Lyme Lessons

​I lost ten years to Lyme disease.  My entire 40’s.  This is a great loss and not particularly a happy thought.  However I have come to realize that my illness was just a chapter in my life and I will be forever grateful for it.  I am after all the person I am today because of Lyme disease.  I just celebrated my 52nd birthday and I feel terrific.  For the first time since I can remember I have energy and am completely pain free.  This new me is taking a moment to reflect on the lessons Lyme disease has taught me.
 

1. Wellness must come from within you.  During my lowest points I discovered an inner strength that will help me for the rest of my life.  I am empowered today because if I could make it through those dark years I can make it through anything!
2. Learning how to prioritize and make time for the most important things in life.  Days when I was in so much pain I could barely function, days when just brushing your teeth was a chore, I learned to put the most important things first.
3. Giving it to God.  This is perhaps a very hard lesson especially when your prayers seem to be just to end the pain no matter how.  Giving it to God is one of the ways to deal with things you do not have the answer to.  For me God gave me the ability and the tenacity to win my battle against Lyme disease.  My full recovery came when I let God take the reigns and truly show me the way.  God had a plan for me and I was never alone.
4. Not expecting from others.  When you expect a certain thing you are often let down or saddened.  When I was at my sickest my kids were eating Happy Meals almost every night for dinner.  What I would not have done for a caring friend to send over a meal or just call to say, “hi how are you feeling today?”  In truth I was so sick and emotionally drained I had no idea what to feel let alone accept help from others when I had no idea what I needed myself.  I struggled through and never learned those simple words “Can you help me today?” I have learned to ask for help and I do not have expectations of others.  I simply am enjoying me and I do not expect others to bring me my happiness it must come from within.
5. Gratitude.  I am grateful for my family for loving me and being there during the worse days.  I am thankful for the lessons I learned and for the knowledge I obtained.  Because of my illness I am better able to address aging and hope to live to be 100. 
6. Letting go of negative emotions and learning to love myself.  In order to reach the final stage of wellness I needed to let go of the feeling of quilt I had over my illness.  I felt guilty for letting my family down and not being the mom and wife I wanted to be.  Those negative feelings were in the way of my healing.  I accepted my illness for what it was and let go of my guilt.  I spend my time now being thankful for my blessings. 
7. Laugh. Find the joy in laughter.  Ellen was a staple for me during my illness.  Taking time to let go and just enjoy and laugh is wonderful medicine. Sometimes you take simple things like laughter for granted.  When you are feeling horrible laughing can be amazing!
8. Learning that the stress of life or an illness is out of your control so you need to just let it go and as stated in number four Give it to God. These words are over said but could not be truer.  Take it one day at a time