Lying in bed unable to feel my arms and legs from a mysterious illness I was almost fascinated by what was going on, if only it wasn’t happening to me.
Around 4 months of medication I was taking
I had been an active field biologist only weeks before. Now my body was completely shutting down. My doctors and I were stumped, as test after test came back negative.
I was referred from specialist to specialist until one of them suggested I ask my general doctor for a Lyme test. Sitting on the table in my general doctor’s office I was told I had an unequivocally positive Lyme test.
Once I had the diagnosis, I imagined I’d be placed on some sort of healing conveyor belt. My doctors would surely know what to do. Now my only responsibility will be to rest and heal, I thought.
Little did I know the diagnosis would only reveal one layer of a complex illness that would require complex treatment and healing.
Medication after medication was prescribed to address the growing list of debilitating symptoms I was experiencing.
Each medication had its own side effect to deal with, so I was prescribed other medications just so I could tolerate the first ones!
It got to the point where I was taking pills every two hours and STILL feeling horrible while my health continued to decline.
Nothing seemed to be making me feel better, and one of my doctors even said, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” as I was feeling like I could die any moment.
Having worked as a field biologist with a degree in Environmental Science, I had always relied on the science of western medicine for my healthcare needs. It was out of pure desperation that I started “reaching outside the box,” and experimenting with the ancient healing modalities of plant medicine, yoga, meditation, and Pranayama breathwork.
I practiced every natural healing modality that sparked my interest. I began connecting to and trusting my intuition more and more. As a natural loudmouth, I started sharing the things helping me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Sharing my story publicly has inspired many people from all over the world to reach out to me for more information and support. Knowing how overwhelming it all is, I naturally started to mentor others and give them access to the tools I used to find well-being.
Hearing everyone’s common struggles over the years has inspired me to write a book, and design classes, talks, and workshops to share what I had to learn the hard way.
My Life Outside of Lyme
While I continue to heal, I support my body with an anti-inflammatory diet, Pranayama breathwork, meditation, and mindset work daily.
I am happily back to doing things I loved before Lyme put my life on pause.
On my good days, I now go for small hikes, which were entirely out of reach when I was sick. I’ve always been active and am working hard to regain my strength. Once a long-distance hiker and competitive rock climber, I aim to be well enough to go backpacking again. I will not let my diagnosis dictate my future or my ability to do what I love.
My favorite pastimes these days are practicing yoga, taking walks to the beach, getting creative with photography, and painting. You’ll often find me reading, bird watching, relaxing in nature, petting stranger’s dogs, and taking naps.
