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Stem Cells: 8 Month Update

Stem Cells: 8 Month Update

It's amazing I am already 8 months post stem cells. Time flies when you are living life! I can officially say I feel like I am in remission from Lyme.

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Stem Cells: 8 Month Update

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It's amazing I am already 8 months post stem cells. Time flies when you are living life! I can officially say I feel like I am in remission from Lyme. I had no idea I could ever feel this good again and to be honest some days I feel better than before I got sick. I think between eating clean and all the repair that stem cells have done, has left me in a better place than I was before. I literally walk around constantly thinking to myself how awesome life is. I don't think I have ever felt this joy of life feeling, even before I got sick.

What Has Improved:

 Everything! Literally Everything. I don’t feel any Lyme symptoms anymore. I don’t have Lyme Brain. I don’t have Lyme Days. I don’t have bad days, unless I get glutened (more on that later). I have been living a totally normal life, well new normal and it has been amazing. 

Brain + Memory

Since my brain fog and memory issues cleared around the 100 days, I have not had an issue with it again. To be honest I feel like my brain works better than it did before I got sick. I think having a really clean Bulletproof Diet helps keep my brain working optimally. I can think so clearly and my memory is awesome again, sometimes I feel like I am superhuman.

Energy

My energy is awesome. I honestly have more energy than my boyfriend now. I wake up feeling rested everyday, often before my alarm even goes off. I have started to become a morning person too, which has never been the case for me. I would always struggle to wake up with multiple alarms and still could not wake up. My sleep continues to be awesome. I have not taken a Xanax for sleep since I got stem cells and I fall asleep so easily after a lifetime of insomnia. 

Body Recovery + Resilience

I have started working out again with a trainer and work out 3-4x per week at the gym. I no longer feel wiped out from exercise. I actually feel energized and feel my body getting stronger after years of not being able to do even light exercise. My entire body feels strong and my joints feel amazing. No more joint pain or stiffness. 

Another thing I have noticed is that my muscles recover extremely fast. My stem cells are definitely repairing my muscles as I work out and it's pretty amazing. In the past, it would take me days to recover. Now in 1.5 days, my soreness is gone. Go stem cells and mitochondria! 

Food Allergies

My food allergies are starting to see a big shift too! I have been able to reintroduce quite a few foods and have also noticed my reactions to certain foods have lessened. This has been a really huge improvement for me since I became allergic to over 60 foods with Lyme. One at a time, I try them out and slowly reintroduce them into my diet. I did not see a big shift in food allergies until month 7-8 so this symptom takes some patience to recover from.  

Another thing that is interesting, is I am starting to like new tastes and flavors I never liked before. I have never been a fan of spicy food, ever. But for some reason, I have been obsessed with Wasabi lately. My boyfriend often wonders if I am the same person since there have been so many changes, for the better of course:)  

Neuro Issues

I felt a major shift in Neuro issues in month 8. I could literally feel my nerves healing and it was the oddest feeling. It felt like a giant bug was walking on my skin, but there would never be anything on me. I checked in with fellow patients that had similar experiences and this, in fact is my nerves rebuilding. It was fascinating to feel and it was right on schedule in the 6-9 month window where the nerve healing happens. My finger twitching also resolved in this 6-9 month window which has been amazing. 

Light + Sound Sensitivity

My light and sound sensitivity has also improved but is not totally gone yet. I have to remember that even before Lyme and Mold I did have sensitivity to both, even as a child. I have been really getting into wearing my Irlen Institute glasses and that has helped my light sensitivity when on my computer or reading dramatically. 

Sound sensitivity has not improved as much as the light sensitivity, but I am still in the thick of the neuro healing and trust it will continue to get better as I continue to heal. I can definitely listen to music a lot more, but after a while, if it is too loud, it feels like my brain can’t keep up with it as much. I always had some sound sensitivity pre-Lyme so trying to get a balance of what is me and what is still neuro damage. I am confident that I am still healing in this department.

Costochondritis

I always had a weird nagging pain in my left lower rib area. This also prevented me from exercising because it would flare and be extremely painful. I am happy to report that it has not been an issue for me anymore and I can work out all I want without feeling any pain the area. It was one of the most stubborn symptoms I had. 

What Has Not Fully Improved

There are just a few things that still need some love as I continue to heal.  

Weight Gain

Post stem cells I have gained quite a bit of weight out of nowhere. I think this may be due to my thyroid and hormones balancing out, but it has been frustrating. Gaining 25 pounds on my small 5’4 frame is a lot. No matter how clean my diet is and how much I work out, it does not seem to shed. 

I am not totally fixated on fixing this right now as I am letting my body go through its healing and recalibration process. I trust that as my body heals and recalibrates I will lose the weight. To be honest, after all I have gone through, I rather be a bit chubby and feel awesome, then be skinny and feel like death. I will continue to eat clean, exercise, balance my thyroid and hormones and let my body continue healing for the full year then re-asses. I have really learned to let go and not fixate on all the changes and symptoms I go through and let my body heal itself. It is a nice change to break the cycle I was in for 4.5 years of constantly identifying and trying to fix every symptom that came up.  

Celiac Disease

This has been one of the most frustrating parts of my recovery. I developed Celiac Disease thanks to Lyme and I am EXTREMELY sensitive to gluten. Even a microscopic crumb makes me sick for a week. I don’t get any digestive issues, but I get major neuro issues and brain fog and a headache in my occipital nerve area. It last exactly 7 days. I feel SO good when I am not glutened, that when I get glutened it really takes me down and it lasts a week so it's very frustrating.

Unfortunately, stem cells don’t help much with Celiac Disease but I am hoping as my nerves continue to heal, I may get some healing with my symptoms. No matter how careful I am, I tend to get glutened more then I should be so navigating the gluten minefield world is challenging. I have heard that Restore can help lessen sensitivity to gluten so I am going to try taking that and see if it provides any improvement. I don’t ever plan to eat gluten ever in my life, but I would like to not be so taken down by cross contamination. 

Hashimoto’s Thyroid

I also developed Hashimoto’s thanks to Lyme. I have never been able to get my thyroid balanced out optimally so it has always been a source of inflammation and a moving target. I recently changed my dosage and medication and think I am finally going in the right direction with it. I have noticed I have even more energy, my nails are the strongest they have ever been and my skin is looking great and not so dry. I know this will take time to continue healing, but I can only hope the stem cells will fully heal my thyroid and I can some day come off my medication. 

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What Can I Do 8 Months Post Stem Cells

All in all, I am ecstatic with my results from stem cells. I never dreamed that I would feel this amazing ever again in my life. I have such a new perspective on life and am going to make sure I live life to its fullest with this second chance I have at life. 

Working Out

I have a trainer at Golds Gym and it has been awesome to start working out and getting my strength back. I started with physical therapy and pilates and now am doing weights, cardio and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I recover very quickly and actually feel energized from exercise again. I work out 3-5x per week and feel great from it. 

Work Full Time

I am able to work full time and still have energy at the end of the day. It's so nice to be able to start paying down my 4.5 years worth of medical debt and not be continuing to spend more money on medical expenses. 

Went Back To School

I still would really like to go to Bastyr in the next few years to be a Naturopathic Doctor. I have taken 2 of my prerequisites and done great with them now that my brain is so sharp. I plan to do the rest in the next year but am taking my time with it so I don't wear myself out. 

Travel

I have been able to do weekend travel multiple weekends in a row and still didn’t skip a beat on getting back for the work week. I was able to attend Coachella with friends and was amazed at how my body stayed strong and I had the energy to walk 8+ miles a day, dance and still did not feel wiped out. The next week I went to San Francisco and went out with friends every night and then went to Vegas this past weekend and I still feel awesome. Not even one of these trips would have been possible the last 4.5 years so it's amazing to be able to be a jetsetter again and that my body can keep up. 

Social Life

When I felt sick, my social life was the first thing to go. I was in a survival mode and had absolutely no energy for socializing. It has been so nice to be able to accomplish my day to day tasks and still have energy to go out and see friends and work on rebuilding my relationships that had gone to the wayside the last 4.5 years. 

Self Care

Even though I sound like I am going at 100mph, I am very conscious to incorporate self-care and support my body so it stays strong. Self-care for me is going to the beach, being in the sun,  meditation, stretch lab, exercise, taking my dogs for walks, taking a break to rest and recharge, eating healthy organic food, talking to my 93-year-old grandmother, and I do still love my sauna. 

I don’t do my sauna because I have to detox to feel good or need to do it. I do my sauna now and then because I call it my time out box and sometimes I need to just go sit in it to detach and take a break from everything. There is not much you can do in the sauna but sit and relax for 30 min so it's a good way to force myself to take a break and recharge. I don't use it regularly but maybe every 1-2 weeks or so. 

Through my healing journey, I have also found that I need to schedule self-care, or I will come up with every excuse in the book not to do it. This is why I do well with having a trainer at the gym, making appointments for stretch lab etc. If I have to show up to an appointment and be held accountable, I will show up 5min early. If I have to find the time on my own, it will never happen. Knowing this about myself is critical for me to stay healthy and take care of myself so I can keep myself recharged.