Lizbeth Finn-Arnold

Chronic Lyme Sucks

Here's what sucks about having Chronic Lyme Disease:

1) CDC says it doesn't exist. And thus, to the world, it doesn't. Without information, acknowledgment, and visibility, those of us suffering from Chronic Lyme therefore don't exist.

2) Clinicians don't understand the disease, aren't trained to diagnose it and thus many of us suffer for months, years or decades without a proper diagnosis (wasting time, energy and loads of money on treatments that don't work). Lyme has been called the Great Imitator because it shows up in various ways and there isn't one specific set of tell-tale symptoms. I've mostly suffered from musculoskeletal symptoms, fibromyalgia, migraines, and chronic fatigue while others get cardiac and neurological issues. There is a lot of self-doubt that seeps in when we know we are sick and our bodies are telling us what is wrong, and yet we are told time and time again that we are fine. We trust our doctors but they are trained to read scans and blood tests and prescribe drugs. This is not something diagnosed through scans or blood tests easily, and a simple drug won't cure it (if it did then the pharmaceutical companies would be lining up). Which brings us to:

Lyme Diagnosis at Long Last

At long last, I received a positive diagnosis for Lyme Disease. Turns out that on top of the usual Lyme suspect (B Burdorferi), I also have a very nasty co-infection called Babesia. This beastie (as I call it) has only started spreading to humans in recent years, and I've attached an article that explains it in more detail. But even this article is outdated (from 2012), and Babesis has become even more prevalent during that time.

While I'm relieved to finally get confirmation for what my gut has been telling me (that something is making me sick and it's not in my head), it doesn't change or erase the fact that this has been two years of almost constant suffering.

Chronic Warriors Against Pain

Woke up at 2:40 am with a terrible migraine...8.5 on the old migraine richter scale. Somehow dragged myself to bathroom to take Imitrex and fell back to sleep despite feeling like somebody had broken into my house and smashed the left side of my brain in with a large sledgehammer. Strange when fatigue trumps pain.

I'm so frustrated by setbacks. Had been feeling good for weeks only to have seasonal allergies trigger a major flare. Body aches all over again and fatigue is all encompassing. Off to get a myofascial massage today to see if I can get some relief, followed by visit to chiropractor.

Will be first time I leave the house in days. These are the days, the ‪#‎BadDays‬ that most people don't see, because when those of us with chronic pain have truly bad days, we go into our bunkers. We cue up the Netflix, nap like babies in the fetal position, and hide from the world. When you see us out and about (and you think, 'wtf, she doesn't look sick'), you can be certain we are having a  ‪#‎GoodDay‬ or more than likely having a ‪#‎BearablyBadDay‬ which means we are capable of pulling ourselves together for a couple of hours and pushing through the pain/discomfort in order to appear normal or have the semblance of a normal life.

Somedays, pushing through the pain isn't possible. Somedays we just need to disconnect. And yet, we always rally and rise to fight the good fight. Because what else is there? We are Chronic Warriors against Pain.

‪#‎WhatDoesntKillUs‬ ‪#‎PollenTsunami‬ ‪#‎ChronicPain‬ #BadDays‪#‎FightTheGoodFight‬ ‪#‎ChronicWarriors‬

Raising Lyme Awarness

As some of you may know I have been sick for almost two years with fibromyalgia, muscle pain, joint pain, migraine headaches, back pain, neck pain, and extreme fatigue, but have remained undiagnosed for Lyme. Two Elisa Lyme tests came back negative, but we now know those tests are not reliable and I am currently searching for a Lyme Literate MD who can help me get a proper diagnosis.

I became ill in June 2013 with the sudden onset of the flu, and that summer my health began to slowly decline. By September 2013, I found myself incapacitated by pain. Originally, I thought I was just rundown because of stress-- we were in the middle of buying/selling a house and my beloved dog Elvis had recently passed away. Also, I didn't remember getting bitten by a tick, so was not thinking Lyme. I have since learned that not everybody gets the bullseye rash and that my flu-like symptoms could have been a indicator of Lyme.

Spring Cleaning for My Body

Last week I embarked on a Spring Cleaning for My Body. I cut out wheat, processed food, and refined sugar. And despite my love of cheese (seriously, how does one live without an occasional brie?), I have cut way back on dairy. Because of just these changes, I've seen some remarkable improvements.

First off, I dropped 6 lbs in two weeks. I've also seen a marked decrease in joint/muscle pain. I've had less headaches (even though I expected more during this detox). And best of all I've had more energy. For the first time in almost two years, I have been able to exercise. And best of all, after exercise I'm not in horrific pain, nor am I completely depleted the next day.

Unplug and Look Up

‪#‎LOOKUP‬! I finally got the results of the MRI on my cervical spine. That's "the neck" in English. Not sure what I was expecting. But when I person is experiencing daily pain for over a year and half, the kind of pain that locks up the muscles of your upper back and shoulders so they feel like concrete and stiffens the tendons at the base of your neck so that you have about three to four migraines a week even though you are on daily preventative medicine, you would expect to see, well something major.

Turns out there's a tiny bit of arthritis, but just barely in the C5-C6, and some loss of space which is causing some bulging, but really nothing big. Do I sound disappointed? No, it's just that if this tiny bit of arthritis is wreaking this much daily havoc on my not-yet-50-year-old-body then I began wondering what the heck is going to happen when I'm 80 and I have a little bit more arthritis in my body? I mean, honestly, it's like a speck!

Year of the Warrior Goddess 2015

I look back on 2014 as the Year of the Zombie. Me, being the Zombie. With almost constant and chronic pain, I too cringed at first when I saw the self-generated "It's been a great year," facebook header, but then when I reviewed my photos I was reminded, that truth be told, it was a great year. If I only focused on one aspect of me, my physical self, I could have wallowed in self-pity and would have missed out on all the other wonderful aspects of my life. Family. Friends. Pups. Laughter. Love. Sunsets. Books. Food. Travel.

My life is pretty good when I focus on what I have, rather on what I don't have. As I look forward to 2015, and shed the Year of Zombie for good, I claim this new year as the Year of the Warrior Goddess. Stronger. Healthier. More balanced. And in harmony with my life. After all, Zombies are so last year, don't ya know?

Birthday Reflections

On my birthday, I sat and reflected over the last year, that was in many ways one of the toughest of my life. At least physically. Starting almost exactly a year ago I had been in pain almost every day.

Plus, it was a year of immense transitions. We moved into a new home. My daughter finished high school and started college. Our house was going through major renovations.

And I couldn't seem to get answers as to why pain seemed to be migrating through my body.

Yes, there was a back injury. Which likely inflamed my fibromyalgia. Which likely inflamed my Epstein Barr, which likely impacted my hormones, which were triggering tons of migraines, which all left my immune system depleted and exhausted.

This meant I felt like a Zombie who pushed through my days, and got things done that needed to get done but mostly I felt like I was just existing.