Lyfe after Lyme

This summer has been different from the past. I am healthy and Lyme-free, and with that comes a new lifestyle and opportunities. I’ve been traveling, visiting friends, growing my company, Wiser Wellness, and familiarizing myself with this foreign and strong body I’m now living in.

While on a road trip from Washington to Montana this July I had some time to kill and found myself reflecting on my new lifestyle. I kept pinching myself thinking, “Is this really how I get to live my life going forward?” We - me, my family and my boyfriend - have worked hard to get to this point and have so much to be grateful for. And at the same time, we continue to find life after Lyme is an adjustment with a new set of challenges.  

Challenge 1: Breaking old habits.

When you live with a chronic illness you’re constantly making lifestyle choices to simply get through each day (if you’re not familiar with the Spoon Theory, I highly recommend checking it out!). That could mean going to bed earlier to get more rest, packing your own food if traveling, changing your diet to avoid trigger foods, learning to say “no” to social outings or even quitting a job you love because you’re too sick to perform. Every choice you make revolves around your health and every decision is either a benefit or a sacrifice towards feeling ok.

For 11 years I was constantly making these lifestyle choices. I had formed deep-rooted habits, thoughts and beliefs about my everyday actions. While living with “lupus” and Lyme I never would have been able to experience the summer I've had this year without facing major consequences. On our drive through Montana, leaving a fun-filled weekend with friends and feeling the “normal” amount of tired was a completely new experience. I realized that I now have the liberty to make healthy lifestyle choices because I want to, not because I'm forced to.

It’s taking me some time to fully wrap my head around this new reality. Admittedly I’ve been hesitant to live life to it’s fullest out of fear and deep rooted habits and beliefs. I am learning my new boundaries but even more so, I’m learning to combat old ones. With anything new, it takes time to acclimate. That said I’ve had a wonderful time acclimating myself to this new life and am thrilled to have the opportunity to face these new “challenges.”

Challenge 2: Getting to know my new body.

Life after Lyme has been a transformation from the inside out. Physically, I no longer feel pain, inflammation, brain fog, digestive discomfort or fatigue. Visibly, my skin is clearer and glowing, my hands and joints are no longer red or swollen and my hair is thicker than ever. Even my anxiety, concentration and sleep have drastically improved. Overall I’m feeling durable and strong.

I started working out again after a year and a half of resting and let me tell you, it’s been rough! Physically, my muscles are sore and weak but happy to be moving. Emotionally, I’ve been battling critical and judgemental thoughts about being out of shape. Why do they always seem to kick you when you’re down?! But I’ve been practicing what I preach and turning the harsh judgemental thoughts into curiosity - digging deeper and understanding where these negative thoughts are coming from. I’ve had some breakthroughs and other times I end up simply repeating, “be kind to yourself, Al.” It’s amazing how this simple reminder can bring peace.

Living Lyme-free means that I’m developing a new relationship with my body. Right now it feels unfamiliar but I am committed and eager to get to know it as I would a new friend.  

Challenge 3: Re-exposure.

Yep. I got re-exposed to Lyme, meaning I contracted it again after being healed. This past May, Alex and I were hiking in Napa and about three hours later my throat started to hurt, my joints blew up, I had a massive headache and painful body aches - all symptoms that were out of my new norm. I turned to Alex that night and said, “I think I got Lyme.” So, I booked an appointment with my Lyme-literate doctor for the next week and sure enough, that’s exactly what it was (FYI, I did not contract it from a tick but from a mosquito and did not develop a bullseye rash - ticks are not the only way you can contract Lyme!). Fortunately, my body was strong, we caught it early and I knew the exact treatment plan to implement immediately: Biontology, natural supplements, an anti-inflammatory diet and plenty of rest.  

It took about three months to heal from this bout of Lyme and it was a totally different experience from my first time around. Although I’d love to say I’ll never get it again, I can’t. Being re-exposed brought on a new reality for me: I am sensitive to Lyme and this is a disease that will most likely come in and out of my life forever. Some people are sensitive to it while others are not and for reasons researchers are still trying to understand. This reality could bring on anxiety, it could provide limitations on where I go or what I do but I’ve made the decision to not give Lyme that power!

The biggest lesson that was reinforced after being re-exposed was the importance of listening to my body. Over the course of the last 4-5 years, I’ve been incorporating mindfulness into my daily routine and learning how to use it as a tool to make wiser decisions (pun intended). In the beginning, it was difficult and required a lot of time and energy. As a culture, we’re typically taught to ignore the cues (aka symptoms) our body gives us and instead reach for the "quick fix d'jour" to mediate the symptoms. Through mindfulness I have learned the importance of approaching my health in a holistic way and I now look at my body cues with a different lens - not for what they are but what it is my body is trying to tell me.

Here’s a practical example. When my body is healthy and functioning optimally, I do not have any pain, swelling or redness throughout the joints in my hands. The other day, I indulged myself in some wine and bread and woke up the next morning with swollen joints (aka the body cue/symptom). Instead of ignoring the swelling and grabbing some Aleve, I thought about my diet from the previous day and recognized that the wine and bread most likely caused some inflammation. In hindsight would I have avoided the wine and bread? Probably not - they’re two things that are rarely incorporated into my diet and why not live a little! But it was a cue telling me I should stick to an anti-inflammatory diet for the next few days to help flush out the toxins and return to normal functioning.

Mindfulness protected me against another serious case of Lyme this time around. After our hike and feeling the symptoms I experienced, I was able to recognize that something was off, reflected on where I was and what I had been doing and was able to connect the dots before it was too late.

You don’t need to have Lyme to integrate mindfulness into your daily routine. It can be used at any time to help you make smarter decisions when it comes to your health. This week, make it a goal to get curious about the cues/symptoms your body is giving you. Be mindful of your thoughts, behaviors and habits when approaching various symptoms and if judgement creeps in, get curious about it. Enjoy the process and celebrate what you find!

Over the past few months, I've realized that life after Lyme is richer because of my experience with Lyme. As they say, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Lyme has made me stronger! It has provided me with a new approach and outlook on my life and health and for that, I am grateful and better for it.