The picture posted here has nothing to do with my blog post. I just thought I'd share one of the latest paintings from my Etsy shop, LivingWordDecor. I made it for a friend's birthday and liked it so much that I decided to list it for sale!
So, as my post suggests, I am now in what I believe to be a relapse of Lyme disease. Darn, I was doing so well! As you may know from previous posts, my grandma lived with me and my husband, and I was her full-time caregiver. The past 6 months have brought unending amounts of emotional stress for me in regards to her and her health. She was hospitalized and put on hospice to die, only to recover. She developed dementia, which meant I lost a lot of sleep as she yelled out for me on countless nights. Despite my ability to maintain an exercise routine, I struggled with my diet and introduced a lot of sugar again. Then, my grandma did pass away at home on August 28, at the age of 99. I was with her by her bedside as she took her last breath. I mention all this to paint a picture of what I feel led to my relapse. Maybe it had nothing to do with it, but to say I was stretched beyond my limits physically for quite some time now would be an understatement. I'm not complaining, I would do it all over again for her. But I do think it contributed to my immune system suffering a blow. Maybe it's a total coincidence but, either way, it is what it is.
After my grandma was buried and all was said and done, I felt that crushing fatigue that is all too familiar. I blamed it on the grieving process and my body needing genuine rest that I had not previously had for a long time time. So I rested and went about with my normal routine. But week after week new symptoms would creep back in, with the migrating joint pain being the worst. I went for extensive blood work which, not surprisingly, showed everything was "normal". However, given my history and symptoms, I was started on a one month course of antibiotics. I added back in all of my herbal supplements and vitamins I was taking as well.
Since starting the medications I feel 10x worse, which I remember happening last time. It's only confirmation to me that I'm on the right course with treatment. I'm trying not to let it get me down but it's so disappointing and discouraging. However, I hold on to my faith that I often write about, knowing the Lord is in control and has His purpose in this season.
