard for Jerry to accept, but he was glad to have an answer. He still doesn’t want to accept it completely, and he still wants to have an “official” blood test done. It was also difficult because he began needing more and more rest. He napped frequently. Each evening, it became a matter of taking turns caring for the kids. I would stay up and long as I could, without needing to lie down, and then he would get up and have a turn. Homework suffered, as did the kids! We weren’t able to keep up with them, well, or help them with homework. I remember sitting and trying to stay awake… just a body…there.

Now, Jerry wasn’t sure what to think of all of the alternative health care. He still planned on doing medical treatment and antibiotics, when he could. He was impressed by the examples given of people helped by antibiotics in the documentary, Under Our Skin (See reference below.) But since he “made” me do the antibiotics, I “made” him do the Rife! It was a way to get some sort of treatment started. In a way, he was my guinea pig, too, as I was still on antibiotics, which were very expensive. I pestered him each week to do his treatment. Now, instead of sleeping a lot, he started to be able to be up for the whole day! He also started working out at the gym. He wasn’t 100% convinced that it was the Rife. He thought that maybe it was the gym, or possibly the Rife. Each time that he would do the Rife, he would sleep most of the next day, and at night, too. He didn’t take any of the support that our alternative doctor had recommended, and he still ate the same as always….He prefers meat and not many veggies or fruit, and he really loves his sugar. I’m amazed that he has made as much progress as he has, with this diet. However, he was feeling pretty good! He still had to be a little careful not to overdo, but he was able to accomplish a lot, and be up all day!

This pattern continued for about a month. Then he waited for quite a while to do the Rife treatment. It was probably 10-14 days in between treatments! He started to go downhill again, though not as bad as he had been. He would go to the gym and come back feeling shaky and queasy, unable to finish his workouts. He started to need more naps again, and would seek out early bedtimes. On 3/20/14, he did another treatment. He slept most of the day the next day (yesterday), again….and slept last night. I’m sure he is having a herx reaction. I will make sure that he does regular treatments now, and I’m sure that he will, too. He, like me, is not out of the woods yet, to be sure! I wondered, too, if he had killed all of the spirochetes (Lyme bugs) that were accessible, and now some more were coming out from cyst form…? In any event, continued treatment is necessary.

It’s really kind of a funny thing, to do Rife treatment. Planning a treatment is like planning a flu….Do I want to be sick today, or tomorrow? When do I have other appointments? When is it convenient? Well, of course it’s never convenient, but it is awfully nice to be able to schedule a down time (though odd)! I also did my Rife treatment on the same day as Jerry…and had a wimpy day yesterday; today is likely to be a little better, but I’ll still be tired. Jerry is likely (given his pattern) to feel pretty good today. We all react differently. To me, though, it’s better than a constant sick feeling, with antibiotics.

Lyme gets to the core of who you really are. Some people consider Lyme a bad thing, and in a way, they are very correct! But I have also heard it said that Lyme is a great teacher, and I embrace this theory. I learned so much of love, when I was at my sickest. My relationship with Jerry (my husband of 16 years) was stronger, because of it. Even the fact that he is now sick is helpful to us….I have had other health problems, and now, in a way, he can really understand me better. Would I wish Lyme disease on anyone? Of course not!! However, I can see a benefit from it. It is a very difficult experience, which boils things down for us. What can I learn from it? What is most important? I have learned to have more patience. I have also always found that there can be opportunities to help others, somehow, in every experience. I learned that I have a lot of people that really love me! I learned that I am stronger than I realized! I can’t even begin to list all of the lessons I have learned, truly.

For Jerry, he is just beginning this journey, in a way. Jerry isn’t used to being sick, as I have been. He is a very strong person, who is fiercely independent. He is a hunter, who hikes all over the mountains. He is a very hard working carpenter, who is truly at his happiest when he comes home from a hard day of work. He is a great reader, is very smart, and never stops learning. He loves horses and music and being in the ocean. He doesn’t slow down. He hates being indoors! It’s been difficult for him to learn a new job, taking my place. He is getting better at it…though he is still so torn. He wants to be outside, especially now that it’s spring. He longs to be able to work hard! He sneaks outside, and gets his glow back. He feels hopeful about the possibility of going back to building bridges, soon.  Who knows what life lessons this “teacher” will have for my husband? That’s a personal journey.


4/2/14
I just have to give a little update, here, about Jerry's pain. He says that he has no more pain in his knees or hips, since doing the Rife treatment! Such good news.:)

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Our-Skin-Mandy-Hughes/dp/B004I0J1AI/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1395505920&sr=1-1&keywords=under+our+skin