lyme lessons

My Lyme Healing Story: Hope Found (Part 3)

My Lyme Healing Story: Hope Found (Part 3)
In case you missed anything up to this point, check out Parts 1 & 2 HERE: 


We’re going to pick up right when I was diagnosed with Lyme but hadn’t had PROPER, ongoing treatment yet. However, as you read about in Part 2, I experienced a healing breakthrough with 2 modalities: myofascial release and homeopathy/alternative medicine (which also involved lifestyle and diet changes).

I finished out high school doing a bit better because of these 2 forms of alternative medicine and by sheer determination. I did NOT feel like my health was reliable or predictable though. I felt on edge and identified as more of a “sick person” than I’d like to admit. 

Despite not feeling well I had my eyes set on working in healthcare or health sciences as a career. Through some debating and one major change in college, I became a nurse. Before my 22nd birthday I was married to an amazing man who fully supported (and still does!) my health and healing journey, graduated, passed boards, and got a job at a prestigious local hospital in an ICU there. 

My career at that point went well, but my health wasn’t great. And working day/night rotating shifts didn’t help at all. In fact, in some ways I started getting worse. 

I wasn’t seeing any alternative medicine practitioners, but was still getting my myofascial release pretty regularly. 

I was also still accruing autoimmune/rheumatological diagnoses, including being worked up for lupus. Additionally, my hormones were getting a bit whacky - a variety of symptoms were popping up, and eventually, I would also be advised to begin a PCOS workup (which I never did do and I do not have at this point). 

This was when I started looking hard at how my circumstances were impacting my health. I realized my job wasn’t helping me heal, and in fact, seemed to be making things worse. We wanted to start a family but I wasn’t well enough to make that possible. So I approached my boss about taking a different position on the unit since I really didn’t want to leave a place I loved working. Thankfully a new, less stressful position for me was able to happen - I went part-time day shift and my health started improving almost immediately. It’s no surprise I had a positive pregnancy test a few months later. 

Early in pregnancy, my husband’s (Cam) boss and his wife actually began treatment with a local Lyme Literate Nurse Practitioner and were telling Cam about it. Of course, my hubby’s ears perked up and he told them *I* also had a Lyme history. They told me to watch the documentary Under Our Skin and consider reaching out to their Lyme provider, especially since I was pregnant. 

I watched the documentary almost immediately. I was in shock. It confirmed SO much and also scared me a bit too. But this was a “helpful” type of fear, I like to call it, that pushed me to take ACTION - for myself, and my baby now too. 

I called the LLNP my husband’s boss was seeing and she got me in within weeks. The bonus for me was that she is also a nurse midwife, so she REALLY could help considering my stage of life/pregnancy as well. Spoiler alert:  I’ve been with her ever since and she’s AMAZING at what she does!


Stay tuned to read the next installment SOON where I’ll share how it went FINALLY getting connected with a capable and reputable specialist. 


Let’s make sure you’re connected with me so you stay plugged in to allll the holistic healing goodness and community that’s there for YOU! Hop into Lyme-y & Crunchy for all kinds of Lyme healing encouragement!

Surprising Benefits of Raising Kids on a Healing Journey

Surprising Benefits of Raising Kids on a Healing Journey
I have 4 young kids, 3 so far with Lyme & coinfection diagnoses.

Read on to hear some surprising benefits I've found walking alongside my kiddos as they embrace & enjoy their healing journeys.
Read more...

Meet Adele

 
          Half my lifetime ago I was expecting to be permanently disabled or even dead at a young age unless I found a way back to hope and health. As a result of a mystery illness, I was nearly bed-ridden as a teenager. Sometimes I had to CRAWL up the 7 steps to my bedroom to get to bed because I couldn’t walk that far. I HAD to nap every single day. I was in *constant* burning, aching pain throughout my body and experienced exhaustion and brain fog so bad I could barely communicate. I had quit all sports, babysitting and other jobs. My ambitions, successes, sense of self, and LIFE were slipping through my fingers. I had been misdiagnosed with autoimmune conditions for years only to finally discover that Lyme disease and co-infections were the primary culprit of my medical mysteries. At the time of my diagnosis, I was spiraling into depression, helplessness, and hopelessness.  I had no idea where this journey would take me, but I could not see a light at the end of it, and that was just plain scary.
 
          My mom took me to many doctors, but none specialized in Lyme and tick borne illnesses. They all treated the symptoms I was having as best as they could, but I was still getting slowly worse, or having side effects from medications I was being put on. So my mom and I sought alternative options out of desperation. Homeopathy, diet changes, proper supplements, and rest finally started to lead me into healing and the fog started to lift. During that time, myofascial release from a certified massage therapist was one of the most helpful modalities I tried. She used essential oils too, and that was officially my first introduction to their power. All of these alternative options helped me survive, start to thrive, and begin the next leg of my journey: becoming a nurse. I thrived in a career that combined science, research, and helping others through their suffering and health goals. In my young adult years, I finally had the opportunity to continue my treatment and health journey with a Lyme specialist, which has helped me heal more fully than I ever would have thought possible 10yrs ago. 

          I knew that as I got married, started a family, and was working on healing my body, I had some big goals: 1) to be there for my family and to be able to care for them fully and 2) to have a non-toxic home and life in order to live our best lives. My cousin shared with me some of her journey, which had similarities to my own. She was using some things I was already curious about, including essential oils and specialized supplements. I was HOOKED after the first sample I tried! I could now clearly visualize the next steps of my healing journey - hope had returned!
              
          Now, I have endless hope. I can LIVE LIFE. This is the healthiest I’ve truly been since about age 14 and I’m thriving! I’ve been able to advocate for my own 4 babies, 3 of whom have ended up with Lyme too. I’m dedicated to using my nursing background and love of education in combination with appreciation for functional medicine and alternative therapies to help everyone I can. My hope is renewed. I am empowered and equipped. I’m enjoying and embracing the journey and want to help YOU to be able to have all of that too!

          If you're ready to link arms with me and walk this journey together, please reach out! I'd LOVE to hear from you!


**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional here to diagnose, treat, cure, or otherwise influence your medical journey outside of the guidance of a medical professional. Please find a doctor you trust and discuss any medical concerns or treatments with them. Also, please know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases through my site at no extra cost to you.

Contact

Copyrights © 2025 held by respective copyright holders, including Wellness with Adele.