Search Results for: lyme

Lyme Awareness & Getting Out

May, my birth month, is also Lyme Disease Awareness month. Funny, that's exactly the month that I have been bitten and contracted Lyme twice now. I always do like being timely. These days I find I'm able to make it outside more. I'm attempting to run instead of walking and yoga. I've been able to add strength training back into my days. I'm seeing friends and doing things with my family that months ago I would have had to forgo. A month ago going out for coffee would have been my only activity for the day. Just this weekend we hit up the Cirque De Soliel show, Luzia and took in a baseball game. A NIGHT game. I wasn't asleep or crumpled in pain and needing a detox bath. This is HUGE. It is life-giving. Just look! And I got dressed in something besides leggings and … [Read more...]

Living with Lyme Disease

As we move into the new year, let's get one thing straight. I'm living with Lyme Disease. There I said it. I'm opening up about it more as we move into 2018. Living with Lyme disease means something different for everyone but for me, it means making this year the year of healing. It means a lot of guest posting on here too. Lol. Because truthfully since I was diagnosed for the second time in May, my life began to unravel. I didn't take the time to heal like I did last summer (where I really believe I conquered it) when I got bit the first time. I didn't rest like before. I kept pushing my mind and my body. All summer I went full force. Fall rolled around I continued to do the same creating a schedule that would double my work hours. And I crashed. Hard. I thought I was … [Read more...]

Running the Distance while battling Lyme Disease

This fitness feature guest post is by Amy Pope Fitzgerald of the blog, Twinglesmom. Read her triumphant and truly inspiring story about living with Lyme disease while being a Mom and runner. I am ultra marathoner living with chronic Lyme disease. When Lyme first invaded my body, I was in my mid 20’s with my entire life ahead of me. I do not recall being bit by a tick or finding a bulls eye rash on my body. I woke up one day and felt paralyzed, scared and wasn’t sure if I would see my 30’s. … [Read more...]

Finding Natural Pain Relief for Inflammation & Soreness

Image courtesy of unsplash.com: Sasun Bughdaryan What is your favorite remedy for fighting joint pain and muscle soreness? Do you use a natural pain relief cream? Do you prefer doctor alternative options like integrative medicine in Evanston, IL? Do you prefer holistic health options supervised by a holistic health practitioner? What about the use of a cbd hemp oil topical? What's your favorite one? One of the biggest obstacles I encountered each time I battled Lyme disease (four times and counting) with its myriad of co-infections was finding relief from pain. Whether it was incorporating yoga into my workout routine, regular Epsom salt baths or finding a pain relief cream that took away the very distinct and sometimes all encompassing pain that Lyme created I felt I was on … [Read more...]

5 Tips for Replacing Your Roof This Fall

Replacing your roof is a major project. When it comes to home renovations, a roof replacement is among the largest. If you have a replacement coming up soon, you're not alone. If your roof is over 20 years old, it is probably due for replacement. Here are some things you should keep in mind for replacing your roof this fall. 1. Consider New Material Just because you've always had the same thing, doesn't mean you need to keep using it. Home renovations are a perfect time for you to upgrade your house. Consider using a different material when you replace your roofing. Metal roofing is popular and reliable. In fact, depending on the material, a metal roof can last 40 to 70 years. Take some time to research your options before you decide what to do. You may discover a new roofing material … [Read more...]

A Holiday Thank You to Delivery Drivers

We get A LOT of packages. Even in pre-Covid times, I was a bit of a package junkie. I've been a member and avid user of Amazon since 1998. I have no shame in this game. @purzlbaum unsplash.com Exhibit A: Last August we went on vacation for a week and a neighbor watched our dogs for us. When we returned home seven days later the entire entryway was full of boxes and plastic sealed bags full of items ordered in the last few weeks. However, many of them were things we had been waiting on for months due to pandemic problems with shipping and supply. It was embarrassing, to say the least. We looked like addicts. Honestly, it is not that bad on the regular. Exhibit B: is this holiday season. I'm immunocompromised due to Chronic Lyme and I already loathe leaving my house … [Read more...]

News, Notes & Favorite Earth Day Things

How is everyone doing right now? I mean, really, how are you doing? For my family here in Virginia, we have been in quarantine for over a month. We are in our second week of distance learning for our kids despite them being out since Friday, the 13th. It's been a challenge. However, we now realize that the slower pace suits us in a lot of ways. Still, we miss our friends. We miss their faces. We miss our church family. Truthfully, I'm in a full Lymes flare up the likes of which I haven't experienced since 2018 when I was in full treatment mode. I've been put on new drugs and anti-anxiety meds and I'm breaking out like a hormonal teen but I'm weeks away from turning 44. I feel so pretty! Sigh. Some days I don't know if I have got a handle on things or not. Some days I am barely … [Read more...]

One Fast Healthy Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast

This breakfast recipe I'm about to show you is one of my favorite healthy breakfast options. It is one of the first steps I take daily to ensure that I am building a healthy body both inside and outside. I want to keep my body as strong and clean as possible to ward off flare-ups from my chronic Lyme disease. Clean eating and anti-inflammatory diet help a lot. Long Ago in a Galaxy Far Away... Actually, it was December 2017 and my Lyme doctor told me to eliminate all sugar (unless it was natural), dairy, alcohol, and gluten. Dreadful news to hear during a holiday season. I needed to clean up my food to reduce the level of inflammation in my body and help eliminate the massive amount of full-body pain and fatigue I was dealing with daily. Lyme disease is a great imitator and it loves … [Read more...]

Detox & Revive Sore Muscles

I'm a fitness motivator, an online fitness coach. It's what I do and it is who I am in a lot of ways because it comes naturally to me. What does that mean? It means I am all about helping others find exercise programs that they love and that bring real results. I also help them learn to eat clean and healthy. It means that I am a product of the product. It means I have to detox and revive sore muscles too. I was into the habit of taking detox baths 2-3 times a week last year. This was when my Lyme disease was at its peak. I was my sickest and detox baths were part of my regular treatment. They relieve soreness from the muscles and as a fitness coach, it helps a ton! As I felt better physically I stopped this practice. I had coincidentally finished with doing two programs consecutively … [Read more...]

Hello, It’s Been A While

Remember me? I think it's time to introduce myself again. I'm Vicky. Mother to three girls, writer, dog mom to one Doberman, two-time Post-Partum Depression survivor, chronically ill with Lyme Disease and co-infections (#lymewarrior), domestic violence survivor, and fitness coach. Whew! What sets me apart from all the other blogs out there? Nothing, but my own unique story, my take on life and the fact that I live by a ton of quotes (mostly film and TV-related) but this one in particular, "It ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward." * In my former life, before Lyme tried to take me down, I reviewed cars, wrote about fashion trends and picks. I talked about my early days of parenting back when Mommy blogs were all the rage. I … [Read more...]