A few days ago I was cleaning my house with my young daughter when I realized that my feet were cold so I went upstairs, pulled on a pair of fuzzy synthetic "fun" socks and began to run back down. Out of nowhere, and for the first time in my 34 years, I lost my footing and began to fall down the staircase. Time seemed to go in slow motion as I felt myself flying, trying to find my footing, slipping anew, and finally coming down hard on my extended right arm... whereupon I heard a large crack and felt a stabbing/aching pain all throughout my shoulder.
In all, I managed to tumble down six stairs - an entire flight.
I spent the morning at Urgent Care where they took 5 xrays and determined that I had not broken any bones. The doctor told me that until the inflammation went down they would not be able to determine if I had herniated any discs - and so for now, I've been icing and waiting to see a chiropractor on Monday.
As much pain as I am in, I know I was really lucky not to have broken a vertebrae or cracked my head on anything. I am grateful for that.
It made me think about how quickly something can happen that can change your life irrevocably. In a single instant, everything can shift.
My autoimmune journey really kicked off about one year ago (despite having had the Hashimoto's for a few years prior) and since that time, I have often felt like I was free falling down Alice's rabbit hole, unsure of my footing or where I would land. It has been an exhausting, frightening, anxious time.
Yet nearly four months since I learned that I might have a devastating collagen vascular disease, I am hopeful that I did hit bottom this Summer... that my diagnosis with lyme and babesia were just the beginning of my journey back to vibrant health.
So far, I have not noticed a lot of difference from the herbs I am taking - other than the diuretic effect of the Smilax. I am slowly trying to build up my tolerance to them, adding more drops every seven days.
Wonderfully, the treatment for my low progesterone seems to be extremely helpful and I have seen definite measurable improvements in some of my most frustrating symptoms since beginning to use progesterone cream. Before taking it, my progesterone levels were menopausal... now I am beginning to feel like a woman again.
I still have dark days, moments when I wonder what is yet to come and how I will get through all of this. I pray to find peace with each step of my path, even the difficult ones. I worry about the fact that there is no cure for Lyme and that I don't know what it will take for me to go into remission and stay well, with no advent of wretched autoimmune problems or other disease.
Yet, there are also spots of great illumination that keep me going... stories of remission from the Road Back Foundation bulletin board... new research breakthroughs... and even a story I read last night in the New York Times about a woman who was dying of incurable Clostridium difficile who received a transplant from her husband's healthy fecal matter and was cured within one day... thanks to his healthy bacteria completely wiping out the C.Diff.
Miracles do happen every single day in this world, in this country, in this city. For all I know, I am one of those miracles ~ currently in process.
May this post find you well and bring you even more health.
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