Before I begin, let me start by saying that I am in no way at all embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that I LOVE the Twilight saga. It began two years ago on a trip with some family friends. I had finished the book I was reading, and with nothing left to choose from, was handed the book ‘Twilight’. Immediately I began criticizing the way the book was written, thinking to myself how I could never finish the book, let alone all 4 books of the saga, until I realized I was halfway through the first book and completely and totally sucked into the story. Call me old fashioned, but I’m a sucker for a traditional vampire/human love story.
Needless to say I read all the books, bought the Twilight movie when it came out and watched it many times. I have been anticipating the release of the second movie of the saga, New Moon, for quite a few weeks. Again I remind you all (and mostly myself) that I am not ashamed of this. I pictured myself in line at 12:01 on Saturday morning, the day of the release…me and about 250 twelve year old girls all wanting our very own copy of New Moon.
That being said I can go on with my article for today, and something that I think is so very important. While I tend to joke and make laughs out of every day serious situations (including Lyme) in order to try and make some of the bad stuff seem not so bad, but tonight I joke, but the topic I talk about is not at all a joke.
Unless this is your first time reading my website, or the first time ever hearing about me or knowing me through facebook or Twitter, then you know that I have recently been involved with an awareness campaign called ‘Paint May Lyme Green’. Since becoming ill last year, and then learning all the pitfalls that a Lyme patient encounters, I began to get involved, or at least WANTING to get involved. As my treatment works on the diseases that have caused such havoc in my body, and I slowly gain strength back little by little, I am able to be more involved in getting the word out there. The word is Lyme. A 4 letter word many people are not willing to say. Or when they hear it said, immediately turn the other way to avoid it altogether. I can’t ignore it, because it runs my life. Literally runs every aspect of my life. As I’ve fought this fight for over 10 months now, and am now living at home in order to pay for treatment, it is now beginning to run the lives of my mother and family. My friends are now living it on a daily basis as they support me in my own journey. It’s a 4 letter word I feel I have no choice but to say.
So when Ashley from Lymenaide asked me to join her and others in this awareness campaign for May I gladly jumped on board with the others from New York who were working on this. It was wonderful having someone already organizing so much of this, as my cognitive dysfunction caused by the Lyme would make me think of great ideas, but the roadblock was in execution and where to begin. Having a group of people already working on it, and joining them to work together helped me be able to be a part of the awareness campaign even with the brain fog and such issues that I still experience.
Part of this wonderful campaign, and I’ve talked about this before, is putting together a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about Lyme disease. In order to make this a reality, Ashley and those joining her in the project need to raise $5,000 for the production of the PSA. Today Lymenaide announced that they had passed the $1,000 mark. In order for us to meet the deadline for production to get this aired for May 1st to kick off Lyme Awareness Month, we need to raise a lot more money, and do it quickly.
Then I thought about the fact I haven’t donated anything yet. I myself am in quite a pickle when it comes down to it financially. With the lack of insurance covering much, if any, of my treatment and doctor visits, every penny is pretty important. While my co-workers and friends have had a benefit and fundraisers for me, I wonder to myself how I can donate money to such a worthy cause when I’m trying to make sure I have the $900 necessary to pay for the next 4 weeks of medicine.
That got me thinking about how many wonderful causes there are, and people who need help in paying for treatment, benefits that are held for Lyme disease patients and their families, and how much I’d love to donate to them all, but the reality is I just can’t when I am trying to pay for my own treatment without bankrupting my entire family. So I understand the difficult position many Lyme patients are in when faced with being asked to donate to any good cause, even if it’s going towards something that will ultimately be of benefit to you in the long run.
I feel this way about the donations for the PSA for May’s Lyme awareness. Yes, I need money myself to pay for my own treatment, so that I as an individual can get better. But with better Lyme awareness any time in the past 20-30 years, I may have known I had Lyme disease before it got so bad that I could no longer work. I know there are hundreds and thousands of others across the country right now in the same boat I was in a year or two ago. A lot of problems, but no answers. When I got sick and learned how devastating Lyme can really be, I was amazed that I could have lived in such ignorance for so long. So the awareness is imperative to others in order to save their health, to get treatment before it’s too late to have a full recovery. That is why this cause is SO extremely important right now. Beyond that, the more awareness we raise about this devastating disease, as well as the controversy surrounding it, the closer we as the Lyme disease community will get to having proper legislation to protect us financially and medically.
So while every Lyme patient struggles financially, I think this is a cause we can’t say no to, because the repurcussions of it will have a long lasting effect on many of our own, as well as our loved ones lives.
And for those who do not have Lyme disease, you have an even better reason to donate. Because you’re seeing what this can do to a life. You are seeing what it has done to my life. You have become aware, and now know how bad Lyme disease can be. Now that message needs to be passed on to your loved ones so that they become aware and can stop themselves from becoming as sick as so many of us are. So please, donate whatever you can, but help us get to our needed goal of $5,000 to get this PSA out there for everyone to see.
Now back to my love of the Twilight saga. (Eventually I was gonna bring it back around full circle, you just had to stick with me a bit.) A few months ago, after paying what needed to be paid I had $28 left over one week. I put that money aside, knowing that in a short while New Moon would be coming out and I would be able to use that money to buy my long awaited second installment of the story of my (no longer) secret obsession.
So in good faith to all those other Lyme patients (or anyone else) who is suffering financially, and worrying how they are going to take care of themselves, let alone help another cause, I am donating the $28 I had planned on using to buy my silly DVD, because as much as I may enjoy a movie, nothing would make me happier than to have gotten one step closer to stopping someone from experiencing what I have had to experience in the past year.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and your support of this project with whatever donation is possible. It means so much to myself, as well as the many other Lyme victims out there who need your help to give us a voice.
Press Kit to be sent out to 250 stations cross the country – $550
500g hard drive for recording footage on site - $150
Postage to send out 250 press kits – $688
The impact of a nationwide public service announcement for Lyme disease - Priceless.
*****
If you choose to do nothing, nothing will happen. If you choose to do something, what happens may surprise you.
We are all looking for change in the Lyme world. Freedom for our doctors and our treatments. Accountability from our insurance companies. Understanding from our friends and family. But, nothing comes from nothing. If we want to see change, we have to be that change.
This May we all have the opportunity to do something about Lyme disease. You may think that your small personal contribution would be insignificant, but you are wrong. The few add up to the many and before you know it there is a lot.
A lot of awareness, a lot of questions, a lot of pressure.
There are so many things you can do to be a part of this change.
If you are planning an event or campaign for this May, let us help you promote it. We will add any awareness events and campaigns to our Paint May Lyme Green calendar and campaign. Send Ashley a message at ashvantol@lymenaide.com to have your event added.
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. -Albert Einstein
-Ashley
For those of you that read my blog Affairs of Living, you’ll notice that I’m cheating and reusing this post! However, it is totally Lyme-friendly, and wanted to share it with all of you too!
I generally make my own vegetable broth from vegetable scraps and trimmings, but recently purchased a quart of store-bought broth in a pinch. Blech! I forgot how weird-tasting store-bought vegetable broth is by comparison, especially for the price of an organic broth without creepy stuff in it. I swore I’d never do it again, even in a pinch, and vowed to only make my own vegetable broth from now on. So, I started collecting all my little vegetable scraps again for my next pot of broth.
The next day I was catching up some reading over at 101 Cookbooks, one of my favorite blogs. Heidi is so inspiring; her images are beautiful, her cooking seems absolutely effortless and elegant, and I relate strongly to her philosophy on food. I deeply admire her cookbook Super Natural Cooking, and am excited about the forthcoming cookbook that she is currently working on. My visit to her site the other day was particularly timely. Why, you ask? Because I came across her post for homemade vegetable boullion!
I flipped out! Why hadn’t I ever thought of this?! It seemed so simple. Bouillon is just ground of vegetables and spices, so why can’t we make our own, right? Geez. I knew I had to try it immediately.
Making bouillon from scratch is the perfect allergy-friendly, gluten-free solution to the problem of broth. Store-bought broths and bouillons often contain yeast extracts, preservatives, or tons of vegetables and spices that may be problematic if you have a lot of allergies and sensitivities. Since you’re choosing the ingredients in homemade bouillon, you can choose to add or subtract whatever works or doesn’t work for you. This recipe is so wildly versatile, I can’t wait to try it again with different vegetables or seasonings.
This recipe makes a hefty batch – about 3 1/2ish cups – which is more than you will probably need for a week of cooking, unless you have a big family or are making lots and lots of soup. The solution? Freeze a portion of the batch in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for later use. Just toss a few frozen cubes in to your soup kettle or rice pot, and you’ll have tasty broth in no time!
I’ve been using the bouillon all week in soups, threw a scoop into the pot when cooking rice, and also mixed it with vegetables before roasting them. I have positively loved it! So flavorful, so fresh, and so easy. And much cheaper and more nutritious than buying that stuff at the store. If you are on a strict rotation diet, you could modify this recipe to have only a few ingredients, so it fits with your rotation. It is also easy to make. Just peel the vegetables, put them in a food processor, and grind away. DONE. Here is the recipe for my version of the bouillon, as well as a recipe for a delicious beef soup I made that uses it. I know it is a week after St. Patrick’s Day, but I often run late, so this soup is kind of Irish: ground beef, celery, celery root, and cabbage, with a flavorful homemade broth seasoned with my homemade bouillon, thyme, and just an itty bitty pinch of nutmeg. Bring on the yum, folks. The Lyme Disease diet need not be flavorless!This recipe is easy to make as well, and doesn’t take much time to prepare.
You will need a food processor to make this. I chose to make it in my food processor, and added the vegetables in batches, grinding between adding to make more room in the processor. Store in the fridge in a well-sealed container for 5 days, or freeze in small portions to use later on! I love ice cube trays for this very thing. I did not make this very salty, so that it is more versatile and I can salt the dish I use it in to my preference later on. I added miso paste for a rich flavor; feel free to omit if desired. The beneficial bacteria of the miso will be cooked out once the broth is heated, but the delicious flavor will remain!
3 large carrots
3 celery stalks
1 large leek
1 very small onion (or probably about 1/4-1/2 of a medium onion)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 large fennel bulb, with stalk and fronds
1/4 cup packed parsley leaves
1 tsp dry thyme
optional: 3 Tbsp azuki or chickpea miso
1 tsp salt
Chop all ingredients and place in a food processor. Pulse a few times, then process until you have a smooth vegetable paste. Place a small amount in a container in the fridge and use within 4 days. Freeze remaining boullion in ice cube trays, then package in freezer bags. Easy broth!
To use: use 1 Tbsp bouillon per 8 oz of water
Irish Beef & Cabbage Soup
yield: 4-6 servings
This soup is simple and delicious, with a rich flavor. If you don’t want to use homemade bouillon, feel free to substitute 6 cups of vegetable, chicken or beef broth, or use a desired amount of another bouillon paste or cube to season the water. Using high-quality beef will make all the difference in this soup; if possible, choose beef that is grass-fed, and free of antibiotics and hormones. My beef was very lean, so I did not drain it. Depending on the meat/fat percentage of your beef you may choose to drain it before adding broth; use your judgement. I’ve been eating off this pot of soup all week, and it just gets more delicious by the day!
1 lb lean ground beef, grass-fed and antibiotic-free preferred
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
4 large stalks celery with leaves, stalks diced and leaves finely chopped
1 small celeriac, diced
6 cups water
6 Tbsp homemade vegetable bouillon
1 tsp dry thyme
pinch nutmeg
1/2 small head cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2-1 tsp Herbamare or sea salt, to taste
Chop onion, celery and garlic. Peel celeriac and chop into 1/2″x1″cubes. Cut cabbage in half, and save the other half in the refrigerator. Cut remaining half in half again, and notch out the core. Chop the core to the same size as the celeriac cubes, then thinly slice the rest of the cabbage.
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot, then add onion and celery, and saute briefly. Then add garlic and ground beef and saute until browned, breaking up into crumbles. Remove from heat and drain, if desired. If your meat is very lean, you may not need to drain it. Return to medium heat, adding celeriac, thyme, and nutmeg, and sauteing for 2-3 minutes. Then add water and bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until celeriac is almost tender. Then add cabbage and cook about 10 minutes, until cabbage and other vegetables are tender. SEason with salt to taste, and serve.
I was hovering over the sink pouring salty water up one nostril. My husband was staring on in horror as the water fell out of the other nostril. I was doing my best not to laugh for fear I would choke on the water and spit it everywhere.
“You know, you do a lot of strange unattractive things,” He said. “Good thing you are already married.”
I promptly made him shove my little ceramic pot up his nose! “Now we are even.”
I’ve been thinking about all those strange things that are new to my life since I started treatment for Lyme. I decided to make a list of the top 10. You should too, be sure to share!
1. Enemas, oh this was not my favorite thing to learn! My first one ended up being more of a coffee bath than anything else. Now they are no big deal. Actually I hardly need them any more, I’m not sad about that.
2. IVs, I had never had any sort of IV before. I was so paranoid when I had my first one. I was sure I was going to die from the air bubbles in the tube!
3. Worms, OK so I knew there was a possibility that I had them, but honestly I didn’t need to see them!
4. Blood Draws, this isn’t strange and it was the first time I had blood taken. BUT, now I know which vein they should use. They always insist on trying the veins in my elbows no matter what I say. The vein is on the inner side of my left wrist, on the upper not he under side. They always end up there and I get to say, “I told you so!”
5. Pills, more than I care to count. Not just pills; powders, drops, clay, herbs, ABX…. My grandpa looked at my box of pills and potions and remarked, “You take more pills than I do!” He takes a lot of pills. I take more.
6. EMF, so I was super skeptical about this. I did have some issues with my mobile phone, but nothing I thought was abnormal. Two months ago I started having major problems on my computer. If you know me at all, you know I live behind my computer! So I ordered some EMF thing-a-ma-dos. It wasn’t a miracle, but it was a HUGE improvement. I still suffer if I overdo it, but now I can work for more than a half hour without my face freaking out.
7. Oxygen Compressor, oxygen tanks are for old people right?!?!?! Well I don’t have a tank, I have a compressor. I needed it when I moved from sea level to 6,000 feet last month. I was glued to the thing every morning. I couldn’t even get up until I’d spent at least an hour under it. I didn’t buy a medical grade one, too expensive! Mine does the job, it just takes a little longer than my friend’s fancy one. It helps me sleep too. I don’t know if it is the O2 or the monotonous droning noise.
8. FAR Infrared Sauna, I really like this thing! I use to use it at night thinking it would make me sleep better. Now I use it in the morning to help me start the day better.
9.Neti Pot, I always thought these things were strange. I didn’t understand how they worked until I tried it myself. I thought the water would go up my nose and come out my mouth. I was scared when my doctor recommended it, but now I like it.
10. Naps, I take a lot of naps. I like naps! I might take a nap, get up, and then go take another nap. I might go take a nap right now!
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
May is going to be here before you know it. What are you doing to spread Lyme disease awareness?
We have decided to help out by giving a focus for awareness each week as we count down to May.
With roughly six weeks to go until the first of May, this week’s focus is publishing articles in your local newspapers, magazines, and newsletters.
Publication like these usually have guidelines and deadlines. You need to contact them now to ask about doing an article on Lyme in May for Lyme disease awareness month.
Be prepared when you call to share some information about why it is important that you write this article and that they publish it this May.
Know what angle are you thinking of using for your proposed article. Your personal story, general facts about Lyme, the risks in your area, prevention… Ask weekly publications if you can do a four part series that will focus on one angle per week throughout May.
If you don’t feel confident enough to write the article yourself, find out if someone from the publication would interview you and write a story for May.
Don’t put this off for another time. Before you know it the deadlines will have passed and you will have missed your opportunity to make a difference in your community.
ADDITIONAL IDEAS-
Don’t stop at written publications. Call your local TV and radio stations and ask if they are doing a report about Lyme disease in May. Offer to be interviewed or at least point them to where they can find the right information on Lyme.
Invite local reporters to you Lyme support group meetings.
Ask your LLMD to write a letter/article to the paper in your area.
Students write an article for your school paper or do a report on your school radio/TV station.
Does your town publish a summer children’s program? Write a short “beware this tick season” article.
WHAT OTHERS ARE ALREADY DOING-
Elizabeth Williams- I have already talked to my local newspaper about putting a small article about Lyme disease facts. I talked with the editor, and she was very nice and is willing to let me do it. I am going to work on something and bring it to her so we can work together. I think others should check into their local papers as well!
Robin Krop- I am basically cold-calling organizations and businesses to ask if they have any newspapers/newsletters/websites/blogs for any Lyme info. I either get a yes or no from folks. Then I send them the number of words they want, ranging anywhere from 50 to 400 so far.
Please keep us posted on your progress. Tell us where you are being published this May!
Don’t forget to donate to the Paint May Lyme Green Public Service Announcement (PSA) fund. The project has already started but we still have a ways to go to reach our $5,000 goal and get the PSA produced for this May. LINK- READ MORE ABOUT THE LYME PSA & HOW TO DONATE.
Please share this post with all your Lyme friends and supportive non-Lyme Friends. An article by a supportive non-Lymie can make a very compelling news article as well.
If you’re not then you should be! Today I had the pleasure of meeting Joel Tyner, a Dutchess County Legislator, with some others who are working on the ‘Paint May Lyme Green’ awareness campaign. It was an absolutely beautiful day here in New York, we were right on the Hudson River enjoying the sun (and worrying about ticks) as spring is slowly chasing away winter.
Beyond the specifics of the project, Mr. Tyner discussed a resolution he had just introduced to the Dutchess County Legislature regarding Lyme disease. This is a 4 point resolution that begins with protection of doctors who treat Lyme disease for more than the current 28 day guidelines. It also touches on the rights of the Lyme disease patients to have their treatment properly covered by insurance companies, following in the footsteps of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Next it calls upon the Infection Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to recognize chronic Lyme disease, allow doctors who treat chronic Lyme disease to be a part of the guidelines, as well as to comply with the terms of Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal’s antitrust settlement agreement.
Lastly it calls for the creation of a Hudson Valley Lyme Disease Task Force to consist of county and state legislators, Lyme disease experts as well as those who suffer from the disease. This task force would consist of Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, Orange, Columbia, Greene, Westchester and Rockland counties.
It was exciting for me to be a part of this and be able to hear some of the political side of what is currently being undertaken to confront the countless issues that are associated with Lyme disease.
I’m including the link to the petition, where you can read it for yourself as well as sign it. It can only be signed by residents of New York state, so if you are a resident PLEASE sign this petition. If you are not in New York, please send this to anyone you know who does live in New York.
Change has to start somewhere, and from there it can spread. As is referenced in the resolution, change has begun in other states and it is time for us in New York to bring that change here for the thousands of lives who are depending on it.
In a super close vote (8-6!!!) the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (MBMP) just approved a 5-year moratorium on the investigation, disciplinig or issuance of corrective action based solely on long-term prescription of antibiotic therapy for chronic Lyme disease! The moratorium will allow physicians to treat chronic Lyme disease without fear of an unprofessional conduct action for non-compliance with the IDSA Lyme guidelines. Physicians in Minnesota now have legal protection to treat patients the way that we need to be treated. However, this only lasts for 5 years, a frustrating truth. Read this article for all the details: Chronic Lyme patiens win reprieve
As we know, the IDSA Lyme guidelines scare many physicians from treating Lyme patients with antibiotics. This has led to doctors not wanting to diagnose or deal with Lyme in the least, so they glaze over it completely. This leaves sick people undiagnosed, and for those of us who know we have it, it leaves us scrambling to find LLMDs. I flew to New York because I could get into a doctor there sooner than I could get in anywhere in my home state of Minnesota. That’s screwed up.
In short, this is a huge victory for the Lyme community in Minnesota. We were all celebrating the other night at the MInnesota Lyme Action Support Group (MLASG) meeting. There are a lot of Lymies in Minnesota. But like the rest of the country, we have surprisingly few LLMDs. While legal protection of physicians prescribing antibiotic therapy is great, the next step is up to the doctors. Legislation alone can’t get people the treatment they need. Minnesota doctors need to start leveraging the freedom they have been granted.
They need to take it upon themselves to learn about Lyme. They need to attend ILADS training. They need to see Under Our Skin. They need to connect with IGeneX. They need to learn how to recognize symptoms, analyze test results, and make a clinical diagnosis. They need to open their minds to the possibility that Lyme Disease is REAL.
I am thinking of the long list of doctors I’ve seen over the last 4 years (my estimation of how long I have possibly had it). I haven’t gone back to my general practitioner since my diagnosis last November. She wouldn’t test me for Lyme, despite asking her repeatedly over the course of many months. She said my joint pain wasn’t bad enough, and that because I hadn’t seen a tick bite, I shouldn’t worry about it. My previous general practitioner thought I was a total crackpot. Many of my symptoms manifested as allergies, food intolerances, and gastrointestinal problems, and the specialists I saw for that just told me I had allergies and IBD. I think of the weird rash that took over my leg four years ago and the THREE physicians I saw in an attempt to deal with the wide array of symptoms that shortly followed. Ultimately, my first naturopath was the care provider I had that finally got me a test. Granted, I had to convince her that I wanted to be tested. She was open to it, learned more about it, and was able to consult with my current Lyme specialist naturopath to analyze the results correctly. I owe her my life.
I am thinking how to best approach each one of these previous doctors. I want to say, “HEY! Remember me? Probably not. But I remember you. And I have LYME. You missed it in me, you are probably missing it in others, and the time has come for you to learn how to diagnose it properly.” I am trying to come up with some kind of proactive, encouraging letter to send to each clinic I’ve seen over the years. While I certainly haven’t seen as many doctors as a lot of Lymies, I think I’ve racked up a list of probably 15 or so in the last 4 years – a significant number compared to most people.
Basically, I see this as a call to action. I want to encourage my former physicians to become educated about Lyme, because if the doctors don’t start learning about Lyme, this legislation will go to waste. I am hoping to work with some of the member of MLASG to come up with some kind of written information that we can give our physicians that will encourage them to learn more about Lyme and attend ILADS training. As for me, this doesn’t change the way I plan on handling my treatment; I still plan on continuing treatmnet with my doctor in NY. But when it comes to recommending people get tested and treated for Lyme, it is exciting to think there is the possibility that more doctors could provide these services.
Do any of you have anything like this already written up? Have you approached your former doctors to tell them of your positive diagnosis? I would like to work with people from my local MLASG as well as the larger Lyme community on creating a one-pager that we can distribute to our physicians that stresses the importance of their becoming educated on Lyme Disease. Please leave a comment and let me know if you’ve done anything like this in the past!
The song I Love to Laugh from Mary Poppins was always one of my favorite parts of the magical Disney movie. I think that’s because in real life I do love to laugh. In fact, I am well known for my love of comedy and laughing and enjoying life with my friends and loved ones.
My name is Eric Rutulante, I am 36 years old and live in Saugerties, NY (the town that I also grew up in). 6 weeks ago, me and my 2 cats left Albany, NY (my home of 14 years) to move in with my mother because I have Lyme disease. In addition I have the co-infections Babesia and Bartonella, also transmitted by the bite of a tick. I have been out of work since May, and with insurance covering very little, if any of my treatment it became necessary to give up my apartment and monthly expenses in Albany to pay for the help I need to fight this disease and try to reclaim my life.
My story began in May of 2009, the day of my 36th birthday. Plans for dinner with a friend, followed by a softball game. Before dinner I suddenly got a bloody nose, something I hadn’t had in a while. I could feel my sinuses and ears hurting. I told my friend I was sure I’d wake up with a sinus infection the next morning. I also said that something just didn’t feel right in my body.
As predicted the next morning I woke up with a real monster of a sinus infection. I called my doctor’s office and was sent to Urgent Care. I was diagnosed with my second or third sinus infection of the allergy season, which had only just begun.
I spent the next 2 days in bed, crawling out on the third day for my birthday celebration at the city’s annual Tulip Fest. I was very weak, and had to sit through most of it, but it was nice to be out and with friends. I ended up throwing up before we left. I figured it was the antibiotics, and so much physical exertion after being sick. On Monday I went back to work, and slowly recovered from the sinus infection while finishing my antibiotics. They had given me a Z-pack for the infection. At the end of the 5 days, I didn’t feel all that great, but figured with time I would.
I woke up Friday morning, 3 days after finishing the antibiotics for the sinus infection, groggy and trying to force myself out of bed. It was May 15th (8 days since my birthday). I put on my glasses as I always do as soon as I wake up. I’m almost legally blind without glasses or contacts, so until I put them on I can’t even tell what time it is. Shortly after putting my glasses on I thought one of the lenses must have fallen out because I couldn’t see anything out of my right eye. Everything was blurry. I took my glasses off and saw the lens was in there, it was my eye that wasn’t working.
I got ready and headed to work. As the morning progressed, my vision slowly got a little better. As it did, I started getting really bad headaches around my eye and pulsing pain in the side of my head. My co-workers talked me into calling my doctor. I was told there were no appointments, but to go to Urgent Care again, and they would have any imaging equipment they’d need to check me out. Off to Urgent Care I went, again. I was thoroughly examined, and nothing was found to be wrong. They didn’t take any x-rays, or do an MRI though, just a physical exam. They said it must be something with the eye, and set up an appt for me to see an eye surgeon an hour later.
I spent a couple hours with the eye surgeon, having all kinds of tests done. He called me in and said that my vision had improved to 20/40 since the blurriness I woke up with, but he could find nothing wrong with the eye. Everything was healthy. He asked about dizziness, numbness or tingling sensations I may have experienced. I told him I often felt a vibrating in my right leg, but I always thought it was because of my cell phone usually being in the side pocket of my pants. He said he didn’t want to worry me, but the symptoms seemed a lot like MS, and that I should follow up with my doctor first thing Monday morning.
Home I went, to think over the weekend about the possibility of MS. I called the doctor on Monday and was given an appointment for the next morning. Other than not having any balance, she couldn’t find anything wrong. She scheduled a full physical exam for the next week, and referred me to a neurosurgeon.
Luckily I got an appointment for 2 days later with the PA for one of the neurosurgeons. When I explained the eye thing, and some of the other symptoms she said “Why, it sounds like Lyme disease.” She scheduled a bunch of tests, MRI’s and MRA’s of the brain and neck, x-rays etc., but she never ordered a Lyme test. She was under the impression that if what I had was caused by Lyme disease, it would be apparent with the brain scan, much like lesions for MS. I waited 2 weeks for insurance approval to have the tests done. At this point it had been 3 weeks since I had lost vision in my right eye, and I was getting very frustrated with the medical and insurance systems while I also seemed to be experiencing a worsening of my symptoms, as well as more and more neurological type problems.
I finally got the approval and was scheduled for my tests and given a follow up appointment another week later. It was June 5th (almost one full month) when I went in for the results. The neurosurgeon called me in, and spent less than 2 minutes with me. She said there was nothing wrong, other than some possible disk problems in the neck, so the only pain I should feel would be occasional in my upper arms. She scheduled me for physical therapy and steroid injections into my neck. I had spent the last year receiving 5 steroid injections into my back, each time getting sicker and sicker after the infection. I made the appointment, but didn’t feel comfortable with her diagnosis or with having more steroid injections. I asked her why my legs hurt so much, and she put her hand up to my face and said “I will not discuss anything below your neck, because there is nothing wrong with you”, and she left the room. I was in shock. I had waited a month for some kind of answer, expecting something horrible like MS, but hoping it would be something easy like Lyme. We were even taking bets on Facebook the night before about whether it would be MS or Lyme.
I went to my car and called my Mom. I said “maybe I am crazy, and it’s all in my head.” At that point I was beginning to doubt myself, because I had never come across a circumstance with the medical system where they could not, or would not help me. I called my primary doctor back, almost in tears, and told her the results. She said to me “you’re not a complainer, you don’t come in unless something is really wrong, but I just don’t know what it is” and scheduled me an appt to come back in on Monday. She asked me if I wanted her to do a Lyme test, since the PA at neurosurgery had originally said that, and I said sure. She told me she was going on vacation, but if anything came back someone would call me.
Four days later, on June 11th, she called, ecstatic with the news that I had tested positive for Lyme disease; the test came back with bands on the western blot test indicating what she interpreted as an acute Lyme infection. She prescribed Doxycycline, told me to take it for 3 weeks and I’d start to feel better in a couple of days.
I was thrilled. Finally, an answer. For weeks I had been left to worry about what could possibly be wrong with me, fearing the worst. To know it was just Lyme, and not anything life threatening or life altering, was a huge relief to me. Little did I know what I was really in for.
This is how it all began, my journey with Lyme disease. The actual journey began many years before that, but the knowledge of the journey was not known to me until this all transpired. It is just the tip of the iceberg in a story full of sickness, anger, hope and understanding that has brought me to this point today, where I am sharing my story with others in hopes their awareness may help another person avoid the effects of this horrible disease.
In January I wrote a post about how well I was doing. I was thrilled to be enjoying more exercise and looking forward to stepping up my routine.
Well, I think the Lyme must have heard me. It promptly went about making me feel like sh*t. Even worse it decided to attack my muscles. I started getting painful muscle tears in my legs. My doctor used so much tape to fixed them up it looked like he had literally stuck me back together. (To aid in your imagery, the tape was bright pink and my legs are ghostly white.)
The doctor told me I was to avoid walking up hills or stairs for three weeks. Great. About a week in to the three, I moved to Tahoe. Here I live on a big hill and my house has stairs.
There was no need to worry about me walking up hills. The change in climate and altitude, sea level to 5,000 ft, completely knocked me flat. I slowly and carefully made my way up the stairs, my legs were fine but my heart was pounding like mad. You’d think I was attempting to climb Mt. Everest!
I was pretty much good for nothing the first two weeks I was here. My poor dog got no walks, Cesar (the dog whisperer) would be very unhappy with me.
Well, all bad things pass. It has been almost four weeks since the move. My muscle tears appear to have healed and I can now make it up the stairs without taking a break at the halfway point.
The snow is beautiful and bonus to being sick, my husband does all the shoveling! I did try to help once. He got mad at me for wasting my energy. I guess he wanted to make sure I would make it back down the stairs without needing a nap in the middle.
The past few days have been glorious and sunny. It is starting to feel like Spring is coming! I’ve managed to start walking again too. Slowly plodding through the hilly streets. I wonder what my neighbors think of the new girl on the block who walks about as fast as a tortuous while her dog, conveniently attached around my waist with a runners leash, darts around like a mad hare.
Here is my Lyme journey theme song this week. Take that LYME!
Replace the alcohol references with ABX, herbs and supplements. And the pissing the night away is due to insomnia! .
more about “Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down) Lyrics”, posted with vodpod
Last night I had another recurring nightmare. I have been having a lot of them lately due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from getting over Lyme.
I had a nightmare that my dog ran away and no one could help me.
“Please help me! Someone please!” I ran down Park Avenue without an umbrella with a poster of my dog asking all these people if they have seen her. “Mam, sorry to bother you have you seen Bailey? Please? She is the love of my life. She has been there for me through everything when I was so ill!” She replied “No miss sorry”.
I just stood there and sobbed and looked at the tall buildings. Everyone was walking around with expensive fur coats, Chanel bags and expensive jewelery. Women were escorted by their doorman and chauffeurs holding an umbrella. By the way its raining in the northeast this weekend–so that is where this is coming from.
As I was running down Park Avenue my legs started growing into tree limbs and it became harder to walk. Literally, IN MY DREAM my legs grew into tree limbs and had vines growing on them! Scary dream right?! I was in the 50′s on Park Avenue when I went down a corridor and entered a Speakeasy.
It’s a dream guys…I know:) I think I needed a drink at this point in my dream.
I walked into the speakeasy without a coat drenched. There was a guard at the door behind bars asking everyone for Identification and if they didn’t have any they would be turned away. “Mam, Mam please,” I sobbed. “I am missing my dog and my legs have turned into tree limbs. Please help me!”
She looked at my legs and said that Dr. Q can help find my dog and might be able to fix my legs. I needed an identification card and if I didn’t have one it would be $10,000. “Mam, please I have no money, please tell me what card do you need?” Please! She said it was an exclusive card for members only but I could talk to Dr. Q if I wanted to.
“Who is Dr. Q?” I cried.
“Mam, please, tell me who is Dr. Q!?” I then asked “is there research on him and his expertise in fixing tree limbs when they grow on legs?”
She then replied. “I’m sorry. If you don’t have identification you can’t see Dr. Q and we don’t pass out that information either. Information on our doctors is confidential and only to exclusive members-which you are not. Goodbye.”
I ran out of the speakeasy and down park avenue. “Please, Please someone tell me who is Dr. Q! Won’t someone tell me who is Dr. Q? Bailey please come home!! Someone help me!” I stood there in the rain sobbing.
THEN I WOKE UP FROM MY DREAM.
That morning my pillow was drenched in sweat from this nightmare. I saw Bailey at the bottom of the bed and was so grateful. I then got out of bed. Oh thank God! No brain fog, no derealization, no heart palpitations, no numbness, no pain, no vertigo and no tree limbs growing on my legs!
I have been having so many scary nightmares about my horrific Lyme days a lot lately. I actually spoke to a doctor about my dreams because it has been a concern. She said that my symptoms were similar to that of someone that survived a Near Death Experience which is tied to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
She said that lots of people have this when they recover from major trauma. She has seen it in many recovered Aids patients, people who have survived near death accidents, cancer patients and also soldiers that come back from Iraq.
PTSD has symptoms in three categories:
Re-experiencing symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, terrifying thoughts.
Avoidance symptoms, withdrawing emotionally or feeling strong guilt or anxiety
Hyperarousal symptoms such as always feeling tense or being easily startled.
Most therapists use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Others may help the individual reframe the incident or may walk him through a process of systematic desensitization to lessen the impact of the event.
My doctor has been trying something called EMDR on me because the nightmares have gotten worse as my health has gotten better. During EMDR sessions, the therapist asks the client to think about a traumatic event and at the same time, move their eyes rapidly – following the movement of a pencil or a finger by the therapist. Some people feel that EMDR is able to “un-stick” these experiences so that it reconnects with the healthy brain and then is reprocessed and integrated at an accelerated speed.
The theory is that the rapid eye movement in EMDR creates similar brain activity to REM (rapid eye movement) that we experience during sleep. This REM assists us in processing ideas and resolves conflicts. We are able to work through things. We still retain the memory but without the emotional pain and the feelings of smell, taste, etc. of the event.
I think the fact that there was a Dr. Q in my dream spoke volumes that this dream was pretty much a reality a year ago. I remember when I was first diagnosed all these people would call their Dr’s by their first names. I constantly felt during my Lyme days that being sick and going from doctor to doctor was like a treasure hunt and really only the privileged could get an appointment.
In July 2009, I chose to get out of that lifestyle and completely go the natural route and take my health in my own hands. It was scary I wont lie! But really the health care system in a way forced me to choose to go the natural route. For me, it was the right thing to do. Please note that you should see a doctor of course but unfortunately that wasn’t an option for me when I was flat broke, I had no insurance. I wasn’t able to afford some of the doctors that were recommended and when I did it was nearly impossible to get an appointment.
There are a lot of people with some great doctors out there. I almost wish that there could be a sheet with affordable doctors for people with Lyme disease. Maybe it will come in the future when there is less of a political mess with this disease. Today, I’m so grateful to be better.
A lot of people have asked if I still have symptoms. Honestly, the only time I get some symptoms now is if I am extremely stressed out. But the symptoms are NOWHERE NEAR as bad as it was a 8 months ago. 8 months ago I thought I was going to die. So probably about 90-95% better? Getting out of Lyme takes time and its an upward spiral. My symptoms now are a joke compared to 8 months ago.
Your best days now will be your worst two months later. This will be the cycle until you have no symptoms anymore. I’ve been out of derealization for about 2 1/2 months now which was huge for me!
I really care about every Lymie out there and my wish is for you all to find a great doctor you can trust and lead your own way to recovery.
I don’t normally post anything in the middle of the day but, but something is weighing on my mind this afternoon.
This morning I went to the OBGYN for my annual exam. My doctor was a lovely sweet lady. I’d never met her before. I was happy that she asked me about Lyme. I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t really know about the disease.
I told her a little bit about having Lyme. I didn’t think it was overly important. This was just the awkward yearly check-up all women have to endure. The appointment and testing had nothing to do with Lyme.
As I was driving home it suddenly hit me. It is horrible that OBGYNs don’t know about Lyme disease! What about congenital Lyme?!?!
I had sat in the waiting room that morning looking at all the pictures of beautiful little babies. The photos covered half the waiting room wall. There were a few pregnant ladies waiting with me. The doctors at this clinic care for pregnant women and their unborn babies. They are the doctors probably delivered the children that cover the walls.
Most people I have met who live in my area don’t think that we have ticks or Lyme disease here. “It’s too cold”, they say. The unfortunate reality is; we live in one of the higher risk counties of California.
I hope that the doctor I saw will take some time today to read about Lyme disease. Next time I will realize the importance of talking about my illness no matter what kind of doctor I am seeing.
So a while back I was freaking out about how much magnesium I was taking. My doctor was telling me to take it but I had read so much about how I shouldn’t take it because it would feed the Borrelia and thus, I assumed, make it stronger and me sicker.
Well I don’t often believe anything I read on the internet if it isn’t backed up with relevant sources. I spent a few, quite a few, hours last week searching for any ‘reliable’ information on why I should not be taking magnesium.
To start with I will say that I did find where I think this recent thought of magnesium starvation came from. And, it makes sense, when read in context.
Dr Stephen Fry, of Fry Laboratories in Arizona has a protocol that does talk about withholding magnesium.
The treatment protocol begins with the insertion of a port-a-catheter. The therapy is given in the doctor’s office once per week for about nine weeks. It begins with a three-hour IV that destroys the biofilm surrounding the bacteria. Makeing it vulnerable to antimicrobial therapy. Immediately following the first IV, Azithromycin antibiotic is administered, also intravenously. This second IV takes approximately two hours. The patient returns to the office the next day and receives an IV mineral supplement, absent magnesium. (1)
Dr. Fry explains that the reason magnesium needs to be withheld from the mineral supplement is due to the fact that magnesium aids the bacteria in the development of the biofilm. Therefore, after destroying the biofilm and the bacteria, it is not logical to provide magnesium, which will only help create more biofilm. Dr. Fry has also found that Lyme disease patients more often than not have an overabundance of magnesium. However, he recommends monitoring the patient’s magnesium level during treatment. (1)
While Dr Fry’s asserts that most Lyme patients have an overabundance of magnesium, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, Dr. Ken Singleton, Dr. Ginger Savely, Dr. Jeffrey Morrison and Dr. Joseph Burrascano, recommend that all Lyme patients take magnesium supplements. Most of them specifically stating that the majority of Lyme patients are significantly depleted in magnesium.
Other than Dr. Fry’s, I didn’t find any other reference to Lyme patients having an overabundance of magnesium. I also did not find any warnings about taking magnesium. There was nothing to suggest we should be avoiding or suppressing it.
Bb and Bartonella need magnesium to duplicate in the host’s body (2). The bacterias draw upon calcium, magnesium, iron, heavy metals, fibrin, and other elements to weave a protective polymeric matrix around themselves (3). This protective layer is called a biofilm. Biofilms are not unique to Lyme disease. According to the CDC, biofilms cause more than 70% of community and hospital-aquired infections (3).
I can see where the fear of magnesium is coming from. I don’t want to be assisting Lyme in its efforts to conquer my body in any way! I’m leaning toward foe after reading that.
Ginger Savely offers another point of view. There is a hypothesis within the Lyme disease community that if we can keep adequate levels of magnesium in the body, we will also enable the body’s immune system to regain its ability to target and attack the Bb organism itself. (It is also thought that magnesium might incite Borrelia to come out of hiding to get magnesium) (4).
OK, so the score about now is 1 point friend, 2 points foe.
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant (5).
Magnesium helps maintain muscles, nerves, and bones, and studies have shown that a diet rich in magnesium may help protect against metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. It promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism. It plays a role in more than three hundred biochemical reactions in the body (6). Pretty much without magnesium, your body wouldn’t be able to function.
Deficiencies in magnesium can cause many symptoms. These symptoms are remarkably similar to many of those that Lyme patients seem to suffer. They include; irregular heartbeat, palpitations, reduced ability to detoxify, nausea, nervousness and anxiety, confusion, depression, insomnia, weakness, muscle contractions, cramps and facial tics. Magnesium deficiencies can be cause by; gastrointestinal disorders, malabsorptive disorders, the use of various medications, and poor diet among other things like alcoholism, and old age.
My conclusion is this, magnesium is essential to life and health. If you already have enough, you probably don’t need a supplement. If you are deficient, you should probably take some. What good is it to deprive the bacteria of magnesium if it is to your detriment. Lyme is going to take want it wants when it comes to minerals. You need to make sure your body gets what it needs to function properly and build your immune system.
This is based on my research and my opinion. I am not a doctor. If you don’t agree, by all means send me the link that proves me wrong. That is totally OK with me. Just make sure it comes form a reliable source and is backed up by other sources.
Donations to Paint May Lyme Green can now be made as a tax deductible donation thanks to P.A.N.D.O.R.A. who have extended their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status to encompass our project. Donations are made through P.A.N.D.O.R.A. to an account specifically for Paint May Lyme Green.
Please donate, and ask your friends to join our cause.
Paint May Lyme Green has been accepted by PANDORA as an associate project. Your receipt will indicate that you have made a donation to P.A.N.D.O.R.A., this is correct. The money donated through the above link to the cause will go toward Paint May Lyme Green.
Hi guys! So I thought I’d update you on me being back in the world! Things are going good! Everyday my health is getting better and better and it’s really been a steady clip of healing. The only time I get symptoms now is when I really stress out which I am trying so hard not to do.
Tonight my friend and I saw this movie called Shutter Island. Oh my Gosh! Watching this movie is a nightmare after having Lyme Disease! In the movie Leonardo Dicaprio is admitted into an mental ward or insane asylum where he begins to hear voices, has frequent hallucinations, become anxiety ridden and sees dead people. The whole time during the movie all I kept thinking was this reminded me of my Lyme days and I wanted to run out of there fast!
Onto happier thoughts..how do I know that I’m healthier? Well, a couple of things. My electromagnetic sensitivity is going away and my chemical sensitivity is lessening. Thank God! Can you imagine having this in New York City? I’m still having trouble using the blackberry. For some reason the SAR rate on my blackberry curve is just too much for me to handle. Every time I use it my teeth get numb.
It’s strange but also or the first time in years (literally since I was younger) every morning like clockwork I’ve been going to the bathroom. Its so embarrassing talking about this but its important! When I was really sick I would go days without anything and suffer from major constipation.
It’s so important when you are killing Lyme to make sure everything is MOVING OUT of the body and NOT recirculating. Whether you are on antibiotics or doing a natural protocol it’s so important to make sure each day you have a bowel movement. A lot of doctors didn’t tell me this and honestly getting stuff OUT was what got me better and NOT JUST killing Lyme. Chronic constipation can be caused by a bunch of things which are linked with Lyme; depression, low thyroid-hormone levels; chronic illness, prescription drugs such as antidepressants and painkillers.
The following herbs were great in loosening up my bowels:
Aloe or Casacara Sagrada (this can be found in a parasite cleanse).
Here are some other herbs that I used which helped:
1. Dandelion Root: Tinture. Take 20 drops in 1/4 cup of water 3x daily on empty stomach. This helps increase bile flow into the large intestine.
2. Ginger: this relieves muscles spasms accompanying constipation
3. Yerba Mate: I used loose tea, with a little cinnamon and stevia. Cinnamon is a natural laxative also!
4. Extra Magnesium at night
5. Psyllium husk powder
TIPS:
If you are taking a prescription med and a laxative take them at different times of the day. Any laxative, herbal or otherwise, affects the rate at which other oral medications are absorbed into the bloodstream.
Apples, bananas, carrots and citrus foods contain pectin fiber that absorbs water in the intestines making stool softer and easier to pass.
drinking lots of water with lemon (the lemon in the water lessen some of the herxing reactions).
Reduce consumption of meat products if eliminating is not easy.
Take an extra magnesium at night (make sure it says that it is highly absorbable)
If by the end of the day you haven’t had a bowl movement consider an enema or a coffee enema
Consider using Castor oil on a warm towel and place this on your stomach to get the bowls moving
And that’s it! Let me know if you have any questions.
Be wary of watching Shutter Island! I would rather go see Alice in Wonderland or something light:)
I have written up some guidelines and recorded a sample for making your Lyme story video submission for Paint May Lyme Green. I have never personally recorded myself or uploaded anything to YouTube before. It was much easier than I thought it would be. At the bottom of this post I describe how I made the video.
If you prefer to write your story and submit it with a photo instead of making a video, that is fine too. Follow the same guidelines for writing your story as you would for the video. Written stories should be no longer than 750 words.
We are all part of the existing Lyme community. We know about the dirty details of Lyme disease; co-infections, controversy, insurance and disability struggles, Lyme is a very complex issue.
Our goal with this campaign is to reach the people who do not know about Lyme. We can not communicate with them the same way we communicate with each other. I’m sure you have seen peoples eyes glaze over as you try to explain to them what you are going through.
These guidelines are not being suggested to restrict you in what you say. Instead they are meant to avoid that glazed look. We need to open their eyes and spur them to action with our stories.
Things to remember when making your video-
K.I.S.S. remember that one from school. Stick to the basics.
Tell your story in a way that a 6th grader could understand it.
Don’t use big words or jargon, yes saying borrelia and spirochete is using jargon.
This is about bringing attention to Lyme not the failures of our health care system or the injustice of insurance companies, the IDSA or disability claims.
2 minutes max! There is a reason TV commercials are 15 – 30 seconds long. People do not have long attentions spans.
Include your written account as well as the video for the hearing impaired.
Tell your viewers where to go for more information.
The personal stories segment of the campaign is about education. More specifically it is about you educating the people you know. You will be an integral part of this portion of the campaign. Write and record your story, upload it to youtube and send the link to- ashvantol@lymenaide.com. (We will compile all the links/stories together on one site.)
On May 1st all of us will post our personal stories to our facebook profiles, blogs, twitter, etc… That means you will post the link to your story on yourself, sending it to all your friends and followers asking them read it and share it with everyone they know to help spread Lyme disease awareness.
Transcription-
My name is Ashley van Tol and I have Chronic Lyme disease.
I remember getting tick bites as a child growing up in Northern California. Being very outdoorsy, I never thought much of it.
I started having health problems in my early 20’s. At first I ignored them. By 25 I was too sick and too scared to ignore it any longer. I was having major digestive issues, difficulty breathing and swallowing, heart palpitations, memory failure, my teeth became loose and my normally dark hair turned mousy brown. I also started suffering from severe anxiety. I was sure I was dying.
For years I went to the doctor desperate to find out what was wrong with me. One winter I had over 13 appointments with doctors and specialists. None of them could find anything wrong with me. They all told me I was fine and sent me away.
When the doctors say there is nothing wrong with you, it is hard to make even your family believe that you are sick. I was scared and alone.
It was 10 years before I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease.My story is not unique. There are thousands of people just like me who were left undiagnosed and ignored for years before they found out that they had Lyme.
I started treatment for Lyme disease in March 2009. By that time I was so debilitated by the disease I could no longer work.
I have at least one more year of treatment ahead of me. There are no guarantees that I will recover to full health and there is the very real possibility that even If I do I could relapse.
Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in North America. Please take the time to learn more about Lyme disease to protect yourself and your family.
If you want to know more about me and my story please visit my blog-
My computer has a built in camera and I have QuickTime Player installed on my computer.
I opened QuickTime and made sure that the angle and light were good.
I opened the word document of my story and placed it on the screen under the camera.
I hit record and then clicked back on the story document so I could read it without having to look down.
When I was done, the video had automatically saved to my desktop.
I went to YouTube.com and signed up for an account.
I clicked upload video and selected my story.
While the video loaded I cut and pasted my written transcription to the description box.
That was it! Super easy.
An even easier way to record your video (so long as you have a camera on your computer) is to go to your facebook profile and use the attach video button. You can click the button and make the video right there and then. Don’t forget to send us the link! ashvantol@lymenaide.com
, oh this was not my favorite thing to learn! My first one ended up being more of a coffee bath than anything else. Now they are no big deal. Actually I hardly need them any more, I’m not sad about that.
, oxygen tanks are for old people right?!?!?! Well I don’t have a tank, I have a compressor. I needed it when I moved from sea level to 6,000 feet last month. I was glued to the thing every morning. I couldn’t even get up until I’d spent at least an hour under it. I didn’t buy a medical grade one, too expensive! Mine does the job, it just takes a little longer than my friend’s fancy one. It helps me sleep too. I don’t know if it is the O2 or the monotonous droning noise.
