My 2021 Health Arsenal
Happy June!
I meant to post this in May because May was Lyme disease awareness month, but just couldn’t get to it! I am still shying away from being a “chronic illness blogger” and would rather just blog about the things that bring me life and joy. But chronic illness is still a huge part of my daily life and there are times when it makes sense to talk about different aspects of my journey.
I want to share a bit of what my health “arsenal” looks like these days in some sort of organized manner. I’m not going to go into the nuts and bolts of my current treatments, because they are constantly changing, but will share some of the daily staples that I rely on to best manage my symptoms. I personally find these types of posts to be very helpful, so my hope is this information may benefit someone else!
Before I dive into the nuts and bolts, I thought I would give a brief health update. In October I mentioned how the nebulizer treatment I did last spring left me reeling with exacerbated symptoms. Unfortunately that is still pretty much the case, though I have found more relief with managing pain. The tough part is there are many players at at stake now in my health besides just Lyme disease: continuous mold toxicity (mycotoxin illness), unidentified/untreated coinfections, hypercoagulation (thick blood), likely mast cell activation (MCAS), and Candida. These Lyme-adjacent issues are extremely common with chronic cases and usually result in patients being highly reactive and sensitive to most treatments. I am still working with my doctor to figure out what the next steps are for me, but for now my saving grace has been in the form of intensified detox regimens and several herbs and supplements (in addition to a handful of prescriptions for pain, sleep and thyroid function). The list below is my most recent stash of go-to items for detoxing as well as managing my pain, fatigue, neurological issues and insomnia.
1.) Detox Aid
Epsom salt baths (sometimes with hydrogen peroxide)
2.) Hormone Balance
3.) Brain & Mood
Fat oils (Cod Liver Oil & Udo’s 3-6-blend)
4.) Sleep Aid
Sleepytime tea (as-needed basis)
5.) Pain Management
I would say these are my top, present go-to’s for managing my symptoms these days—but the list is always growing! For those who deal with chronic symptoms like generalized muscle and nerve pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, cognitive and mood issues as well as sleep difficulties, I would love to know if you would add any suggestions to this arsenal!