Can I have a break now?
It's not bad enough that my loved ones keep getting sick and dying. Now I've been diagnosed with Lyme disease. Pleh.
Fortunately, I was diagnosed within a week of contracting it. I was one of the lucky ones who actually knew she'd been bitten by a tick, so when I found swollen glands in my neck and developed a sore throat and low fever, I had an idea what was going on. Headed to the local walk-in clinic (my regular doc had gone home for the day,) where the nice doctor looked under my hair, where I'd found the tick, and sure enough, there was the characteristic rash.
So I'm on lots of antibiotics, drinking pau d'arco (an herb tea renowned for its anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral properties), gulping garlic tablets, and seeing the local Chinese doctor to get pins stuck in me a couple of times a week. My attitude is that this bacteria picked the wrong girl, and I will stomp it flat.
Still, I don't feel as perky as I might. Which is supposed to be good; this sort of bacteria makes you feel worse as it dies off, because it releases toxins in its death throes. Encouraging when I'm having a sort of blecchy day.
Anyway, I can still sit at a computer and keyboard. But once again, I beg your patience if I'm dilatory.
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well
Yikes! Feel better soon.
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insurance quote online
antibiotics
Don't forget to get lots of beneficial probiotics in you during and after the antibiotics. Yogurt isn't enough.
Probiotics
Yep. I'm taking a supplement with 15 kinds of probiotics, 35 billion live organisms per 2 capsule serving, right before bed every night ('cause that's well after my last dose of antibiotics.) I have this great mental image of a guy with a teeny-tiny forceps and a jeweler's loupe counting out all 35 billion bacteria...
Oh no!
I am so sorry to hear this Dana! I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you. Ticks scare me to death. I can handle snakes, spiders, etc... I can SEE them. Ticks are harder to detect. *shudder*
Our vet told us that the ticks and fleas are horrid this year. We haven't had tick issues, yet, but the fleas are driving us nuts. We can't seem to get rid of them. We've given the pets expensive spot treatments, expensive flea killing pills, and we've fogged the entire house. We still have them, though not as bad. Anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm game to try about anything at this point.
Amy Dungan
www.healthylowcarbliving.com
www.lovinglowcarblife.blogspot.com
Fleas
I hate fleas just as much as I hate ticks, ever since I had a really bad infestation in my apartment in Chicago about twenty years back. And now I've read fleas can transmit Lyme, too! Yikes.
Anyway, my adorable organic gardening neighbor Keith says he's had really good luck with homemade flea traps. Put a pan of water with a little dish detergent out, and leave a light bulb burning over it all night The fleas jump at the warmth, fall in the water, and drown. He says that when he had an infestation they got a lot of fleas at first, then fewer and fewer as their numbers diminished. Worth trying, at any rate.
And yeah, ticks are totally creepy. I actually like spiders and snakes. But ticks? They're unholy.
Thanks!
Thanks Dana. I'll have to give that a try. I didn't know that fleas can transmit Lymes too. ACK!!! My hubby and daughter have been ate up by them here at home. For some reason they rarely bite me or my son. Now I REALLY have to be sure we get rid of them...
Amy Dungan
www.healthylowcarbliving.com
www.lovinglowcarblife.blogspot.com
Yikes! Feel better
Yikes! Feel better soon.
I've been fighting a sinus infection for a week and trying to avoid antibiotics - maybe I should try the pau d'arco tea. I've been taking raw garlic, but it doesn't seem to be doing much.
Nete pots are supposed to be
Nete pots are supposed to be great for sinus infections.
Sinus Infection
Can you get some Tiger Balm? It's a heating rub, sort of like Ben Gay, made in Singapore. Put a little on your nostrils, and it will clear your head right out. I swear, it's like Drano for the sinuses. Most health food stores carry it.
Oh, and if it's your frontal sinus that hurts -- the one in your forehead -- here's a trick I learned in massage school: Lie on a firm but padded surface, like a carpet. Have someone put the heel of their hand on your forehead and lean in, pressing on you, then relax, lean then relax. Do it for a few minutes. The slight shifting of the pressure inside the sinus helps loosen things up a little, and it feels really good, too.
Can I take a Break Now?
Tick seem to be worse this year for some reason. Please take care of yourself and get enough rest.
Blessings.
Ticks
It's the cool, wet spring we've had. Ticks thrive in that environment. Plus with the constant rain it's been hard to keep the grass mowed, and keeping the lawn short is one way to reduce tick population. I love living in the country, but this sucks.
I've read that chickens and guinea fowl eat ticks; I'm toying with the idea of getting some. Though I don't know how my dogs would react! Still, it would mean cheap pastured eggs, too. Never a bad thing for a low carber.