Time to fill the glass!

So much for spending most of my Summer outside and shunning social media and tv.  Being so sick changed all that. With Lyme it affects your brain, you have brain fog and it's nearly impossible to concentrate enough to read anything with any depth.  The last few days I've had some good clear hours.  I ordered a couple of books from the library and my plan is to get off social media again, and try my best to get outside more.  There are 50 days left to the Summer of 2015.  I'm going to make a Summer for myself! Even if it's just outside in my beautiful nature filled backyard and short hikes up in the parks.  I continue on my recovery path, sticking to everything 1000%.  I did have to cancel the Whale Watching trip.  I'm not well enough to go.  I will go, just not this year. 

Good food.

I'm beginning to enjoy taking good care of myself.  I'm feeling well enough to enjoy the delicious healthy foods that I've been taking the time to prepare for myself.  I realize just how lucky I am to have the time and the funds to get the healthiest foods I can buy to help me on my healing path.  This morning I did my first project since this all started back on June 14th.  I am grateful to finally be feeling better.  It feels like a miracle after feeling so badly for so long. 

Green drink made into cold soup

Kim-chi and Kraut for the gut

Delicious lunch

YUM!

It's been a rough 6 weeks, but I feel like I'm coming up for air now.  I started with a new health care person.  She is a Lyme expert.  She put me on 4 new medications.  I am to drink only Green Tea and Water with Lemon and Lime. I am also on the Alkalizing diet plus a little meat or fish.  Nothing else but vegetables.  I'm embracing it whole heatedly.  I want to be well.   Now to get back outside on a daily basis, no matter what!  I start a Yoga class soon too.  I am kicking this Lyme to the curb! 

Can't bare it.....

The Blackbirds are already gathering in large noisy flocks.  I can't believe were are already to that point of the year!  The Summer is whizzing by with out me!  I am feeling a little bit better each day.  I got this....I am going to be 1000% and fitter then ever before!  

Make the best of it.

Seems I may be sicker then I first imagined. I had an EKG yesterday and it was not good. Next stop  is the cardiologist. I am not allowed to stress myself until I know what is going on. Which means, no hiking, no strenuous anything.   No walking outside alone. Today is perhaps the most glorious day of this year and I can't go out to hike. It is simply magical out, no humidity and sunny.  My 3 sweet backyard deer showed up to brighten my morning.  Nature is everywhere if you only open your eyes and take it all in.  Even the tiniest blade of grass has something for us to see.  I am grateful for my beautiful backyard, it will stand in for my nature fix as I recover.   I will get back  out there, just not now! This has been a wake up call, that the damn phone keeps ringing!  Pay attention! HEALTH IS EVERYTHING!  If you have it, you are beyond blessed, never take it for granted even for a second.  Do all you can to protect it.  I didn't realize this until now, I was so full of BS.  I get it now! 

Nature helps

I feel better when I'm outside.  I can only imagine it must be better for me to breath fresh air and be in nature.  I've read way too much about Lyme Disease and need to STEP BACK from the computer.  It's all such depressing news.  My body didn't get this sick overnight...this was a long time coming, so I can't expect it to get well quickly either.  I must be patient and believe that I will once again feel great, but it will be on my bodies time table, not my minds!  I need to take life one moment at a time, enjoy the small things and not look for anything more then what is happening this moment. Ask myself, what do I need right now to feel better? What can I do to heal myself. I'm finally on the front burner. I feel a little better each day, that's is all that is important now.  I'm heading in the right direction.

I posted on my FB wall that 3 out of 4 of my sons are currently out of the country and that I'm doing really well.  A friend from across the pond wrote: They have a mother who walks among bears. They'll be fine.  I absolutely love it! I will take it one step further.....I walk among bears....I WILL BE FINE.

My poor swollen feet

A little slice of Heaven

Today.....

Today is the first time in a month that I feel like the world is coming back into focus.  Although I'm still wracked with pain and exhaustion my head feels clearer.  I enjoyed my peaceful walk with Monty.  Over the weekend, I did two hikes with hubby in the Co. Park, it's first time I've done any uphills in a month.  I'm on the upswing. When the fatigue and pain take over its time to lay down for a little while.  Rest~rest~rest and more rest.  

I have been waiting for the first bird to take a bath under the water falls in our newly redone pond, it finally happened yesterday, a Scarlet Tanager!  Now every time I look outside there are birds using it.

1 hour

I went for a one hour hike and with in the first 20 minutes I felt better then I had in days. I think for me, it's best I force myself to get up and outside daily and early if it's going to be hot outside. 

Soooo

I'm still feeling like CRAP.  Not being one to ever trust doctors, I know that while I will be seeing an infectious disease specialist next week, I'm also implementing my own health program, and have been since the day I woke up with all my joints inflamed.  I think that I have Chronic Lyme.  Although bitten by many ticks this year and prior years, I can trace back my symptoms to many years ago being very sick with a fever and body aches for about 9 days.  Since that time I've had many occasions that I've had painful joints, body aches and exhaustion that has lead me to the doctors office for a Lyme test.  Each time this has happened I've gotten a negative test and all other tests taken at that time have come out with in normal ranges, so I'm sent home with no answers, and being who I am, I immediately get eating healthy, get outside and exercise as much as possible, get lots of sunshine and generally take good care of myself.  I always feel really good with in a short amount of time.  Things happen, as they do in life, and I slip up, I eat really badly for weeks, months and the cycle seems to repeat itself.  This time....worse then ever before.  I'm looking at this time around as a gift...not as a battle as so many call it.  I want to build myself up not wear myself down *battling*.  My program is going to be the one I've been following for the last 15 years, but with a difference, there is no more messing up, as that is why my resistance is so low and why I'm sick right now,  STRICT Paleo, Meat, Seafood, Vegetables, including fermented foods everyday, and pastured eggs.  No fruit for right now.  Lots of homemade bone broth. Organic Green tea, coconut oil, fish oil, digestive aids, and acidophiles.  I need to get back outside into nature, just put one foot in front of the other and walk.  I'm going to do that right now.  I'm also starting a Yoga practice for Lyme Patients.  My goal is to feel good enough to go on the two day CRESLI whale watching trip out of Montauk Point leaving on August 9th, one month from today.  I can do it and I WILL BE WELL. 

We have bats living behind our bat box!  I watched 10 fly out this evening. This is the first time we have ever had bats living here. I'm so happy the population seems to be rebounding after it was desimated by white nose syndrome. 

slow going

This road to recovery has been very slow going.  I feel better for a little while then I feel worse.  I made a appointment with an infectious disease doctor and also another appointment for a physical, for which I've only had 2 in my entire life.  The last 3 weeks has been a wake up call.  I can't do my normal activities due to the pain and fatigue.  I now have a better understanding of what other people go though that suffer from life long pain and disease.  I've done my research and know how I'm going to proceed with what I can do to help myself get well.  The GAPS diet is my first stop.  Last week I made bone broth and will continue to always keep that on hand. I may do the Induction part of the diet for a full week and see if that doesn't help my symptoms subside.  I have already simplified my diet by eating strict Paleo and have not had any junk food in about 3 weeks. 

Red Admiral

cute Fawn

Side view Red Admiral

Firsts

Some backyard firsts for my yard. GG nursing her twin fawns this morning. Later a wood Pee-wee hunting insects right outside my window. A few days ago a Baltimore oriole   Feeding her young  and a few days prior to thatBlack-billed Cockoo.