Doing Better

Well, Campmeeting is past. Our son and his girlfriend did slip over there the last day. I think they went more to see old friends, but that is fine.

I decided to go to Sabbath School and church here at our home church this past Sabbath and things went quite well. I didn't teach the children's Sabbath School class but I did play the piano since there was no one else to do that.

Sunday and Monday I decided to try to help my hubby clean some apartments. We took a 'pad' with us and I would work for a little while and then rest on the pad. I am definitely not up to speed but was able to get a couple of 'kitchens' cleaned (between rests).

Today I stayed home - and needed to. I am trying to stay on a protocol that has helped others with Lymes. I am very thankful for God's leading and guiding in counteracting the effects of Lymes (and hopefully get rid of it altogether) and I am also choosing to stay close to Him so that I can know His plans for me.

I also praise the Lord for His goodness and love to me during this 'down time'. I believe He is helping me to use this time to draw me closer to Him and His way of thinking.

Until next time, may God give you a double portion of His peace in your heart.

Maiden, Bringer of Peace

God's will is Peace

Humm, today is the first day of Potomac Campmeeting. And usually we are in a flurry to get ready to go for a spiritual renewal. We have always enjoyed our campmeeting experiences.

But here I sit, quietly attempting to put some thoughts down on the computer instead.

We canceled our reservations when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease early this month. At this point in time I am feeling some better but not to the point of sitting through meetings all day.

Thanks to a loving sis, I have been able to do a considerable amount of research to find out what I am dealing with. First off, this is one of the most 'intelligent' parasitic bacteria I have ever found out about or learned of. For a few tidbits consider the following

(As usual the bacteria has a fancy name. For short I will label it Bb while speaking of it here.)

Here are a few 'for your information' things I have learned about Bb.

As is hopefully, commonly known, Bb is often carried via a tick (although it has been known to be 'shared' via other avenues as well).

When the tick sucks in blood from a host (whoever it is feeding on) the Bb in the gut of the tick immediately takes a 'sample' or 'reading' of the blood when it comes into the tick. It can 'tell' what kind of a host the tick is 'feeding on'. It immediately begins to use that information to 'rearrange' it's genetic code to prepare to be able to live in the 'new' host. After that 'job' is completed, the Bb migrates to the saliva glands of the tick where it is then injected into the host.

Bb seems to have the ability to 'mutate' it's 'code' to accomodate a large variety of environments and hosts.

Bb does not wish to 'kill' the host, but to thrive off of its life.

At times Bb even seems to be able to get the 'host' immune system to 'fight' itself so as not to
'bother' Bb.

Bb has a number of ways of 'surviving'. It can form a 'hard' shell to help prevent it from being killed. It can hide in almost any tissue in a human body. And as mentioned earlier it can change it form and shape to attempt to evade detection by the immune system.

Bb can mimic many 'chronic illnesses', thus evading detection of who it really is. Many symptoms have been 'mislabeled' as arthritis, MS, Fibromyalgia, parkinsons disease, Alzeheimer's, swellings in joints, and many more. (When the Lyme's is treated, many times the other symptoms disappear.)

Since many Doctors know little or nothing of chronic Lymes it is usually even denied existance.

For a picture gallery of some of the 'family' of 'bad bugs' that can be associated with Lymes you can go to http://www.lymephotos.com/index.shtml for a tour.


Fortunately, there are ways to 'fight back'. The most commonly considered is antibiotics. (One drawback, at least it seems that way to me, is that Bb seems to be able to 'adjust' to the antibiotic rather quickly, similar to how it changed when going into a new host, so the guess of a 'Doctor' is, which antibiotic hasn't Bb learned to fight yet, and when or how long.)

When a person is really sick, however, using an antibiotic sometimes gives the body a 'running chance' of fighting back until the body's own immune system can get a better hold on the invader using 'weapons' that God has built into the human body. (a quick illustration. When a white blood cell is properly armed, when it comes up to a Bb, it has a special 'protein' that it can use sort of like a 'sword'. It puts a 'hole' in Bb which causes Bb to start losing potassium - not good for Bb. If the saline level of the body is at a healthy level, the saline then goes into the Bb and swells it, maybe like blowing up a balloon (layman's words) which then kills Bb.)

Bb does not like oxygen. Therapies including getting the oxygen level in the body to a healthy range is very beneficial when it comes to the body winning against the terroristic Bb.

Bb also does not like a healthy range of saline solution in the blood (refer to illustration above). It appears that when a host does not have proper saline levels in the blood Bb takes big time advantage to multiply. But when the saline levels are optimal, the white blood cells seem to be able to 'get' the upper hand much easier. Taking Vit C. along with added 'natural' salt, has been very helpful for many Lyme sufferers to win the war on Lyme.

Another 'weapon' that seems to be emerging is that Bb cannot survice certain health giving frequencies. Certain raw foods use these frequencies to enhance the body's ability to 'fight'. There are also other sources limitedly available as well, for health building purposes, that can increase these health giving frequencies in and around the body.

Bb has to have Magnesium in order to multiply. But the body also has to have magnesium in order to 'fight' the Bb. It appears imperative that sufficient magnesium in the body is essential to winning the war on Bb.

I'm not a Doctor, but I do have a responsibility for my body. I am doing what I can to cooperate with my immune system to enable it to 'win the war' on Lymes.

There are other modes of treatment besides those I have mentioned above but the most important part of my experience this time has been learning to listen to God speaking to my heart. Coming from my back ground, I would naturally have done a little different - I think.

I have been claiming God's promise of wisdom each decision and I believe God is keeping His promise of guidance in my life and more specifically which treatments I need to use right now.

That experience, perhaps even more than all others in this recent illness, has been bringing Peace. I am also learning some new 'pictures' of God during this time. I thank God for not leaving or forsaking me when things got really tough.

I hope to update sooner next time, but whatever, may the God of peace be with you too.

Bringer of Peace

What do I say?

When I looked at how long it has been since I have written, what do I say? (10+ days)

When I think of even a few of the experiences I have been through during those 10 or so days, what do I say? Well, I am feeling enough better to at least 'feel' like trying to write. So I will try.
As I sit here at my computer I realize that today is about the first day I have felt 'half way decent' at least for some time.

A few weeks ago I got a couple of bites. I'm not sure what they were but now think they may have been tick bites. They swelled way up and I got to feeling pretty bad. I upped my Vit. and Minerals and started putting poultices on the bites. I seemed to get better and the bites fully subsided. But then I began to go down fast. I could hardly think straight or do anything and finally one morning after a very bad night I asked my hubby to take a look at my back for it seemed awfully sore. He looked and saw another bite swollen to about 4 inches across, all red and hot. To make a long story short, we have used a lot of remedies and as I mentioned earlier I do believe I am again on the mend.

If that was all that went on that would have been enough. Ihad promised a friend of mine I would watch her mother (couldn't keep that promise though). She called back and told me her mother just had a stroke and is in the hospital so I didn't need to come.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to play for church alright. This week I 'made it' to Sabbath School but when I heard someone else playing upstairs I was delighted. I actually told the head elder I was going to go home and lay down. ( I was willing to try to play if no one else was around but I really didn't 'feel' like it yet.

Another friend has been having some of her own health challenges around the same time. I normally have been able to support her but this time my hubby was the one supporting me.

This afternoon my hubby, though, has been having some pain. We decided to 'hit it hard'. He is drinking Cayenne V8. The painseems to be going and we hope it stays away.

With my hubby out of work we find it really helps to use 'natural' or alternative 'remedies' whenever possible. Some medical people I'm sure stand aghast, and rightfully s0, but I do thank God that He has been guiding in the care of all of us.

Before I got really 'sick' my hubby and I did spend some quality time working in the flower beds near our house. I have lost my camera or I would post pics. Some of the beds just needed to be spruced up. Others have been completely reworked. We have yet to get to our backyard garden. I don't know when that will happen now. (I had hoped to do it by now but due to some unforseen interruptions as mentioned above all our projects have ground to a halt.)

From doing almost nothing on Friday, to slow motion on Sabbath, to puttering around on Sunday, my hubby and I took a walk today and then ended up going shopping at Walmart. He had to push the cart (that was still too hard), but I 'made it' and really haven't felt any the worse for the energy expended.

Actually, I thank the Lord for His healing hand upon me.

And one more thing I would like to say. I found out some really exciting news about grace.
The Greek 'meaning' of Grace is best described as when a master decided to make his specially liked slave a free man AND (plus, on top of being a free man) give him (or her) a lifetime inheritance AND (even more awesome, even more wonderful,) that slave would also receive whatever inheritance the rest of the master's family received for he or she was considered as part of the master's family with no reserves.

By grace you are 'set free', given a lifetime inheritance and made part of the family of the master - all because of the JOY it brings to the mastor. WOW!

It is getting toward sundown so I must close for this time.

What do I say? God loves you! He has already given YOU grace! What JOY!

Bringer of Peace