The Essential Things of Life

So last time we bore our gory sickie souls to you all... And while you got the prettied up version, I'm sure it was enough for you to walk away with at least an inkling of sympathy for anyone with chronic illness and the flu!

Today's topic is rather tame, and even––dare I say––exhilarating, for those on a quest for wellness or even wholeness.

A few years ago, a friend of mine from church shared with me a tiny smidgeon about therapeutic grade essential oils and their benefit in our lives. I bought a few of them and began using them, very infrequently, around the house and a few times on our bodies to ward off sickness. I quickly forgot about using them so much and they sat, unused, on my shelf. (Thankfully they don't go rancid, like cooking oils do!)

The problem was, however, that I just didn't know the science behind these things, and with my personality, that was a problem... I needed more info and didn't know to ask at the time. And that is ok. Because there is definitely a reason for everything, even if we don't understand it at any given time.

Well, as you read last time, when we were hit with the plague (okay, the flu, but it felt like the plague!!!) I called my friend up for a diffuser. I still had a blend from Young Living, called Thieves, that would be perfect for this sort of thing.

Thieves is an interesting name, no? It bears this name because of where it was discovered. Back in England during the time of the plague, there was a band of grave robbers who would go into the homes and such of people who were sick and dying/dead from the plague. They would douse themselves with a blend of oils and enter the homes... And not get sick. Truth. When these bandits were captured, they revealed their oil blend to the authorities in exchange for a lesser sentence. Nice, huh? Well, this is the blend that is inside every bottle of Thieves. It is very anti-everything bad for you. Anti-bacterial, -microbial, -fungal, -viral. Everything! It also helps to bolster the immune system and more. It has a list of positive attributes that would rival even the fairest in the land.

We immediately started diffusing the Thieves as well as applying one drop on the bottoms of our feet nightly. When the oils are diffused, tiny microscopic particles of the oils are lifted into the air. The ones that are airborne actually kill pathogens in the air. The ones we inhale go directly into our bloodstream via the lungs. Most essential oils are molecularly small enough to cross the blood-brain-barrier; something most pharmaceuticals cannot do.

Our recovery from the flu was quicker than we had anticipated. What's more, I have heard from so many families in our area and in my home state how they have all relapsed. We have not. Immune-boosting power.

The reason they are called essential oils is simple: it is everything essential to the life of the plant. Nature is full of pathogens that are not only out to get us humans, but also any living thing. Plants are susceptible to illness just as we are. Think of their essential oils as their immune system. And they are powerful. Here's a great example of the power-packed punch of an essential oil: one solitary drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 24 cups of peppermint tea! That is no joke. Just 3 drops in a two-gallon container was enough for a refreshing water beverage.

I have one more thing to say on today's post about essential oils. These oils MUST be therapeutic grade or you honestly do not know what you are getting. Some oils are chemically distilled/extracted, and residues of these chemicals can be left in the end product. Others could be blended with a carrier oil and still be called "pure essential oil" or what have you. There are even more specifics, such as harvesting time and procedure, organic issues, and more. So I urge you, if you want to give this a try, please don't go to the local shop and pick up a $6 bottle of "essential oil." There are perfume and food grades that are largely lab-derived, and do not possess the healing qualities that therapeutic grade oils have.

More to come on how these oils are fitting into my life with Lyme. Until then, keep your chin up and steady on friends.

Proto-Calling All Seekers!

So about 2 1/2 weeks after I blogged in February, my entire family came down with the FLU. Ugh. It was awful. Here's what happened:

Saturday, Feb 16th, we all went to bed, myself a bit eager for Sunday for two reasons. #1, Ab was headed to a regional spelling competition with the Knights of Columbus and I was going to be taking her. #2, it was my birthday. What a great way to spend a special day... enjoying one of my kiddos' academic excellence, even in the face of this disease.

Well, about 30 minutes before the stroke of midnight, my hubby and I were startled awake by Ab blasting through our door, exclaiming "Reb's barfing!" Well, she sleeps on the top bunk, so that was not going to be a fun way to spend the next half hour or so... Nick took to cleaning the bed while I cleaned the child.

We went back to bed, but I basically got to "enjoy" the wee early hours of my birthday by running every 20 minutes to the "sickie bed" when Reb would get sick again and again.

Plans didn't change, however, for Ab and myself. We went to the competition where she took 3rd place and a bronze medal. I am so so proud of that girl!

What we didn't know was that we probably ended up infecting quite a few people while there. Not the best gift, but when you don't know you're giving it away, what can you do? Kind of like congenital Lyme and my family. The unknown gift that keeps on giving. Until now, that is.

Anyway, Ab got sick Sunday evening. Reb was still sick. Then Monday came. Nick got home from work to find me, a lump of nothingness on the couch... Stomach pain. Him too. We sat there, feeling green. All of a sudden, Nick got up and went to speak to the porcelain god. The second time I've ever heard him be sick in the 15 years that I've known him. Seriously.

I sat on the couch, thinking how I was not feeling well and the bathroom on this level was occupied for the moment, and realized that I should begin my trek up the stairs as it takes me so long to climb Mount Staircase with my legs so afflicted by Lyme.

It was a grand decision. I got to the upstairs bathroom just in time. Ugh. Now the only one not sick was our middle daughter, Mir.

Nick and I lay in our bed, trying not to move for the pain, unless it was to the bathroom for another "yelling" match between ourselves and the echoing toilet bowl. How awful this flu was!!

Tuesday rolled around to find our last healthy kid incapacitated as well. At least she's the easy one. When she's sick, you wouldn't even know unless you walked in on the act. At age 7 (and earlier!) she does her business and cleans up, then it's back to bed and no one knows anything even happened. It definitely was the best order!

So... during all of that turmoil and suffering, we had some great friends bring by the root beer popsicles that were suggested by my home care nurse as well as some caffeine-free coke to drink room temp and flat. Yuck. But again, it did the trick.

The best decision we made was to have another dear friend bring over her last diffuser she had in stock so that I could diffuse some Thieves essential oil blend from Young Living. I began looking more into the essential oils and realized how amazing they are. They are like the life force of plants and work within our own bodies to help facilitate healing and wellness!

I will leave that little tidbit for you to chew on until next time. But this is the starting point of probably the best decision I could have made in a long time... Maybe since I decided to marry my husband and then have his children. Really. It's that good of a decision.

Until next time... Keep your chins up and steady on.

Surely to Put a Spring in Your Step!

Well, hello there... How have you all been since February? Hopefully you didn't think I was gone away. I know it's been a while.

Well I have some very good info to pass along! How about that?!?! After 1 1/2 years of treatment, I think we have finally stumbled onto greatness as far as a strategy is concerned. Now, since it's been a while, I will start back at where I left you all.

I've been doing the Glutathione pushes weekly. This continues to be a great help.

After 16 weeks of IV Rocephin, I have switched to IV Invanz. This is a new antibiotic and with that, of course, comes a pretty hefty price tag. I pray my insurance doesn't pull any fast ones on us. The two best things about Invanz is that #1 because it is so new, there is very little resistance to it, and #2, I only have to infuse once a day!!! Hooray!!!

Not much had been happening since I blogged last, so don't feel like you've missed out. Lyme is such a long-term treatment. We are marathon warriors, people. Endurance, endurance, endurance.

There is one thing I can't help but bubble over with pride to you all, though. My eldest of Lyme warrior offspring, Ab, just recently participated in her very first musical. This is something near and dear to my heart, as I have quite a history in the theatrical world. I was so proud to coach her vocally (it's something I do), and hear that she walked away from auditions with the LEAD!!!

Here she is, post-closing night performance, with her flowers and excitement. What a great kid.

That's right, FOUR bouquets of gorgeous flowers!

Even with the struggles of Lyme, she puts herself out there and lives with excellence. Of course, she comes home every night and has mom rub her aching muscles down with some essential oils... but more about that in the next post. ;)

I am so honored to have you all out there, reading along and joining me – in your own ways – in this fight. Please stick with us. We have a ways to go. I hope our story brings inspiration and maybe even a few answers or starting places for your own paths.

Big smiles and happy Spring, everybody!