Lyme Literate Mama: our finish line and happy new year!

After twelve weeks of IV's and thirteen weeks in Germany, we are HOME! We got into our little home town late Christmas night and it was such a wonderful gift. It has been a flurry as we finalized German visas and paperwork during the last weeks in Germany, packed up three months of living into five pieces of luggage and made the long trek home. There have been so many thoughts juggling for first place in my head that it has taken me a while to be able to sort through them all and get this post out. I hope everyone had such a wonderful Christmas, and cheers to the New Year! I love the New Year because it is a time of new beginnings. I feel the Lord giving us new beginnings this year, in a whole new way. I am so blessed and deeply thankful to share where He has our family right now.

Twelve weeks is a long time to be away from home. Twelve weeks is a long time to be in treatment, four days a week. It truly felt like a marathon journey and it was worth EVERY SINGLE SECOND. I wish I could shout that...it was worth it! It was worth every tear and every arm held out yet again, receiving another intravenous infusion. It was worth every fear that our huge investment was built upon a leap of faith and lots of research, yet knowing that I could not predict the future healing for our family. I will say this...at this point, we are confident that each of us who went through treatment in Germany are LYME FREE. This is the most precious blessing and answer to prayer that we could have hoped for. We followed the stories of so many people who came to Germany sick and left healed...and now that is our story too. I am on my knees in absolute thanks to Jesus for this.

This is not just wonderful, this is life-changing for our family. It feels like a new beginning. My oldest didn't have very many symptoms, just more exhaustion than is normal for a teenager and he got sick so much he couldn't complete a season of sports. He had to withdraw. He has energy now and time will prove his endurance level. Due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the IV's he received, his asthma is also much better, as evidenced by the cold that took hold of him this past week that he has gotten through so well. Normally with a harsh cold like this is, we would be hooked up to a nebulizer every four hours getting him through the first two days. But that is not our story any more.

My middle child was the sickest and though his body is still getting better (it's not magic; the body has to heal and regenerate) the changes we see in him brings me to tears of joy in this mommy heart. He hasn't had a headache in six weeks. He doesn't have unlimited amounts of energy but he has an endurance and a stamina and bounces back within hours instead of being down for the count for a week. He has hope and a sparkle in his eyes again. He does not look haggard and sunken anymore. And he grew about two or three inches! He had the largest Lyme load out of my three boys and we are headed back in mid-January to give him a few more weeks of treatment. Our doctors words were, "He came here.... really not well" and I would have to agree with her. After further blood testing, our doctor is working on fixing an abnormally high antibody count (not in relation to a western blot), showing evidence of a long-term chronic infection, similar to having chronic EBV.

My youngest was utterly exhausted before treatment; so much so that it was incredibly hard to stay awake during the school day. His legs would be so tired that he would rather sit inside than go out on recess. We are a structured family with bed time hours, limited amounts of screen time and a backyard that begs to be played in. To say this was abnormal for a boy his age would be an understatement. The biggest struggle other than exhaustion was his legs would ache and be so tired he just didn't want to walk or exert energy. Since the end of treatment he has no leg pain and his energy level is rising! So much of this journey after the bacterial infection is gone is about rebuilding strength and becoming normal again. The body does not regenerate overnight, yet it is truly amazing to see the changes in them simply because they do not have a spirochete load in their body anymore.

I am also incredibly better and healing. I went to Germany not feeling terrible, yet I had the largest Lyme load out of my whole family tested. It is so clear to me that it was God's mercy and grace to me that He kept me feeling capable through it all. My brain is not in a fog and the best way I can describe the freedom I feel inside my body is this: It's like I was getting through life struggling against an invisible tide. You know how you can try to run in water, or run against the tide that is trying to pull you out? No matter how much sleep I got, not matter how healthy I ate or how much I tried to overcome by sheer stubborn force, I was still fighting something deep inside that was winning. My oldest described it by a "lightness" inside that he didn't used to have. It's an amazing difference. I will have a few more weeks of treatment along with my middle child, just to allow my body to be built up and finish the healing journey. Our doctor is so good about not only eliminating the infection, but building the body back up so that the natural immune system is rock solid and killing the bad stuff! We are so excited to finish and have this journey in the rear-view mirror. I know the healing will continue even more as we are home in the months that follow, much the same anyone would after having a long-term illness.

We have been so blessed by all the prayer and encouragement. We have felt EVERY SINGLE PRAYER. Not one was in vain. The Lord carried us in His arms while we missed home and dreaded another day of treatment, while we struggled through communication barriers and felt sick and longed for the familiar things of home that would comfort. The Lord carried us with so many cards, letters, prayers, messages and love from all of you. Our hearts are grateful beyond what words can express. Thank you.