January 2010 –

Started out great at dinner with friends laughing and enjoying each other. I was able to handle the noise and activity with my nervous system and it felt great. Then we went to the movies and saw Sherlock Holmes.  It was a very good movie that I got dizzy in a few of the scenes and when it was over there was 20 min to midnight. I had made it to midnight feeling pretty good. This was a great way to ring in the New Year. I had so much energy after leaving my friends house because I felt so alive.  I felt more alive than I had felt in a couple years. The month started out with high hopes for accomplishing goals in my life that have been put on hold.  I had a WNV hangover Jan 1 and was in bed till 11:30am. I felt pretty good considering the night. By late afternoon into evening I was feeling much better. So, I was recovering quicker or I knew what to do to make me better or both.  The rest of the month was pretty good health wise. I made sure to take care of my body and listen to it.  I went away to Breckenridge for a few days the second week and it rejuvenated my system for the rest of the month. I went to the dentist for a cleaning and my body was anxious.  The scraping was a little painful on my nervous system and I endured it. We were packing at work to move to a new building and it was so exhausting that my breast muscle started twitching again, like in the fall. I took it as a sign to slow down and rest my body over the weekend.  The packing, lifting, and busy days made my right arm sore with a tired body.  Then I had to go back to the dentist for fillings.

They applied the topical numbing agent that proved to be very painful for my jaw, gave me a headache, sent my body into anxiety, and the whole process was exhausting. We had to break it up into two visits. I was very unfocused, noise and light sensitive, and unbalanced the rest of the day. The month ended with exhaustion, sharp pains on the left side of my head with headaches, right arm pain, and the rash on my chest to head.

February-

Started out recovering from the end of January. Work had slowed down and the stress had disappeared.  In the news was a Toyota recall and since my car had Toyota parts I was concerned when I got in and it acted funny. In the end the tow truck took it to the dealer and they replaced a computer.  A little stress to start the month and thankful for warranties.  I had to add a coworker conflict that once resolved created a headache, unbalanced, dizzy, and itchy rash on my head.  WNV does not like stress and life is full of stress.  I have gained tools to relax and must remind myself to use them. The first weekend I slept 11 hours each day and felt much rested for the week.  I was feeling better so I decided to join friends at bar trivia and had a wonderful 2 hours. The next day was a slight WNV hangover that lingered through the weekend.  It is possible it was from a combination of 10 minute energy work, the bar, and dehydration.  The next weekend my favorite band, The Young Dubliners, was in town and friends flew in for the show.  It was a wonderful weekend and I felt so alive again. The next week I came down with a respiratory illness and a good WNV relapse with joint, muscle and skin pain.  I went to the doctor and got antibiotics and slept most of the day.  The month had finally caught up with me and the illness running through work finally nailed me. I took it in stride and felt better in a couple days.

March

Then a little stress sent me back into sickness with swollen right lymph node, sore ears and throat. I got through the week and scheduled an acupuncture appointment that I had to reschedule due to my unfocused forgetfulness.  I feel I have needed acupuncture and I wanted to try it before going back to the doctor again because he was going to suggested steroids. I will not go there again. Sat I felt sick to my stomach, fatigued, grumpy and unmotivated.  It felt like 9 mos into WNV when I threw up and relapsed.  I did not want to go there again. I slept a few hours, walked Tina in the fresh air, and watched movies while resting.  I felt like such a slug with so much to get done, like the dishes, taxes, and various other projects.  I am reminded of how fragile life is and how long I have been dealing with being sick.  I think slight depression set in again. Then I get angry because we need an advocacy group for WNV to find answers.  Our president cut funding for vector disease because they are not important. I lie on the floor crying next to Tina for the person I want to be and all the dreams I want to make reality.  This virus just keeps knocking me down.  After 2 nights of ear pain I went to the doctor again and I had a raging ear infection so I got another round of antibiotics.

April

The second round antibiotics finally took care of the bacteria stressing my system.  I felt good starting a new month.  My family went to Avon, CO for a week of rest.  I went up for the weekend and then drove home to pack for a work trip that next Monday.  We were on the road by 5:30 am headed to Zion National Park.  We worked that next day, then walked around the park and drove till 23:00pm.  The next day was a WNV hangover and it took half a day of napping, listing to soothing music, ginger ale, and meditation to calm my system down.  I was feeling good by the afternoon and excited I had recovered so quick.  Later in the trip I lifted too much weight and tweeked my right arm to cause pain that I ignored while driving. I was happy to get back home to a routine my body could handle. The next two weeks were very stressful at work with projects starting up and piled up work from being gone. At about 3 weeks and the end of the month my body was feeling the effects of all the stress, like unbalanced, eye floaties, headaches, and fatigue.

May

I met with my Biofeedback counsler to do a neurofeedback session that would check my brainwaves.  I had been feeling more focused and alert the last 6 months like coming out of a fog.  The test results showed that my Theta waves (sleep) were back to where they were suppose to be and not in my frontal lobe. That was making me more alert.  The waves in my parietal lobe were still high and maybe the cause of my heightened anxiety.  I was reminded that I have the tools to calm my system down and I needed to use them.  I spent a week of going back to my destress routine and saw improvement within a few days.  The same time I was going to some networking group events to socialize. Work was still testing my stress levels and I decided I needed a few days away.  My dad and I headed to SD for free fishing weekend with family friends.  Just what the DR ordered, time on a boat catching walleye in the middle of SD prairie.  My goal was relaxation and rest for my body.  The cross conversations would get to my system so I would take a walk or get some air to calm it down.  I keep my house pretty dark so when I go somewhere with lots of lights it is also too much for my system. I have become like a bat and want to hang out in a dark cave. It was a great time of rest for me to rejuvenate and refocus on my life goals. The month ended with a walk at the Boulder Boulder. I continue on my supplements, protein every two hours, electrolytes, light exercise to keep my body running.  Now I also go to Acupuncture for body chi realignment and deep tissue massage for right arm plus full body massage therapy once a month.

June

The month started out mellow and the summer clothes came out. For some reason my summer shirts were not fitting although I was losing weight. I was walking 2 miles 5 times a week and stationary bike 7 minuets. One day a flea bit me and we were unsure if it was infected so I was on plague watch all month. I had to take my temperature 4 times a day to watch for any spikes.  I continued to go to the networking group and meet a lady that needed models for a fashion show. I decided why not, we only live once.  I wore an outfit I would never pick out and it looked great. The only challenge was the stelleto hills I was in and I had to sit down until I walked because my leg muscles were getting weak.  It felt so good to get out among people again and have some fun!  The next day I shopped with the fashion consultant to create a business wardrobe. Then I went to the garden show in the heat and I did not eat well all day.   When I do that my body rebels with fatigue, dizzy and nausea.  A few days later I went fishing with a friend and rowed out in his pontoon boat.  The rowing was a challenge and caused me to have the WNV hangover the next day.  Bummer! I had a little family stress and that was enough to bring my immune system down to catch a GI bug.  The next night I was up with vomiting and diahrrea so I stayed home and rested the next day.  The rest of the month was consitantly busy with loud reastraunt party, visit by some friends and travel to RMNP, and managing my health to stay mobile. The end of the month I hit my head on the fridge while putting fruit away.  This caused a concussion and laid me up for about a week or so. I had taken 2 steps backward with my health and I received a severe pain on the right side of my head.  It was reminiscent of the beginning of this WNV journey.

July

July started out slow with the concussion and I took it easy by listening to my body.  Friends were impressed that I slowed down to take care of myself. After 3 years of being sick with west nile virus I finally was listening to my body.  I rested, laid low and kept it mellow at work.  By mid July I was starting to feel better.  I noticed when I focused on the computer or driving I would get the pain on my right side of my head behind my eye. Possible edema from the consusion and concentration would cause pressure and pain. I took it easy on the concentration of the computer and driving.  Work started to get busy along with extra activities outside of work. After about 10 days of business my body needed a break because I was getting dizzy, nausea, unfocused and fatigued.  I realized I had to create a schedule to get done all I wanted to get done and on top of it I decided to create WiSES (West nile infected Survivors for Education and Support).  I was excited to finally be getting my life back by the end of July.  I also realized edema was increasing the size of by chest so I looked into possible solutions through my networking group.

August

Wow the year is more the half over! Crazy! The first week in august I was very emotional and grumpy while on the female cycle. It always made west nile virus worse. I had joined the BraveHeart women community and Dr Ellie Drake said our cycle is a special time. Yeah not so much.! The BraveHeart community is an amazing place full of wonderful positive business women.   The next week I headed on a much needed vacation and business trip. My mom and I drove to Utah to see family I had not seen my cousin in 20 years.  Then we drove to ID and I stayed with a dear friend of mine for two days and all we did was rest. It was so wonderful! Then I took a noisy bus ride back to Salt Lake City. My goal for the rest of the week was to stay healthy.  I made sure to get rest, ate every 2 hours, stayed hydrated, took my supplements, and listened to my body.  I had late nights, socializing, loud sessions and lots of walking.  By the end of the week I started coughing like my asthma came back from the late nights. Once back in Ft Collins I started Lymph massage for 30 minutes and 4 sessions to start. Wow that really moved things out of my chest.  The month ended with stress and left leg pain then left arm tremors.  Neuro invasive west nile virus does not like stress and it sets things off.  I’m still working to keep the balance with life.

For Immediate Release

SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW OF RESEARCH APPLICATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

West Nile Virus advocate, Jennifer Holmes, recently participated in the evaluation of research proposals submitted to the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) sponsored by the Department of Defense.  Jennifer Holmes was nominated for participation in the peer review process by West Coast Bite West Nile Support Group.  As a consumer reviewer, she was a full voting member of the scientific peer review panel, along with prominent scientists and clinicians.  The Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) PRMRP received a $50 million congressional appropriation to fund research across 19 topic areas including West Nile Virus Vaccine.

Consumer reviewers are asked to represent the collective view of their community including survivors and patients, family members, and persons at risk for the disease.  Specifically, they are asked to score and comment on the potential impact of the proposed study on issues such as disease prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life after treatment. Jennifer Holmes was one of 65 consumer advocates who participated in the scientific peer review of applications submitted to the FY09 PRMRP and participated in the review of each research application on the panel.  Commenting on her role as a consumer reviewer, Saima Hedrick said that “I wanted to personally thank you for dedicating your time and effort to PRMRP 2009. Your comments greatly added to the quality of the review.”

Consumer advocates and scientists have worked together in this unique partnership to evaluate the scientific merit of research proposals submitted to the various programs managed through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) since 1995.  Captain E. Melissa Kaime, M.D., Director of the CDMRP, expressed her appreciation for the consumer advocates’ perspective in the scientific peer review sessions. “The Consumer Reviewers on each panel helped the scientists understand the patient’s perspective and provided valuable insight into the potential impact of the proposed project. Likewise, these important members of the peer review panels have been enriched by learning more about the scientific process through discussing proposals with the other peer review panel members and seeing the future possibilities of successful research outcomes.”

The FY09 PRMRP challenged the scientific and clinical communities to address one of the FY09 congressionally-directed topic areas with original ideas that foster new directions in basic science and translational research; novel product development leading to improved therapeutic or diagnostic tools, or improvements in clinical policies/guidelines; or clinical trials that address an immediate clinical need. This program sought applications in laboratory, clinical, behavioral, and epidemiologic research as well as public health and policy; environmental sciences; nursing; occupational health; alternative therapies; ethics; economics; and strategic research, such as studies designed to shape the development of or to validate clinical policy or guidance.

More information about the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program is available at the Website: http://cdmrp.army.mil.

_______

Media Contact:
Gail Whitehead, Public Affairs, 301-619-7783

gail.whitehead@amedd.army.mil

January 09

nasty head cold that lasted 21/2 weeks.  This made my WNV symptoms worse, like dizzy, nausea, motion problems and great fatigue.

TX: I was back to taking 15 min to 2 hour naps a day.  As the cold went away I had that numb drunk feeling for 2 days. A lump in my right arm pit showed up and was there for 3 weeks.  The doctor checked it out and determined it was a lymph node.  After the visit that night there was inflammation in my shoulder, arm, and breast on the right side. It felt like it was draining and it was smaller.  I palpated it when I was feeling better and the inflammation came back.

February

A CBC, glu, liver, kidney, thyroide, lyme, and mom test were run. All came back normal except mild elevated WBC and Hb.   No swimming the next 2 weeks and leave the lymph node alone. See if it resolves.

Tx: Tried steroids for 3 days- prednisone 20 mg. felt like normal again. No pain, no dizzy, no numbness.

As the steroids wore off the WNV symptoms became increasingly worse with each day. Arm pain was severe and could not use my arm for a week.

NOTE: The CDC recognizes WNV as a serious chronic illness.

March

Rested for 2 weeks to go to a concert.  Had WNV hangover the next day- light sens, headache, dizzy, fatigue

Tx: Had EMG done on Right arm and was in pain of 20 on scale of 1-10. On steroids for 24hours 4-8mg of methylprednisolone- felt like WNV 10x worse. The Dr said stop taking them.

The rest of that week I had arm pain and took infla-profen (Herbal)

Tx: The next week my arm felt better as long as I did not reach up. I started 4herb tea twice a day for 1 week then once a day. Arm felt better.

I seemed tired the last 2 weeks in march. I needed 8 hours of sleep or more. It felt as if my body was fight off a cold or something.

After Dr Thakor appt (rheumatologist and arthritis) I was in pain and stayed on Herb-profen the next 4 days. He said stay off steroids with any chronic virus. He has seen many people like me. I had an x-ray of my shoulder and the structure was normal.

I did nothing for 2 weekends and worked 20 hours one week. I felt a little normal for 4 days plus I was on herbaprofen. Once off herbprofen my arm hurt and WNV symptoms came back.

I have not swam since Feb 1. I’m finally back up to strength training 3 days a week. Tai Chi 2 days a week. Walking the dog on the weekend. I got on the stationary bike a couple times for 4 min. It seemed to aggrevate my symptoms.

April

Started with arm pain since my attitude has been forge on. I’m using my arm too much. Headache, tired, dizzy. TX: I took Herbprofen.

The dizziness seems to be better. I still lose my balance easily and have headaches with dehydration or stress.

I had an MRI that showed bursitis in my Right shoulder.  The doctors dropped the case since it could all be explained. They said it was bursitis and to go on steroids. This seemed conflicting to me.  I told the Drs that was not a solution. They suggested PT- physical therapy. I wanted to think about it. I had spent so much money and gotten no where other then frustration for medicine. I feel it is due to WNV, since I did not injure it. 

TX: is rest, ice, and herbprofen. I found ice was very painful so I used heat.

My attitude declined from frustration with the western medical community.  I am looking to eastern medicine and biofeedback for relief from the pain.

May

After sitting on the thought for a few weeks of what to do next, I decided to contact the doctor about PT.  I would not take the steroid shots.  The PT clinic had a 15 minute free consult I took advantage of.  I had spent a lot of money with out answer and wanted to make sure this could help first.  Of course I was a complicated case with it being WNV.  The therapist seemed to have a plan and felt we could work on getting use of the muscles back.  It was going to cost $400 up front and then $30 copay per visit.  I took the plunge and gave it a try. 

TX:After the first treatment I was in pain for 3-5 days.  We decided to have appointments once a week so my body could recover. Initally she did some acupressure of the tendons and lymph node tapping.  The tapping was to try to get the lymph system flowing again. This all seemed to be working.  I felt better the day before going in and then was in pain for another 3-4 days.  This went on for a few weeks.  As my arm felt better I thought I could hammer post for the electric fence one weekend.  That set me back and my physical Therapist yelled at me.  Do not use your arm yet!

June

I started to have more range of motion of my arm.  We added in a ball resistance exercise.  Then another physical therapist suggested muscle activation.  It was something new that had been working well for sport injuries and one other WNV person.  If I had not seen it myself I would not have believed it.  The theory is the nervous system lost contact with the muscle to tell it what to do.  Then the other muscles compensate.  It has made my arm feel even better, We added a few exercises to start to strengthen up the shoulder muscles.  Very slow and limit the use of the arm.

In the process we had a family crisis and the stress sent my WNV into relapse.  I had fatigue, dizzy, headache, unbalanced, and the rash was from head to stomach.  Then a few days later I had the numb drunk feeling, where my body feels all tingly.

I worked on recovering for a weekend of Irish festival partying.  I had so much fun with a friend from ID and partying with the Young Dubliners.  I had a WNV hangover Sunday morning with a little arm pain from dancing.  Monday I was fatigued and unbalanced.  I noticed it was better because I have my 32oz electrolytes to drink that nite.  Dehydration seems to really affect WNV.

The next weekend I watch my niece for a day and then a BBQ the next day.  I had little rest inbetween and the week was taking a toll on my body.  My left side started to have pain and twitching.  My left foot was in sever pain.  As I made myself go to bed early I started to recover again.

July

It has just begun.  We have had Culex mosquitos a few weeks early already test WNV posative.  Golden, CO had the first human case for our season.  I went on a trip to Virginia for PRMRP and visited NYNY.  I was nervous how my body would do with the trip I had planned. I love traveling.  I was on planes, trains, and automobiles.  It all went very well. I had lots of rest time in between the busy time. I made sure I stayed on my regimine.  I was very optimistic about my health when I got back. I felt I was turning the road.  Then as I got back to stressful work, family and reality my health started to plummet.  My physical therapist said vacation was great for my arm and I should be on permanent vacation. Sounds good to me, right me a prescription! Near the end of the month an insect (yet to be ID) stung me and it sent my Right arm into anaphylactic like shock. I was in a lot of pain and swelling.  I went into PT for an adjustment and it helped a lot. She said it was a good thing I came in so all the work we did was not erased.

August

My arm is doing much better, still not back to normal.  I went on a trip to FL for a business meeting and my health relapsed.  I was out late, not eating right, lots of noise and activity.  The 3^rd night there I had fever chills and went to bed early.  I woke up a few times and read then went back to sleep.  The next day I felt better.  As the day went on my system was falling.  I took naps and listened to my I-pod to keep my system relaxed and drown out the activity.  Once I got home my health has still been hanging on and I really need a full day of rest. Now I am trying acupuncture.  I still have swelling and burning around my lymph node and something else needs to be done.  I think I’m at a stalemate with PT.  So we are going to do 2 acupuncture treatments and then retest the muscle activation of the arm.  I found 2 acupuncturists here that have treated a lot of WNV patients. They said WNV gets deep in our system, messes up our immune system and brings up other viruses.  With acupuncture they can rebalance my system.  They are not sure why it seems to affect some more then others.  I know on this journey it seems like I have done a lot of self growth and letting go of the past.  Maybe that is all this journey was about, although a bit painful! I have my first acupuncture appt today. I’ll let you know how it goes.  I’m a little nervous because the outcome could be worse then I am now.  It could also be better. We will see.

September

This month flew past me.

Tx: The first acupuncture treatment I felt exhausted and like mush the rest of the evening.  The points in my skin hurt where the needles were along with my joints.  Two days later I went for another treatment. The same thing happened.  He kept assuring me we had to get my system back in balance.  My liver and spleen pulses were thready because they were sick. Ok. I went 2 days later, then two treatments 4 days apart, then treatments 7 days apart.  The same initial joint pain, skin point pain, and fatigue were the night of treatment. The next morning I felt much better.  I did feel the fatigue was improving.  The same time I decided to REALLY take care of myself for a month.  I made sure I had protein meals every 2 hours, 32oz +electrolytes, my supplements, bed by 9:30p for rest, and really listen to my body.  I also made a batch of 4 herb tea to detox the liver and spleen. The month of sept was a roller coaster. I went to a networking group to get out and socialize again.  I was there for 1 hour and did not listen to my body which said get out fast.  The noise was way too much and my health fell down as the day went on.   I relapsed with fever and chills and just wanted to be done with it all.  I wanted to give up.  That lasted for a moment until I came to my senses and prayed for help.  I got back up and lived another day.  The same time I went to a business symposium and the Feisty Woman suggested writing 5 positive things down before bed each night for 1 month.

October

It started out optimistic.  Writing 5 positive things down each night made me realize the good in my days even with the pain in my shoulder.  I started stretching my acupuncture out 10 days.  That seemed to be fine. My body was recovering faster and feeling like I had more energy.  Then I went to a Get Motivated seminar and found another tip.  Try not complaining inside and outside for 7 days.  That was a more difficult task then I thought.  Tx: With acupuncture, being positive, no complaining, writing 5 positive things down each night, and following my lifestyle plan I began to feel good again.  The month was pretty good. My Right arm was still inflamed and weak. The painful head and neck rash was back again. I went to acupuncture Monday the 26^th and he decided to get aggressive with my arm by adding electricity.  That stimulated my whole system.  I felt my body falling as Monday went on, with fatigue and general malaise. Tuesday I was dizzy and headache.  Wednesday I felt much better. The arm was less inflamed. I had also finished my cycle, WNV is always worse that week and especially my right arm. I will have to see how November starts out after this last acupuncture treatment.  Maybe I will have to have acupuncture the day of my cycle. The joys of being a woman.

November

I spaced my acupuncture out to twice a month. That seemed to work well. For two days after acupuncture I still had off days with fatigue, light and noise senative, dizzy, and headache.  It just makes me think that the virus is still in my nervous system and stress spurs it on. After those two days I feel great. My right arm feels much better and the lymph node has gone from apricot size to apricot seed size. I still have strength problems with my right arm and it may be that way for a while.  I have been more active with walking 3 times a week, strength training 2 times a week, and stationary bike up to 61/2min now. The bonus is I have lost 10-15 lbs of the weight I gained being sick. So I feel really good.

TX: It is important for me to get rest of 8 hours sleep, drink my electrolytes, protein meals every 2 hours, vitamins, antioxidants, joint supplements and listen to my body.  This is the new lifestyle that is working to keep me in balanced. So far nothing new has come up.

December

I started out strong with my own project to lead at work. I worked 12 days on that project and the stress was too much for my body. It reminded me that I am still sick by closing off my airway the end of that first week in December. I was alone in a room at work gasping for air as the shock of losing my life can be so close. Life is fragile.  I remembered to use the relaxation tools I have learned the last year and go to my happy place.  This calmed my nervous system down to allow air to flow to my lungs again and I started gagging.  I got myself together to go to the bathroom, compose myself and look in the mirror that I was still standing there. Another reminder of how my body has changed sharing space with West Nile virus. I made sure I took it easy the rest of the month or made sure I had relax time.  I did attend a gingerbread house making party, The Young Dubliners concert, a Christmas open house, girls night out, and holiday cheer.  This is a lot for someone relaxing and friends said I was more spunky this season.  So as long as I listen to my body and not push the limits West Nile virus and get along just well.

I hope people can learn from this long blog.  To date I still stand by my regemine to keep me going.

The journey continues in 2010…

January 08

Everyone was back to work and there was so much going on the nervous system could not handle it.

I crashed again with fever, body pain, headache, fatigue, dizzy

February

getting use to being tired, dizzy, nausea, and vertigo

TX: peppermint tea in the morning, protein meals every 2-3 hours, high quality vitamins, electrolytes and lots of rest made me more comfortable.

March

PT-physical therapy twice a week. I was shone where my weaknesses were and how to build my strength and balance back up.

weekend in March I was doing laundry, cleaning house,

All of a sudden it felt like I was going to lose it. I went in the house to rest, drink and eat a little protein bar. I was feeling better so I headed to the shed again. Not making it and running into the bathroom. I was exhausted, and then the fever, chills, headache, and body pain came back again. For the next few weeks I ate applesauce, oatmeal, pudding, saltine crackers, and electrolyes.

I thought I had food poising. Later found out vomiting is part of WNV. ( I only had that one time.)

April

neurologist that ordered an MRI

brain structure was normal and they saw two white spots on the frontal lobe

I was told to be patient with my recovery because it could be months or years.

Day after the concert I had a headache, dizzy, nausea, sever light sensitivity, and balance problems for a few days- I call this the WNV hangover

got my tetanus vaccine. Monday night my arm was a little sore which was normal for me. Tuesday my arm was stiff and very painful. Wednesday felt general malaise (little fever, tired, ache). Thursday . Once I got to work was exhausted and needed a nap. I had a headache, exhaustion, lack of focus, dizzy, nausea, and labored breathing.

May

tornado and we had a bit of flooding with property damage. I spent the night digging ditches to drain the lakes around the house and cow pens.  I was exhausted the next day with muscle pain and twitching. Memorial Day weekend I rested and on Sunday the fever, headache and fatigue came back.  The rest of May I was dizzy, balance problems, fatigue, and nausea.  It feels like a drunk, numb, slow feeling.

June

was dizzy, balance problems, fatigue, and nausea.

started some biofeedback work

July

Las Vegas trip was too much stimulation, came back exhausted. Once I was back home I was sick for 3 weeks with walking pneumonia, laryngitis and sinusitis.

Once over the sickness I got on the real bike to take the dogs out for a run, was fatigued the next day

August

Tx: My daily regimen is a vitality supplement, herbal joint supplement, herbal blood pressure supplement, cranbarrier, electrolytes, protein every 2-3 hours and rest. Vit c 750mg, vit e 800iu, L-Lysine 500mg all twice a day.

rode my bike in old town ft Collins for 10 min 1 mile and felt tired and good.  That night I  had chills, fever, headache, body pain and fatigue.  went to bed early and felt good the next morning. I decided to put the bike away for a long while.

went on vacation and made sure to rest and stay on the regimen.  had 1 day of really dizzy and unbalanced. Other then that it was a little fatigue, dizzy and light sensitive.  I could no longer drive at night.  listened to my body when it was tired. did some swimming at the hotel and it did not seem to bother my WNV.

September

had consistent fatigue, dizzy and balance problems.  My nausea came back mid September with feelings of sick to my stomach. One afternoon and night I was very dizzy and unbalanced.

TX: I had been swimming twice a week for aerobic exercise. It seems as long as I stayed with low level of activity the symptoms are much less. Once I am on the go or talking with various people for long periods of time, I become unbalanced and dizzy.  A rash like the original rash has been on my chest and head. It itches on my head.  A bad attitude and tired of being sick surfaced near the end of the month.

October

more frustration with the same symptoms lingering as I added activity.

became frustrated with the health profession and gave up on medical help. This added to the dizzy, fatigue, unbalance, lack of focus, and headaches.  I was back to taking naps in the day. The beginning of the month I went to a work party and had a sip of microbrew pumpkin beer.  This made my nausea, tired and system shutdown. The end of the month I had sharp stomach pains with general feeling not well one day.

(Beer or any liquor felt like Alcohol poising to my nervous system. )

November

I had a weekend of rest in the mountains and felt relaxed.  One night I was up all night with my 16mo old niece and it felt like a hang over the next day.  I was light and noise sensitive, fatigue, dizzy.

TX: Mid month I decided to change my attitude to focus on living and not sickness. Thanksgiving night I drove home late and the lights did not bother me as much. I noticed late in the month my shoulders would get red after the pool.

December

pretty good since the month was mellow at work with the holidays.  One night I was out late with the ladies on the town and the next morning had the WNV hangover.  I took it slow and went to a neighbor Christmas party for a couple hours and started getting dizzy and fatigue. A week later I went to 2 parties in the same day and the next day have the WNV hang over. I took it easy the rest of the month with headache, mild fatigue, and no motivation.

The journey continues into 2009…

Was that not truly amazing?  She has RSD- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which causes her constant pain as well as quadriplegic.  It is a syndrome they don’t know much about.  I learned about it a couple months ago when my brother was diagnosed after an injury.

Everyone out there has a story and we don’t know what their story is until we get to know them.  People are overcoming obstacles in there way everyday.  Resilient people learn how to adjust to a new lifestyle to continue living.   I have learned the last few months that the scariest moments in my life are the times I have grown and learned.   I want more of those scary moments so I can learn to adjust and grow through life.

If you want another inspiring story, check out the one about hope and persistance.

Our skin is the largest organ in our body and everything in our environment is absorbed through it.  These products are absorbed directly through our skin, mucous membranes, into our lungs and blood system.   Once in our system can cause oxidative damage and anti-aging effects especially in children.

The WHO- World Health Organization released an article that the chemicals in our home may cause ADD, autism, cancer, asthma and weak immune systems. 

A women’s health article links 70,000 synthetic chemicals in our homes to the following:

  Reproductive Complications

 Biological Mutations

 Skin and Eye Irritations

In 2005 the CDC published a report on biomonitoring of people for chemical exposure.  These are on going reports of chemicals found in peoples blood and urine that show we are a make up of our environment.  Europe has been ahead in this area and sees it as a living on going experiment we can learn from.  They have been creating an increased awareness of the toxins we produce and how it affects the environment we live in.

I had exercise induced asthma and whenever I cleaned the bathroom with standard cleaning products I had attacks.  I would leave the bathroom exhaust fan and windows open for half a day.  Once I changed my personal care products with ammonia, phospahtes and formaldehydes for natural effective products my respiratory health improved.  Many other families have had similar experiences by just getting the toxins out of their homes. 

What if you could have safe and tested products in your home that worked effectively and improved your families environment.

It made me realize that is what my wellness site is all about.  In order to be well we have to have lifestyle changes.  I want to talk about a few of them

Exercise- I feel this is number 1.

We are more of a sedentary society then when we use to work on the farm all day.  Exercise is important for joints, muscles, cardio, respiratory and immune system.

Healthy eating- Eating in the right portions and food groups.

For example my metabolisim is slow so I need smaller portions then other people.  We need to incorporate fruits, veggies, grains and fiber into the diet. One friend dislikes eating veggies so she found a drink with servings of fruits and veggies in it.  I would advise reading labels to make sure it is really better. Another friend was told she had high cholesterol and she made diet changes and brought it down, without drugs.

Supplements- this is a whole topic in its self.

I want to say here that our soils are depleted of nutrients from farming every year so our food is also not as fortified. JAMA now recommends everyone take a supplement for good health.  If our bodies do not have the vitamins the cells need to keep going then they shut down. I have found this to be especially important having a chronic disease like WNV.  

What are the symptoms: Flu like with fever, headache, cough, aches, possible diarrhea

What to do if your sick: Stay home, get rest, plenty of fluids, seek medical guidence

The CDC website is full of in-depth information to answer all your questions.

There are a lot of illnesses out there with flu like symptoms; I feel it is always better to err on the cautious side. Take care of yourself.  Every year 35,000 people die from Influenza in the US.

This is not the first time we have seen an influenza infection and pandemics occur about every 10-30 years. As a world, we are much more prepared with trained personnel.   Here is a history of past flu pandemics.

412 BC influenza first described by Greek physician Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine”

1580 the first influenza pandemic was recorded

1729-1730, 1732-1733, 1781-1782, 1830, 1833-1834, 1847-1848 Influenza pandemics

1889–1890 the “Asiatic Flu” H2N8 type of flu virus

1918–1919 the “Spanish flu” H1N1

1957–58 the “Asian Flu” H2N2

1968–69 the “Hong Kong Flu” H3N2.  Influenza A (H3N2) viruses still circulate today.

Precautions:

When sneezig or coughing cover your mouth up with your elbow.

Wash hands after touching public places, children, after the restroom or your own face. 

Be aware of people around you

Stay hydrated and get rest

These are important anytime and especially when a virus is circulating.  I feel supplements and immune boosters, like vitamin C, aslo help. 

When: Every April 22.

History: The first Earth day was in 1970. Senator Gaylord Nelson of WI established it to bring awareness to our environmental impact on earth.  

I had no idea earth day had been established that long.  I remember the last 10 years of celebration and will continue as the years roll by.

Part of health prevention is keeping our planet healthy.  This is the environment we live in.  I believe the first inhabitants of this planet understood how to live in balance with the earth.  As a world we are all starting to move in that direction of balance again. Earth Day is a good day to start the process of balance.

Balance is defined as a state of equilibrium in weight, value etc; bodily or mentally stable; harmonious proportion of elements of design; a weight, value, etc that counteracts another.   So what we take from the earth we must give back.

A few things we can start with and add into our daily life to give back are:

1. Recycle- paper, cans, glass; also paint, car parts, etc can go to resource centers for others to use

2. Save energy and water- Turn off lights when not in use. Be Water Wise. Less is better.

3. Reduce pollution- Group errands together and plan a route with less backtracking.

“Whatever you do to the web of life, you do to yourself; all things are bound together, all things connect.” – Cheif Seattle (Duwamish)

Aug 29, 2007 I came home that night with a strange bite on my right upper arm. It itched and swelled like a mosquito bite but then it bruised and had 2 red rings on either side. It was all gone by morning.

September

7 days later I headed to bed about 11pm and felt that sick ache feeling coming on. As the night went on I had chills, fever, headache, delusions, and body pain.

Tested negative for WNV 15 days later

general malaise with fever and 5 days later I also got a red pinpoint rash all over my body

7 days later my eyes were sensitive to bright light such as the microscope and street lights at night. Then 7 days later my muscles were so weak

the base of my neck was very warm, especially when I had a headache, fatigue and fever.

October

still dizzy, headache, and fatigued, no energy, 4-8 times higher antibody then normal to WNV.

Nov

dizzy, tired, headache, high blood pressure and unbalanced

blacked out at work one Friday and lost all functions

7 days later I blacked out again but was able to function

TX: Doctor said electrolyes are key.

December

Mellow month. Rested.

Difficult to multi-task, concentrate and fine eye hand coordination

The journey continues to 2008.