The Appointment!

Hi all! We just got back after spending 8 more hours in the car. I actually think by the time we are done with this trip we will have spent almost 75 hours in the car in less than a week. That is way too stinking much if you ask me! :0)

Our appointment went well, but let me first catch you up to the appointment time. We got up at 2:20AM because we didn't know what the traffic would be like once we hit Charolotte, NC. The roads actually take you up to Charolotte and than back down to Fort Mill, SC. Seems to me that they need to build another road that cuts across, but oh well. lol We started our 4 1/2 hour drive to Fort Mill, SC at about 2:45AM. No one is on the highways at that time...hmmm...wonder why? LOL! We saw God's hand in us staying in Atlanta as once we hit SC, I started having asthma and allergies. There must be different vegetation than there is in Atlanta, so it was a huge blessing that God had us stay in GA and only go to SC on the day of our appointment. We got to our appointment about 30 minutes early and then we didn't see the doctor until about 30 minutes after that. Oh the dreaded wait time!

On this trip we have seen God answer one prayer request after another. It has been amazing to see God so powerfully work right before our eyes. Not that we didn't believe Him for it, but it's exciting to be a part of it! The office itself didn't bother me at all. Yay!! The nurse had NO perfume on and there were no air freshners or anything that triggered my allergies. The doctor had something on, but he was far enough away from me during my appointment that I was able to handle being in the same room for 2 hours w/ him. That usually doesn't happen either. Usually my tolerence level is about 30min. max, however once again I feel like God's protective shield was on me.

The doctor was very thorough, which we appreciated. He took an indepth history and asked me a gazillion questions. We were really impressed w/ his attention to detail. He did the examination and then we had it confirmed once again, that I did have Lyme Disease looking at all of my symptoms and my tests. He said that Lyme can manifest in a number of ways, but for me specifically the bacteria from the disease has invaded and "took up residence", as he would say, in my autonomic nervous system. That is the part that controls your heart rate (explains why mine is rapid and unsteady), your chemical releases (explains why I have problems w/ flushing), your temperature (explains why my basal temp is unusual low and then why I get hot so easy), the flight/fight response (explains why I struggle w/ high anxiety) and also tells your immune system whether to react to chemcials/allergic triggers (0bviously my "reacting mechanism" is on high alert and reacts to everything).

He said in other words, the back of my brain is fried (not un-reversible though, thank goodness!). So we will be starting a treatment protocol when we get back. He is going to do my treatment very slowly. The first part is to stablize my brain and sleep through a variety of medications to prepare my system to receive the tough treatment. That will take about a month. Then we will start on the heavy antibiotics. Thankfully, at this point he said he didn't think I would have to do IV antibiotics which is a big praise for us! I will take strong doses of medication for 1 week and then rest for 2 and start the process all over again. He said he wants to give my body time to recover. The seven days seem small, but the medication is strong and the Lyme symptons really flare-up during those days. "Lymies" really welcome the break from the meds.

Finally, the biggest praise of all, he said that because my case was unusual, as most people are not as sensitive as I am, he said we could do most of my appointments by phone. God is so good!! It will not only take the stress off of my body having to travel, it will also help us financially. He did tell us that he doesn't usually do this for patients as he even has some that come from Europe and require follow-ups every couple months, however since I won't be on IV and travel is SO difficult for us, he said there is not a need right now . Praise the Lord!!! That is such an incredible gift.

We are really tired, but we feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to meet this famous doctor and even more blessed to see God's hand in every step of our journey. We are going to sleep awhile at our hotel in Atlanta, but then will probably leave super early in the morning to start our journey home to Tucson. We have decided to not stop half-way and just drive straight through the 25 hours as I am just too reactive to try to find another hotel to stay in. We will trade off driving so we can catch some shut-eye.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragment. The Lord has used it to help us keep going when things have been tough. We are so grateful for each one of you and it has truly made a difference. We will post when we get home! We hope you are having a wonderful week and know that our thoughts and prayers are with each of you!!