Good morning from cj, now in California

cjFTWORTH · 06-29-2007, 02:52 PM

Hello to all,

Believe it or not, I think this is my third attempt over last 4 - 6 months at writing a general hello to this board and for whatever strange reason

arghhh... each post has been lost. IF I were smart, and I still may do so, I will transfer this to a word doc before hitting send. But this time, I am not as stressed about posting. Good thing.

I have posted on Janet's Mitochondria thread in last few days as I searched this board to find others with adrenals issues and hit the jackpot in that thread. And true to this board, yall have been supportive, informative and caring. Just something very unique about the lyme board...

Over the last year and half, I have checked in here on and off. Checking on some of the veterans and my heart going out to the numbers of new faces, and heart wrenching questions, taking me back to my first months here. I really don't know where I'd be today had I not found these boards...

Mexico was good... we did rest, we did learn Spanish, I did recoup, and we did share our faith in practical ways... We ended up living in the poorest area of Saltillo and were paying $60 a month for rent - had a great time.

Our best experience was probably teaching ESL at a prison for teen girls... we were given much leeway in how we spent our time with girls.

The downside - I ended up with bleeding ulcers, h-pylori, and without all the symptoms... so it really hit us by surprise. I was treated for a few months and came home still pretty weak, struggling to get rbc back up, stamina, etc.

Muscle and joint pain in back, shoulders, neck and hips started up, knots are real bad and a pain around kidneys on right mid back. And now months later, chest pressure, light-headedness, headaches, breathing difficulty, anxiety, easy to tears... I will stop there. I've been on adrenal glandulars since just before going to Mexico as labs indicated low functioning.

So I just got back new labs and they show adrenals have flat-lined. I have same feelings as I did about lyme labs - relieved to know there is something that can be done. Over the last few months since being here in Cal., I've known I needed to seek medical care and just had the strongest hunch that going down the lyme road alone wasn't it. I am not sure that I have lyme on the rise or not. I am amazed how well I do like last weekend when when we went camping. When I can relieve the stress, it really helps. But I clearly need help.

One of my biggest problems/issues is obsessive researching, posting, etc about all this. Now that I am beginning to act, it may not be such a problem. But for the last few months, building up real bad in the last few weeks, I have walked in the morning and then done nothing more but sit on couch with computer with multiple windows open, going from link to link, thread to thread, cutting/pasting to exhaustion... not real productive for anyone, much less one with adrenal exhaustion. You think?

So I need to shoot for some type of moderation which is challenging when all this is BRAND NEW!!

As for the lyme, I so look for the day that medicine is advanced to the point that we have definitive labs about diagosing and monitoring.

Does anyone have a recommendation of labs I could take after long period of now abx that would indicate current infection? What I read about CD57 is its use when on abx. And Bowen testing comes up, but to be honest, my brain fog and ability to retain info is so compromised right now that if it is not given to me at a chld's level, I don't get it. And then I need to save it, in that form in a document.

I know I'm not alone on that one!!

Love to all, health to all and THANKS to all, new, old, whereever you are on your healing journey. And as low as I've sunk spiritually, I am reluctant to mention prayer when I don't think I will follow through, not sincere, etc., but I do sincerely pray that each of us finds strength and healing in most miraculous, unexpected ways. That the medical profession encounters we have are surprisingly positive, that doctors' wisdom and openness are magnified beyond their imagination. Thanks for any measures of faith, for this one today... cj

ticker · 06-29-2007, 06:42 PM

Hi cj, it is good to see you posting! I am glad you had a great time in Mexico.

I am sorry you are feeling crummy. I was fortunate enough to go to the Lyme conference last weekend. Many of the doctors there discussed how Lyme can affect hormone and adrenal function. You may have more than one issue going on.

For Lyme tests, I believe that IgeneX in Palo Alto, CA is the best.

If you need a doctor recommendation for CA, let us know. There are a couple of excellent ones there.

If you think you are researching too much, put a limit on how much time you will spend on it each day and stick with it.

I hope you can get some answers soon. Keep us posted okay?

6Blues · 06-30-2007, 01:50 AM

cj!!!!!! Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so tired and can barely keep my eyes open but I just had to say hello.

I'll respond to your post tomorrow.

Soooooo good to hear from you.

Mickie

BarbaraH · 06-30-2007, 11:12 AM

Hi cj,

I'm a newbie but am also formerly from TX (Waco for 10 very long and very, very hot years) so I cheer the fact you're in a kinder environment weather-wise! I am in a kinder environment, too, and that really helps.

I hope you find an answer for your current problems and a doctor who is knowlegable and who really listens! Remember that having chronic problems can cause depression even if the bacteria, germs, and symptoms don't include that. Get help for that, too, sweetie. It's still a beautiful world.

Wishing you well - Barbara

cjFTWORTH · 06-30-2007, 10:22 PM

Ticker, Mickie, and Barbara,

Thanks for the hello's, welcome backs, encouragements.

Ticker, I had read your posts about the conference a few days ago and it sounded great. Was not surprised that you went. You are an amazing wealth of info, indeed!
You probably don't remember due to the number of posts you read/respond to, but a year and half or so ago, I had started armour, began slowly increasing and then hit the worst symptoms I have EVER incurred throughout lyme battle or anytime in my life... adrenaline rush sense, heart irregs, loss of weight, swallowing difficulties, sleep disturbances, chest pressure/breathing difficulty, anxiety... the list goes on but you get the picture. The heart stuff was severe and scary. All I was to gather was that it was a possible reaction to armour... and severe stuff dissipated after getting off.

Well, now I've learned of thyroid dumping, caused by adrenals insufficency and beginning armour. apparently due to adrenals, meds weren't being used, but storing up and then I was getting large doses released at once. (the best i understand)... anyway, I know you on armour and communicate with a lot of thyroid patients and might find this interesting.

thanks as always for your long running faithfulness to health/healing and people.

mickie,

nice of you to say hi, especially considering that you were dragging yourself to bed. hope you slept well. though i know i've read some recent posts of yours, i honestly can't pull up your story at the moment. seems like you are still in a struggle, hope i'm wrong.

and barbara,

wow, how nice! yes, texas heat stinks and i am SO HAPPY to be hear in southern cal. good to hear that you too are a happy transplant. I can't access it now, but it said virginia or w. virginia, both of which i hear are beautiful...
i will look up your posts and see where you are at in your journey.
thanks for welcoming me. i know you have been treated well here. great place.

today has been good. on computer all day, but i have learned a lot. and i like having paul at home. he has slept most of day so i don't feel guilty (too much) but will be S-T-O-P-P-I-N-G now!! maybe after looking at yall's recent threads.

adios, cj

okay, more...

Wow mickie,
I get a pretty good snapshot of your story. And I'm grinning and you too will be when I finish this...I did a search of threads you started and for some reason, the first time, it listed a bunch of threads, but the only one you started was back in April. So I followed it. You had gone off abx, felt like dog poo, really down. I could relate to a lot of it. I have had more margaritas in the last 4 months then in the last ?? whatever. I don't take anything for pain, sleep, etc. and in the eveings, 1 or 2 drinks is such an escape. I know the alcohol is not good, the sugar, etc. But my muscles relax, my mind chills out... and I've ALWAYS liked margaritas. Digressing.

Anyway, somewhere in this post, someone apologizes for always thinking you were a woman... my jaw dropped. I thought, dang, I don't remember much, but I sure thought Mickie was a woman! Turned to next page, and found your response and laughed OUT LOUD! So now you really should be, 'Mickie the girl-man'... and if we could ever pull off that reunion, I'd pay a pretty fee to be in the bunch...

Finished the laugh, did another search and found other threads you started... so you are on IV meds. I don't know all the details but it looks like you pushed forward and that is a good thing. You sounded very down in the April thread. At least now, you have something to work with. I don't know how tight finances are, but... for $141 you can get your adrenals, thyroid, and female hormones tested online w/o rx. When I was reading your April post, that is what came to mind. Someone who has burnt up much cortisol... just trash this and don't look back if it doesn't resonate with you. Or maybe you've already been down that road.

Gotta get... till I'm told otherwise, I'll still call ya Mickie... cj

Barb, I'm going to post on Holy Toledo...