This photo was taken 7 years ago. I was at Stanford Medical Center getting bi-weekly lidocaine infusions. The infusions helped reduce pain - but my body began slowly rejecting it. My last injection ended with me being super loopy and slurring my words. It was a horrible time of life - pre-diagnosis, bed-ridden & using…
God has been dropping bits of encouragement on my life today - it's been more of an "in your face" kind of message that the fight is not over yet (FK&C). If you are feeling defeated right now, if your pain is too much to bear, if like me you are feeling fat and ugly…
Monday night I participated in a meeting to discuss some issues affecting our community. Because of the seriousness of these issues and my tenacious and overly passionate personality, the whole thing was highly stressful for me. Stress is bad for the body - we know this. But it’s particularly bad for people with chronic complex…
This represents so clearly how many Lyme patients feel when they are dismissed by doctor after doctor after doctor. I don’t know the exact number of doctors I’ve seen over the years but it’s well over 30...maybe 40 or 50. Many have told me that I’m not sick because my labs are normal. It took…
“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo I’m stepping out in faith right now trusting that God will move mountains in my community. This wildfire is spreading…
Yesterday was a decent day, in spite of the overwhelming chaos - maybe it was just the adrenaline, I don’t know, but I was up a good portion of the day and I wasn’t in horrible pain, so I’ll call that a win. Today I woke up with lots of pain, extreme fatigue and just…
A few days ago, someone asked me “are you not feeling well?” My response was bitter and critical - and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. This is not an uncommon question - but sometimes it catches me off guard and I’m pretty sure my response can be a little curt. It is not their…
“I hate losing even more than I like winning. And there’s a difference.” Billy Beane Moneyball There IS a difference! I’ve been seeing a naturopath who has slowly been getting me out of bed and able to do a little here and there. The last few days have been very noticeable. It’s exciting. It’s encouraging.…
As much as you can, buy fresh foods - meats and veggies. A good rule of thumb is to shop the outside aisles of the grocery store. When you buy packaged foods, read the labels and know what's in it. This includes things like cheese, lunch meat and pasta. If it comes in a package,…
I remember times in my life when I looked at the wide open world and thought about the different options I had...career choices, where I'd live, where I'd vacation. Those options are still available but I realized this morning my life has become a series of options - options that sometimes aren't really options. We…
PhilippiJoy 