Hello Insomnia! :P

Hello all! Well, it's about 4:58am in the morning, and I have yet to fall asleep. The insomnia lately has been a killer. Last week, I had 3 nights where I didn't fall asleep before 6am and one night where I didn't sleep at all until a nap in the middle of the day. I think it is directly related to the fact we are treating Bartonella with Rifampin; however, it is not fun. I am just exhausted, and I can't afford to spend my days sleeping away because I have big time projects to work on for school.

Before I give you an update, I wanted to let you know that I am still collecting data for my graduate project on Lyme Disease. So, if you are a Lyme Disease patient and you want to participate, you can access my project blog via this link: Lyme Disease ~A Hidden Epidemic.

Now for the update. Well, between the lack of sleep and the horrible symptoms caused by adding the drug Rifampin, it has been quite the week. Originally, my doctor wanted me on 600mg Tuesday through Friday. However, all that I have still been able to tolerate is 300mg Tuesday through Thursday. This drug really sets off my immune system. Brian and I suspect that it is Bartonella that has kept me sick all these years because I have reacted so strong to this medication. The symptoms I experienced when I first got sick are back plus more. It gets worse every time I take it, and by Thursday my body is so set off. I react to every carbohydrate and things in the air and things that touch my skin cause me to break out. My skin is so painful ,and even a little scratch will make me break out in a rash/welt.

At the same time that is all going on, I am constantly dizzy/lightheaded, nauseous, achy, have unsteady blood pressure, and I am experiencing full body jolts. The jolts are the worst believe it or not. It literally feels like I am being struck by lightening and when it happens, I can be laying in bed and my whole body will jump. I feel like I have been shocked. It used to only happen once or twice a month, but now I get the lovely experience of it happening at least once a day. Last Friday's was the worst as it didn't seem to end like it usually does after a couple of seconds. For about 30 minutes I felt like I had my hand in the electric socket (which I did not, lol). I can't describe the pain, but I felt like I had millions of little knives in my skin. It was not a pleasant experience. A couple of times throughout each day, I also have had head jerks. It's always a little defeating when these types of symptoms pop up; however, I try to always see the positive side in it that maybe we are making headway in fighting this disease. :) I hope so!

On Tuesday, I will have a phone appointment with one of the doctors that works with my main doctor out in California. It couldn't come at a better time as Brian and I have quite a few questions about my treatment plan and what to do with Rifampin. We need to figure out if it's okay for me to push through Rifampin with how it sets my system off so bad or whether we will do permanent damage if we push through like causing my already bad Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and food allergies to get worse. We also need to see what we are going to be doing with IV. We feel like I am not making any progress with the IV Zith, but it IS keeping me stable. I decline pretty fast when I am off of it. So, we need to figure out how we can help me to gain ground because honestly we don't have too many months left where we can afford to pay for the IV costs. We are praying big time that this doctor can help us. I don't see the main doctor until May 6th. I am hoping that the other doctors in the office aren't just helping us coast until we can get to our appointment. IV costs are too expensive to waste it on coasting.

So, if you could be praying for that appointment, we would really appreciate it. The good thing is Brian will be home, so I think I will have Brian talk to him after I initially report my symptoms. I am pretty bad at getting my facts straight and remembering details these days which brings me to my next prayer request. The next two months are going to be really tough school-wise. I have made it so far, but I have a huge project this week that is due on Sunday. I haven't even started and when I don't sleep at night and have to sleep during the day, it's so easy to fall behind. This specific project is going to take a TON of hours. I can feel my anxiety already climbing. So, if you could pray that God would multiply my time this week, and that I would sleep at night, I would really appreciate it. This is all such a struggle, but only having two months left is a blessing!

Brian is doing okay. He has had a ton of headaches and neckaches lately. Some of his headaches have been getting really bad where the pain medicaiton barely makes a dent. This is unusual because most of the time Brian is extremely healthy. However, in the last couple of months that has changed a bit. So, we made the decision that we are going to go ahead and pay the money to have Brian tested for Lyme Disease. There is some evidence that it can be passed from husband to wife and vice versa. So, if he does have Lyme Disease, we would rather catch it now before he has had it for too long and he starts getting sick like me. Hopefully, we will be sending off the test one week from Monday and then it takes a couple of weeks to get the results back.

We haven't found out the results of his CPA exam yet, but I am sure he passed it. He actually just got selected to run his own auditing job. That is exciting as it is a lot more responsibility than just being a staff accountant. He will start in the next couple of weeks, so keep him in your prayers. I asked if he was nervous and of course he is not. :) He will do amazing and it is such a great opportunity. I know he will shine!

Well, I need to go try and get some sleep as I have to wake up in 1 1/2 hours to go to an appointment. Yikes! This day is not going to be fun. Anyways, thank you so much for all of your support and prayers. I have been overwhelmed at the response I have gotten for help with my graduate project. It has been awesome to see God work, and I am praying that God will use it for His glory.

I will post a blog toward the end of the week/weekend about my doctor's appt. It may be earlier than that if I have night after night of insomnia. Let's hope not though. Blessings!