WOW!!! My first day of treatment popped up on Facebook memories yesterday, and I cannot believe how quickly the past year flew by.  It is amazing how fast time flies when you actually feel well!  I have had a lot going on over here, some of which I will be sharing with you all VERY soon, so I apologize for being MIA!  I wanted to do a quick recap of how everything is going, and also answer a few questions I have been receiving.

First of all, I am feeling very good!  My only complaint is headaches here and there, and I think those are mostly due to the hot, hot heat of the Arizona desert.  Our AC is not the best, so when I am at home packing (yes, moving AGAIN), it is a very warm ordeal.  Thankful to have central AC at our new place, that is for sure.  My neurological symptoms have pretty much dissipated; I can read and actually comprehend what I am reading, I am not nearly as forgetful, I remember words most of the time, and I have not had neuropathy in my legs and hands in months.  My digestive system is one happy camper, finally, so I have not had any issues in that area which is a welcome change.  My joints have been SO much less painful, however, I do get TMJ from time to time.  This is generally when I am going through a stressful time at work, and it goes away once I remind myself to RELAX.  My fatigue is SO much better, too!  I still find it incredibly important to eat well, make sure I am getting enough sleep, and take it slow.  Sleep plays such a HUGE role for me- if I do not get at least 9 hours, I notice that other things start to go. I’ll have more brain fog than usual and often that is when I notice some joint pain.  Taking is slow is also very important.  Although I feel good, I need to remind myself that I need at least one day a week where I am just hanging out at home with the pup.  Do a face mask, light cleaning, yoga, get some reading done, that sort of thing.  I find that my mind and body thank me for it SO much during the upcoming week.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions asking me to compare Envita and StemAid, and I just want to comment on that before I go.  I don’t think I can accurately compare the two, given that I was only diagnosed at Envita. I did do a heavy metal detox there for a week in October 2016,  and I did an oral protocol with them for about a year.  The oral protocol is not ideal, as they really push to do the IV protocol, however, I did not have the time to do 8 weeks of treatment where I would have been there for hours every day, as I needed to work.  So, the oral protocol is what I could do to hold me over until summer when I thought I would do the IV protocol with Envita.  I noticed with the oral protocol that I was getting worse, not better, and I was spending upwards of $600 a month on all the different medications and supplements.  Not ideal, especially if you are seeing yourself decline.  My dear friend told me about StemAid in March 2017, and that is when I made the decision to not go through with the 8 week protocol with Envita.  Full disclosure: I would have bankrupted my family if I had gone through Envita, but at the time, we thought it was our only option.  The IV protocol is extremely expensive, and none of it is guaranteed to be covered by insurance.  Poor school teacher + $60K of treatment = no bueno.  So, StemAid it was.  And StemAid is what worked for me.  I can now say that a year out, I would not be where I am without the treatment that I received at StemAid.  I am eternally grateful for the doctor and nursing staff there, and for my dear friend who told me all about them.  But, in the Lyme world, what works for one person may not necessarily work for another.  That is the total frustrating part about this disease.  I recommend it based on what I experienced and was feeling at the time, and how I am feeling now.

Hopefully that clears up some stuff for you all!  Please, do not hesitate to reach out and ask questions!  I LOVE hearing from you!

As always, thank you so much for your support.  Be on the lookout for a big post in the next month or so!

❤