Dear family and friends,
How is it already November and almost a month since I've written? I hope you are all rejoicing as we near Thanksgiving and many of us put extra focus on counting our blessings and thanking God for His goodness.
Lately, I've had writer's block when it comes to posting here. I keep a detailed symptom diary and email Dr. L a big-picture summary weekly. I note in my emails what symptoms have improved or worsened recently. I test my urine 2x a day, and I record the results. I also monitor its color; currently, it's brown from clearing Babesia waste products. I check my oxygen saturation levels daily and my temperature multiple times a day because I often run fevers. I record what days and times I take various medicines and supplements, and I analyze my responses to them. When it comes to emailing Dr. L, knowing what to write isn't much of a struggle, although brain fog does make it harder. However, when it comes to writing here, I'm often not sure what to say because I don't want these updates to read like medical charts.
Still, I know many of you are praying for me, and I greatly appreciate that. Here is a more general update for you, my friends.
Since I last wrote, I've added in an herbal anti-babesial, and I am currently on half of the full dose of that. I've felt more flu-like and brain foggy most days of the past month and have been able to do little besides lay in bed due to the intense treatment. Fortunately, this past week things have been starting to calm down again, and I've been able to get outside again for mile walks several days. The hard thing is that anytime I start to feel better, I have to ramp up on treatment again so the "better days" don't last very long. Still, the intense treatment and the herxing is what allows me to experience better days, so I don't mind how sick the herxing makes me feel so long as it makes me feel better in the long run. And fortunately, that is exactly what has been happening on Babesia treatment! I am slowly getting better as we bring the infectious load down.
I am currently on all the anti-babesials in Dr. L's protocol, except for one I was unable to take due to a drug rash, but I am not on the full doses of two of those anti-babesials. One of the anti-babesials that I'm taking has a two week half-life, so I only take it once a week. The level of medication in my body builds gradually with every weekly dose and does so for three months on any given dose, so I'm effectively increasing the medication level in my body every time I take it, even if I'm not upping the actual milligrams. As my herxing calms down more, we will up the milligrams again.
I'm also going for a Bartonella blood smear tomorrow. Babesia is my main infection and the main one we are currently targeting, but I still have Bartonella.
Lately, much of my limited energy has been going towards my art store, LaurensEasel.com (art comes easier to me than reading due to my struggles with brain fog), and if you're local and order, we'd love for you to pick-up your products at our home so we can visit. Please comment for a free shipping code if your order is under $35 and if you'd like to pick-up. It's been wonderful to have a few visitors recently! Many people have told me that they are using my products as gifts, and that makes me happy.
I've also recently become email friends with another young lady in her twenties who also has Babesia odocoilei and Bartonella, and that has been a blessing for both of us. I'm thankful for all the people I have become friends with as a direct result of my illness. Additionally, November is Caregivers Awareness Month, and I'm thankful for my family, especially my parents, and for the way they're cared for me my whole life, but especially since I became ill 6.5 years ago. And I am thankful for my doctors who are trailblazing a path forward for me and for all who have chronic Babesia odocoilei and Bartonella. I am also thankful for you. Thank you for your prayers, donations, and words of encouragement. May God bless you all.
Joyfully in Jesus,
Lauren