My, it's been a little while since I have posted an update!
I have been very busy with little boys, now that they are out of school for the summer. In fact, I am not spending as much time doing chores as I am directing them and nagging them to do them! Taking care of kiddos all day (with the predictable fighting and boredom that happens in summer) certainly take lots of energy! (I do enjoy having them around. :) ) Still, I do laundry and a bit of dishes, as well as some cooking. The days when I do a lot extra, I most certainly over do it, and end up too tired the next day. Interestingly, when over-tired, it seems like I am mostly fine if I get more sleep. A good nap does wonders!
Another land mark: I went to the river with my family. There is a little hike to get in and out (not much, but a lot for me!). I was thrilled to be able to get to such a beautiful spot, thanks to that trusty cane. Hiking out, I had to rest a time or two, but it was uphill with sand and rocks to traverse. The next day, I was very sore.....but then, by the afternoon, I was pretty well recovered! I also have enjoyed just getting outside more, in general. On good days (and when I am not too busy working), I get out there a few times. I am so glad to be able to do that!
So, in general, I am stronger....but I get pretty tired, as I am doing more. I seem to be up for more, in a sense that I can go to a church potluck, and enjoy visiting lots, and often do so without a nap later. I am also not as stiff and sore on Mondays, and the other days when I have outings. It used to be that I would need a whole day to recover, the following day. Now, I can even do a bit of work the same day!
As for Rife, I continue to do it once a week, with the detox setting. One day, I really hit on a good one! It was custom program 27 on my BCX Ultra, and it had me herxing well for a few days. The others I have done aren't so severe. I keep repeating the same settings until I test that they are no longer needed. (One took 4 sessions to clear up; the custom program took only 1 session.) This is not an overnight fix, to be sure, but progress is good!
I have noticed, again, just how important the support supplements are! I hadn't gone to my alternative doctor for about a month, and was feeling really puny by the time I got it together to go. For the first time, Lyme wasn't the priority in my system....something else was. When I got my supplements updated, I sure noticed a difference in my energy again! I think that if a body has to fight off Lyme, it needs all of the support it can get....especially when you consider all of the systems that it affects.
Very interesting news: I tested positive for MTHFR...but only one copy of the 1298. Some have said that this shouldn't be that big of a deal, but something just isn't right for me to have so many sicknesses. It was pretty scary to read what it can affect! My M.D. that I am now seeing admitted to not knowing much about it, and when we looked together at the blood test results, we saw the recommendation for supplementation...so she prescribed Nephro-Vite for me. As it turns out, it was a terrible mistake to take this! I ended up feeling extremely drugged the next day, and sick. I couldn't focus, had trouble walking, and on and on. Doing 2 long sessions of detox with Rife, I eventually started to improve, but I honestly feel like it's taken me a few days to clear it out of my system and feel somewhat normal again!
I then read about how those particular vitamins, etc. were recommended for the other form of MTHFR, the 677. What a big difference the right (or wrong) supplements can make! I will not be so careless again, thinking, "What harm can some vitamins do?" From what I understand (going by what I have read, and from what others in Lyme groups have shared with me), I had completely the wrong supplements that made my body work harder than ever.....but that it's also possible that they opened up some detox pathways, and I detoxed a bunch at once. It's all a little overwhelming to read about, to be sure! I was very excited, however, to find that there are specialists for MTHFR, and a friend of mine is going to one, fairly nearby. She said that she has had life-changing results! I won't even tell you the supplements she is taking, as I don't want anyone to think it's a blanket cure. I think (given my experience) that it must be important to get careful and specific help for each person.
I have also ordered a test kit from 23andme, to test other possible genetic weaknesses. This kit runs about $100, and you simply spit into a vial and send it to the company. They give raw data about your genetics, which you can then run through a couple of companies online (for about $20) to read the results. I was talking with a lady who found that she had the same copy of MTHFR gene as I did, but that a bigger issue for her was another gene that affects detoxing. Given that there can be different genetic issues that can affect how we recover from Lyme (detox is huge for Lyme, for instance), I think it wise to find out this information. Then, perhaps, the right supplementation can help me get a faster recovery!
https://www.23andme.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bing_search_brand_usa&utm_content=23c_Search_Paid_Brand&cvosrc=ppc.bing.23andme&keyword=23andme&matchtype=e&creative=3027890123&orderitemid=12032635790
You may ask why my alternative doctor never picked up on this: He just tests the body and organs in general. I suppose he could test me all day and finally figure it out. But he goes by priority for the body (the heart, etc.). However, I could take supplements to him to test. Perhaps he doesn't have all of these supplements there. I just know that he does help, and I wouldn't do without the supplements he provides! And when you are sick for a long time, you do whatever you can to help! These are just the protocols that are helping me.:)
