Alright… November.
What a roller coaster month. So much happened it seemed two months long. The summary in my November chart is almost a post in itself, but let me break it down here.
OMG… this neuropathy is diving me crazy!
The month started out with an upswing in the tingling and weird muscle sensations I've been having up and down my right side since the beginning. Only this time they were making guest appearances on the left side. This had never happened before and it really started to freak me out. Anything new that effects me physically sends me off the deep end with worry. I keep thinking I have MS or ALS or some other devastating autoimmune acronym.
This combined with the fact that my LLMD told me a few months back that he thought I'd "be off antibiotics by December" really confused me. So much, in fact, that I really sort of lost it. I was ready to drop my LLMD, move to a dark cabin above the tree (and tick) line in the mountains and start the Marshall Protocol or some other equally wacked out treatment.
Luckily I talked myself off the ledge and, with the help of a friend, set up an "emergency" meeting with my LLMD and his physicians assistant.
Hey doc, can I have some of that crack you're smoking too?
In the meeting with my LLMD I laid it out for him; essentially, the recovery picture he'd been painting for me was not matching the reality I was experiencing. He'd told me in August that he thought I was doing pretty well and that I'd be off antibiotics by December (now). I explained to him that not only was I not feeling that significantly better, but some of my symptoms, namely the neuropathy, was worse. What the hell's going on?
Well, it turns out that it was my level of exercise that threw him. When I originally went to see him in May 2008 I told him that I was not doing any exercise. He jotted down something like, "Athlete not exercising" in his notes under the assumption that I was unable to do any. The truth was that I was voluntarily not doing anything because I thought it was detrimental to my over all health picture. I did explain this in the initial meeting, but he must have omitted writing that part down.
In this same meeting he told me that it was okay to workout and that I should do as much as I can manage. I think I went for a run that afternoon.
Several weeks passed and we again discussed my level of exercise. I told him I was back to running 15-20 miles a week with my coaching and biking 30 or so. He jotted this down too and then compared it to his previous notes. To him it seemed as if he had taken me from couch surfing to running/biking 50 miles a week in just a couple of months. Not bad, and I don't blame him for jumping all over this. Unfortunately, it wasn't true. I probably wouldn't have been able to do as much as that upon my first meeting with him, but it's likely that I could have managed half that effort/distance.
So, after a long discussion and clarification session about what he was thinking and what I was experiencing we finally came to a place of mutual understanding. This was a big relief for me and somewhat of a recovery breakthrough. To organize and rally my LLMD, his PA, my wife and myself together in the same room and clearly articulate what was going on and get us all headed in the same direction was very fulfilling. One of the few times that I've felt in control of my life in the last year or so.
To IV or not to IV, that is the question
After all of the hugging and hand-holding was over we discussed what to do next about my treatment. My LLMD seems to think that I'm no longer absorbing the oral antibiotics. We talked about what's involved with a PICC line and the pros and cons. We also discussed intramuscular (IM) Bacillin shots. Both of these get around the digestive system and get right into the bloodstream resulting in a more effective attack on the spirochetes.
The jury is still out on what to do. I'm seeing my LLMD again in a week and we're going to take up this topic then. Stay tuned.
Dear Mepron. You Suck
I continued back on the Mepron after my short-lived rash issue when initially starting it. I think it's helping. I no longer have the palpitations that I lead me to start taking it and for that I'm glad. Still, there are random days when it makes me feel like crap. I'll take it and then 30-45 mins later suddenly, wham! Brutal stuff.
Happy Thursday the 13th
For some reason on the 13th I felt great. Not 100%, but really pretty good. I felt positive and my brain fog, though still there, wasn't in the way of things. I was hoping that it would continue for a few more days, but it didn't last. Everything slowly returned to "normal" over the next 2 days. Lame, but a sweet reminder of what's (hopefully) down the road for me.
Run Forrest… run!
Speaking of the road… after over a year of non-competition I did my first road race in Central Park. I covered that in a post here. An awesome experience considering there was a time that I thought I'd never wear a race number again.
Chinese medicine and acupuncture
This deserves it's own post, but I started seeing a Chinese medicine practitioner. So many people say that herbs have helped them as much as drugs. I figure it's just another piece of the puzzle.
Thankful for Thanksgiving
I use holidays and other milestone dates to compare back and see what kind of improvements I'm making. We were in Atlanta again for Thanksgiving this year with my wife's family. Thinking back, I was pretty worthless last year. I recall having to take a nap almost every day and being generally lethargic the entire time we were down there. This year I was pretty engaged — took the niece and nephews to the aquarium, played some basketball, cooked a Mexican dinner for 11 people and generally hung out. Not bad.
On the down side, I tried to stick to my diet, but it was all but impossible. Not having a fridge stocked with exactly what I need combined with the fact that I've been urgently trying to keep my weight up and I simply couldn't manage. I stayed away from the obviously bad things like soda, sugary cereals and such, but I couldn't resist my Mother-In-Law's homemade apple pie. I gained 5lbs!
To sum up…
Like I said, a lot of stuff happened. The first part of the month was horrible, but the latter half was pretty good. I try to remind myself of this fact on days when I feel bad. The good days are coming (they are, right?). I just need to wait for them.
My November chart looks pretty similar to October's and the averages at the top correspond to the overall visual. They're down, but not significantly. Interestingly though, it's very different from September's chart and the averages are way down when compared to it. So, in the glacial speed of Lyme treatment, I guess that's significant progress.
technique that I saw on 
