Tag Archives: herbs

Pizza Anyone?

July 22, 2014 A Labour of Love 3 Comments

One thing I miss about eating gluten free and rice free is pizza. On occasion I will eat a gluten free pizza however, due to the rice flour I usually pay for it. One of my friends suggested a crust made out of zucchini. Since I have an abundance, I gave it a try.

The crust was yummy and the pizza definitely hit the spot. I have to yet figure out how to be able to hold it, although using a fork was just fine.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Shred zucchini and sprinkle with salt in a bowl. Let sit for about 30 minute until the zucchini has lost much of its liquid. I used about 2 cups which made a huge pizza.

Cut up some garden fresh basil, pineapple, prosciutto, onion, mushroom, olives, spinach, goats cheese, and another cheese of choice.

When the liquid is drained out of the zucchini, add in two eggs, 1 – 1 1/2 cups of Almond Flour, and a dash of salt. Mix well. Spread out on a heated pizza stone that has been sprinkled with GMO free organic corn meal and bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Once the crust is browned, add your tomato sauce and toppings and bake another 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until cheese is bubbly and vegetables and prosciutto are cooked to desired tenderness.

Cut, plate, serve and enjoy! 🙂

Gardening, Lymes, Menus / Recipes

Health and Healing, Dinner Part 3

June 24, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

There is nothing like dinner on the porch with the whole family enjoying fresh wholesome foods sharing their thoughts on their day. Tonights dinner was soup and salad. If your like my family you are likely saying to yourself, “Soup? It’s summer…soup is for winter and cool weather.” My son and my husband both had this look on their faces as if I had 10 eyes when I told them soup. I have to tell you that at the first bite they both were delighted and enjoyed what they thought was going to be a mistake of a meal. So, here it is:

Asparagus Soup (Sherry version)

1/2 Large yellow onion, chopped

4-6 Yellow, Red and Orange Sweet Peppers, chopped

2 Center stalks of Celery, chopped

2-3 Bouquets of fresh asparagus

Sautee vegetables in 2 TBS butter or coconut oil.

When vegetables are tender, add fresh parsley, thyme and sage from the garden. I also added 1 TBS garlic, 1/2 TBS sea salt and pepper to taste. Stir all together and add:

1 Quart of fresh homemade beef broth (cook down soup bones with water and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar)

Add also either 8 oz. milk or coconut milk. Simmer until all vegetables are cooked down and liquid is hot. Then I use an immersion blender and make sure all of the vegetables are broken down so the soup is not chunky. I then let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

For the salad, we picked fresh green out of the garden tower, added fresh grape tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and cut up turkey breast. I added an Organic Creamy Ceaser dressing.

Just a note:

Asparagus is a great source of Vitamins A, C, E & K, chromium, glutathione, and is a natural diuretic.

Lymes, Menus / Recipes

Breakfast, Health and Healing Part 1

June 19, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Over the years I have been amazed at the food choices some people make. I have had acquaintances with women who are skinny as rails, spend hours in the gym, go home and eat 1/2 of a chocolate cake. I’m not kidding! I on the other hand can spend hours at the gym, eat salads 3 meals a day and gain weight. I’m serious!

With Lyme disease, I have found it so painful at times and the exhaustion so extreme that cooking anything seemed daunting. I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I praise God for a husband and children who love me enough to take over the “mom” duty of cooking over the last year. They not only cooked, they also prepared healthy meals following the directions I’ve given them over the years. Even as teenagers, their rebellion against food is usually against the bag of organic gluten free cereal. They are becoming more and more against cereal and enjoy their eggs, yogurt and a pancake once in a while. You could say they typically complain if it’s not cooked or prepared just prior to eating.

Research after research shows how unhealthy our food choices are in this country. We have GMO’s and many other toxins in our water, vegetables, meats and fish. So what is one to do? Learn, read, study and educate yourself. I am quite confident that my own battle with Lyme disease and all of it’s wonderful co-infection friends will only be won if I stay on track and continue to try to build up my body with nutrition and not give in to the foods that can make my mouth water at the name or smell.

Since I had the B12 shot, changed my meds around, and made more significant changes in my meal choices, I have been increasingly finding myself better each day. I have moments of fatigue, so I rest, I have moments of pain, so I evaluate my diet or activity level and I make more changes. I thought I would share what a typical day of my diet looks like, since it only changes slightly. Today, we will start with breakfast.

A pint of juice from fresh vegetables provided by my own garden and our local CSA that is now in full swing.

Now, I began juicing each day broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, celery and cucumbers. I felt great about 2 weeks into it and then I crashed. I learned from a friend who is in the medical field and who also has health issues of her own that if one is hypothyroid caution should be taken with cruciferous vegetables. It dawned on me that I had read that early on in my diagnosis of adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism a number of years ago. So, I read up on what is safe to eat and for the last two weeks I have once again been feeling that my energy is better. I am quite certain that the nutrients released out of the fiber has helped my body regain the vitamins and minerals it needs to help heal itself. When I have to miss a day, I certainly feel it. Here is my daily juicing recipe (all organic):

bunch of celery – Known to be an antioxidant, helps with inflammation, contains Vitamin C, B1, B2, B6, and also potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and many amino acids. Some caution is taken due to the sodium content in celery.

1/4 large cucumber – aids in digestion, helps with hydration, has been found to fight cancers, is also a good source of the B Vitamins

beet greens – vitamins C, A, and K, protein, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, calcium, iron

organic pre-cooked beets – lowers blood pressure, fights inflammation, Vitamin C, minerals, detoxifies

carrots – beta carotene, Vitamins A, K, C, calcium, potassium, copper, B6, folic acid thiamine, magnesium

cilantro – detoxifying, phytonutrients, antioxidant, is used as an anti-septic, fungicide, aids in digestion, has Vitamins A, C, K and B as well as calcium an potassium

swiss chard – used as an antioxidant, beta carotene, Vitamins E, C, zinc, lutein, also helps in regulating blood sugar levels and is a good source of calcium

dandelion greens – Vitamins K, C, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, zeaxanthin, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper

1 lime – Vitamin C

I also eat a gluten free, rice free Glutino English Muffin. Toasted twice, and on both halves I put 1 TBS each of Coconut Oil. Then I sprinkle Maca Powder on one half with an organic soaked and dried nut butter on top. The other half gets a TBS of my raw honey.

This mornings addition was left over Avocado Cucumber salad. Consisting of:

Sliced and de-seeded cucumbers, avocados, fresh chives chopped up, fresh garden cilantro chopped finely, and two limes which I cut in half and squeezed on top. Add a little salt and stir. The family like it and it was so healthy. I was glad there was some for breakfast.

Menus / Recipes, Why?

Coffee? Tea? What is that?

February 25, 2014 A Labour of Love 1 Comment

I think that one of the hardest things to get over right now is the fact that I usually spend about 4 hours in the kitchen each day preparing all of our meals from scratch. At the moment, and for the last 7 months that has not happened. I am finding myself getting tired of the same things to eat each week. My brother and sister in law used to say that their dinners were on a rotation with specific things on specific nights. Well, they would be pleased to know that we are hitting a rotation menu. Although, not by choice, and honestly, in our house we are all getting a bit bored.

This morning I almost didn’t even eat because I just did not want scrambled eggs… again! ( I know… you’ve heard this before right? Just a few days ago?)

So, out came the cookbook and creativity followed. Almond flour Cheddar and herb muffins. The kids and I really enjoyed them and honestly, they weren’t difficult to make.

What I did next however, made them look at me like I had 10 eyes. In fact, my son exclaimed, “What, are you done with coffee now too? Didn’t you have any? You just made a whole pot! What are you doing with all of those things. That looks disgusting, and if I did that you’d tell me I was going to throw up.” (Point made, point taken, now go get your school work done!)

I have been reading so much about Turmeric and it’s health benefits, along with it’s ability to help with inflammation and killing parasites etc. My husband just sent me another article from the Wall Street Journal discussing Turmeric and colds. Since I’ve been congested the last few days and have been feeling punk, I decided to come up with my own “tea” concoction. It’s surprisingly good and amazingly healthy. (By the way, I’ve been doing this for a few days now, I guess the child just hadn’t seen me actually make it.) 🙂

What’s That? (per mug)

1 TBS Coconut Milk/Cream

1/8 tsp. Turmeric

1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 – 1 tsp. Fresh grated Ginger

1 TBS Raw Honey (or a 1/4 dropper of Liquid Vanilla Stevia)

Hot water

Put all of the above in a mug, preferably in the order listed, stir and drink hot.

Yummm….

Why?

Breakfast and Ramblings…

February 18, 2014 A Labour of Love 2 Comments

Disclaimer: I wasn’t going to post this until my son encouraged me to as a social experiment for his study of Anthropolgy. He is curious as to how much trouble I will be in with comments.

After 5 days of not eating dairy, limited beef, no sugar and of course limited gluten free carbs, you could say I needed something that would satisfy. So, this morning our son once again made his famous “egg tortilla” and just the thought made me nauseous. I am almost sick of eggs. Almost…

I looked in the cupboard and decided that Quinoa hot cereal with fresh fruit sounded wonderful. So, as I pulled out all of the things I wanted to add to it, I was reminded of the last time I added Hemp Hearts to my breakfast. My son usually makes his jokes about moms “pot stash”. Now, for those of you who know me, you know this has got to be a joke. After all, most comments or nicknames I get are more along the lines of the “bible thumper”, “tree hugger”, or “prude”. Where would he come up with such a joke? Well, apparently he watched some documentary on an educational channel about Hemp Hearts and their usage in growing marijuana. Who would have thought. I mean, when I read about the health benefits of nuts and seeds I guess I assume you can safely buy them without a stigma attached. Although, as I mentioned to one friend, I wonder if the Hemp Hearts will have the same medicinal benefit as smoking the plant, without the side affects. NOT likely…

Can I just add… I understand medicinal usage for some, however, legalizing it? Really? Just goes to show you how influential Hollywood is. I have teenagers that have enjoyed some of the zombi apocolypse movies and we laugh over the unrealistic characteristics of humanity. Well, I now admit that it’s a very real possibility. Unlike the recent statement that it’s no worse than alcohol, experts have declared that smoking up to 8 in a month actually can alter one’s DNA that will affect even their grandchildren. I mean, think about it. Legalizing it, creating a society that in 20 years will be reflective of human zombies walking around who collect entitlements because they are too stoned and lazy to work. Then you throw in the push for healthy eating and minimally processed foods (which I agree with). What does that have to do with the zombi apocolypse? Have you ever heard of munchies? Well, the way I figure it, there will be human zombies with constant munchie syndrom looking for food not easily found to cure the crave, so just maybe they will start eating those of us who are the healthy , motivated go getters. I mean, would they be able to recognize or conceive the wisdom to understand it’s the go getters that provide the funding for those entitlements? Of course, if all the Lymies were to be eaten by the zombies then it would be like War of the Worlds and our spirochetes would kill them. Ahhhhh, there is a plus to having Lymes. I knew God would not disappoint and that there was purpose! I don’t know, maybe I have too much time on my hands to think and watched too many movies in the last 6 months of “doing nothing”.

Sorry, just a rambling thought…. or maybe I am feeling the side affects… either way, here was breakfast!

Quinoa Flakes cooked as box directed, 2 TBS Coconut Milk, 2 TBS Hemp Hearts, 2 TBS Pumpkin seeds, 1 TBS coconut, dash of salt…. topped off with sliced banana, blueberries, and rasberries!

Yummmm!!!

(I have to admit, I had about 5 good hours of almost normal after eating it. Hmmmmm.)

Lymes

Like a Crocodile…Silent, swift and deadly! (What I’ve learned about Lyme Part 2)

December 2, 2013 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

(Like a Crocodile…Silent, swift and deadly!)

Lyme dis·ease

noun
an inflammatory disease characterized at first by a rash, headache, fever, and chills, and later by possible arthritis and neurological and cardiac disorders, caused by bacteria that are transmitted by ticks.

Let’s start with the definition:

1. It says transmitted by ticks, yet what it doesn’t say is that the bacteria can also be transmitted by sand fleas, mites, mosquitos and spiders. Not all of these carry the bacteria, just as all ticks do not carry the bacteria, however, there is research that has shown that these other biting insects can carry the bacteria that will make you sick. You do not have to be in the woods to get a tick bite either. If you have birds, bunnies, squirrels in your yard, you could get a tick bite. Ticks can hitch a ride on one of these delightful creatures and end up in your back yard. (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/05/dr-dietrich-klinghardt-on-lyme-disease.aspx)

Also, if you find a tick on your body, you have to be extremely careful on how it is extracted. Once removed the tick can be tested by a lab or the health department to see if it contains the Lyme bacteria.

2. The bacteria is called Borrelia burgdorferi. Named after the scientist that discovered the bacteria in 1982. Bb as it’s called is a bacteria found in the spirochete class of the genus Borellia. A spirochete is the cork screw shaped bacteria that literally drills itself into it’s hosts cells taking it over and proliferating until the cell is destroyed. Once the spirochete is attacked by treatment it will release a biofilm protecting the DNA makeup and proteins which can make eradication very difficult.

3. The definition says “first by a rash”. Only about 60% of the patients with Lyme disease have had a rash and many (like myself) cannot recall a time of being bitten by a tick or of having had a rash.

4. “Later possible arthritis, neurological and cardiac disorder”. Unless of course you are like me, who started having chills, fever, limb numbness, fatigue, nausea, brain fog, and stabbing pains at the onset. If my doctor was not aware of my lifestyle and was not up to date with Lyme, then she could have looked at my personal blood tests and diagnosed me with Lupus or MS. As it was, she tested twice for Rheumatoid due to the high inflammatory markers showing up in my blood tests and my family history. At the same time, she started me on Lyme treatment and we ordered the IGeniX lab test to confirm.

Why IGeniX rather than the ELISA or Western Blot tests alone? “Two primary antibody tests are used to diagnose Lyme disease, the ELISA and the western blot. Doctors commonly order an ELISA first to screen for the disease and then confirm the disease with a western blot. However, current ELISA tests are not sensitive enough for screening and may miss over half the true cases. Because of this, the best antibody test to use for diagnosis is the western blot.” (http://www.lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_diagnosis.html)

The most accurate test is the IGeniX tests. It takes several weeks and is not covered by insurance. Because the ELISA is most used as the first test and it’s accuracy is less than ideal, many cases go undiagnosed causing frustration on the part of the patient and the doctor.

Now let’s dig into what the definition does NOT say:

5. There are many co-infections that are equally as debilitating and difficult to diagnose. A few are:

a. Bartonella (one of mine)
b. Babesia (one of mine)
c. Rickettsia
d. Ehrlichia
e. Mycoplasma (one of mine)
f. Colorado Tick Fever
g. Powassan Virus
h. Q Fever
i. Tick Paralysis
j. Tickborne Relapsing Fever
k. Tularemia

The list goes on, you get the point. (For more information about any of these, just google the name and read away.)

6. Lyme Spirochetes have a 9 month life cycle, have 3 different stages of life, are difficult to kill, and unlike other bacteria that use the hosts iron supply, a Lyme spirochete has recently been found to utilize manganese.

“Scientists have confirmed that the pathogen that causes Lyme disease—unlike any other known organism—can exist without iron, a metal that all other life needs to make proteins and enzymes. Instead of iron, the bacteria substitute manganese to make an essential enzyme, thus eluding immune system defenses that protect the body by starving pathogens of iron.” (http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=164849)

7. Conventional medicine recommends the use of antibiotics for treatment concluding that with their use Lyme can be cured. However, the spirochetes are difficult to kill completely due to their 3 stage life cycle and biofilms. Personally, everything I have read and researched on the matter clearly shows there is no conclusive proof that Lyme can be eradicated completely. (As my uncle said, who by the way runs a medical lab, “Get on the antibiotics to control the colony.” Notice he didn’t say to “cure” the lyme.) Most doctors recommend and insurance companies usually will only cover one month of antibiotics. With a 9 months life cycle is that enough?

I have one friend that found the tick on her, had it removed by the doctor, had the tick tested and was put on antibiotics immediately. Eight years later she is still dealing with the effects of Lyme. Once you begin learning more about Lyme disease, you realize that more and more people are suffering from the disease long after their doctor has claimed that they are “cured”.

8. Lyme is a bacteria. Bacteria love sugar. I am learning that the people that do the best are those that follow a strict diet change that includes low natural sugars, zero processed sugars and foods and those who are also strict about a gluten free diet. They also eat fermented foods and drinks along with herbs or foods that break down biofilms. They also work very hard at eating only organic and limiting their intake of toxins that could make them feel worse. Raw garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon water and grapefruit extract also can help break down the biofilm aiding in killing the bacteria.

9. There are many treatment plans out there. There are many herbs that can also help with treatment, even alongside conventional antibiotic treatment. I have also learned that those who do better on antibiotic treatment are those whose doctors work with them to also boost up their immunity before and during treatment. (Currently, building my immunity, my adrenal functions and cleaning out my “gut” are the start of my personal protocol. I am also on microbial herbs strong enough that my doctor considers them to be like an”herbal chemotherapy.” )

Not all treatment plans are alike and people need to work with their doctors to find the right treatment plan that works for them and for their individual treatment. Some people do better with a treatment plan that someone else may not do well on. Because Lyme is complicated and the co-infections vary, people need to seek out the best option that works for them.

10. Many people with Lyme do not have the ability to detox. The “die off” of the Lyme bacteria and various other co-infection bacteria can build up in the body and cause what is called a Herxheimer reaction. This makes the body extremely sick, almost sicker than the disease itself. Many Lyme patients are unable to detox naturally. When a detoxing agent is added to the protocol many lyme sufferers will be able to clear out of their bodies the toxins that are being killed off. I was actually worse until the doctor added in Bentonite Clay, activated charcoal, and psyllium husk to my protocol. I alternate these, however, I find that the Clay works the best for my body.

11. The CDC has estimated that there are over 300,000 new cases of Lyme each year. In comparison, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 22,048 flu cases from Sept. 30 through the end of 2012.” (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/01/10/flu-season-2012-13-by-the-numbers-how-bad-is-it/) I’d say Lyme disease needs more attention by our medical community.

12. Chronic Lyme is REAL! I am a very living and breathing example of the disastrous affect of Lyme Disease. At the beginning of the summer I was tilling and weeding a garden that was the size of my house, weeding the flower beds around my house and my own personal garden, running circles around my kids and my family getting ready for camping trips and Highland Games. By the end of the summer, I couldn’t even pick my harvest of the season, nor stand long enough to grocery shop, or stay awake later than 8:00 at night. I had difficulty making meals for my kids and doing laundry for my husband. In fact, last February I was snorkeling in the Keys of Florida and lost 12 lbs. walking around the Walt Disney World parks. This past week I struggled to stay awake and to keep smiling at 5:00 in the afternoon while being wheeled around in a wheel chair at the Disney World parks. Disney is my all time favorite place to be and running to the rides and staying up late for the Extra Magic hours is what our family lives for. We enjoy the fireworks so much that we usually sit in our favorite spot for up to an hour just to see them. This trip, I have struggled to even stay awake to be able to see them and I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed them as I usually do.

Brain fog is another issue that is difficult to deal with. Yesterday I asked my husband if he was going to ride Mt. Everest with our daughter. Completely forgetting that he doesn’t ride rides, never has ridden that one and likely never will due to his own issue with vertigo. To say the least it did not bode well for either of us when he was frustrated with me for forgetting he had the vertigo and that he wasn’t going to be riding anything that swirled, twirled or sped around. What made it worse was that 2 hours previous I guess we already had the conversation with the kids and I didn’t even remember it. Ooops!

It is with great hope that if you know someone with Lyme or if you are recently diagnosed, you will find this information helpful and maybe even a starting place to help to understand Lyme.

This disease is real and needs to be taken seriously!

Please note: I am not a doctor, nor am I a licensed medical health care provider. I am only sharing some of what I have learned through months of research on a very real disease that I am currently suffering from. Work with your health care professional to find the best plan that works for your health and healing. I am not suggesting any specific treatment plan nor am I dissuading anyone from using what their doctor recommends.

Why?

Why “not” antibiotics?

October 2, 2013 A Labour of Love 1 Comment

(Picture taken from Berkley.edu)

In the last few months I’ve been asked many questions regarding my recent Lymes diagnosis. How do I know I have Lymes? How am I feeling? What do I need? How long will it last? What is the prognosis? And the most asked question prize goes to two questions which are tied together, “Are you on antibiotics” and “why not”?

Well, let’s begin with the fact that I know I have Lymes as my Lymes titer came back positive and further testing from IGENIX tested positive for the little bugger you see at the top of the screen. This is called a Lymes spirochete. It’s the famous Lymes bacteria. The picture alone makes my skin crawl and actually creeps me out more than a diagnosis of cancer or a tumor. To know that the little buggers are inside of me reeking havoc on my body is a bit unnerving.

How did I know to be tested for it? I have a great medical professional that I work with for overall health that heard my complaints and decided to run a titer test. My symptoms were easily recognizable to all who know me and know my busy lifestyle. One day I hit a wall and just didn’t feel good. I was flu achy, was so tired I could hardly stay awake, I had absolutely zero energy and I felt like I was dragging my foot. After two weeks of feeling miserable, I called my healthcare professional and she immediate recommended blood work. It came back about two weeks later positive and we began an herbal treatment until we got back my IGENIX test 3 weeks later.

Now on the to the big question… Why not antibiotics? Well, I believe that antibiotics help when there is no other option and when your life is in danger of being compromised. Isn’t Lymes a life changer? Yes it is, however, with Lymes there is no guarantee that you can kill off the spirochetes. In fact, in my personal research and longing for information I have found that studies have shown that most people diagnosed with Lymes have long lasting symptoms later on in their lifetime even if they’ve been told they were cured. You see, the spirochetes actually go into your organs, tissues and muscles and hide out when they are attacked. They can wait until the environment is right and they come out and proliferate until you once again are sick. Another issue, again from the research I have done, is that study after study shows long term antibiotic usage and antibiotics in our food sources all contribute to an antibiotic resistant outcome. Due to Lymes being so difficult to treat and cure, long term antibiotic use is recommended, creating a perfect environment for co-infections, which is attributed to chronic Lymes and further damage to the body. The spirochetes hide and the gut flora is damaged therefore allowing for the host to contract other infections that can be even more serious than the Lymes itself.

Lymes has recently shown to be difficult to kill off due to it’s usage of manganese rather than iron. Most bacteria utilize iron, and this one does not. It also enjoys Flax and Magnesium. So much for my wonderful flax seed crackers. Ugggg!!!

Again, this has been what I have learned after hours upon hours of reading. So, back to the treatment plan. Well, I have once again changed my diet to no carbs (other than vegetables) and no sugar (other than natural fruits). I have gone back to adding in at least one or two fermented foods in a day. I found that a combination of essential oils gives me relief and I am taking A-L Complex which is a form of microbial components that have shown to break down the spirochetes. I take some of the Boiron products in combination to work with my body in helping with the inflammation going on in my joints and muscles. And I drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins. I have also added in a probiotic (for my gut), Krill oil, Berberine and Axtaxanthin (for my brain), CoQ10 and a Methylating Multi with enzymes to help my overall body and to boost my B’s. You see, apparently my body does not utilize the vitamins or supplements due to a gene link that is missing. Or, according to one doctor, this could also be a symptom of Lymes.

After about a month of this protocol, my energy level dropped again and I was having severe pains throughout my body. I will admit that this did causing me to question my decision, I just wanted immediate relief and I knew that antibiotics would give me that. I added in two more things that have brought me relief from the latest symptoms and once again I am on the upswing. Bentonite clay or Activated Charcoal, both of which I had in the house. Taking them once a day usually in the middle of the night has helped me to rid my body of the dead toxins the herbs are killing off. I also needed an adrenal and liver support so I have a cream that I rub in my skin once a day. I will be on this protocol for many months, yet I am confident that for me, this is the right path.

What is my prognosis? No one knows… however, I am hopeful that my energy level and fatigue will soon subside. I am prayerful that there will not be any long lasting affects or disabilities and that I will be back to myself with few limitations within the next 6 months. I know that God has prepared me with the desire for knowledge, the ability and avenues to find the studies I need to help me battle this disease, and He has prepared my heart to trust His will for my life. Every day is a new day, every day is a new challenge and every day I praise God I woke up to a new day with my family by my side helping to support me in this journey of wellness and healing.

As Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Amen!