Lady of Lyme
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
  • Products I Love
    • Supplements & Meds
    • Makeup & Skincare
    • Food & Diet
    • Apps & Organization
    • Gift Guides
  • Resources
    • Symptoms/Resources
    • Lyme Vocabulary
    • Printables
    • Books & Reading
  • Features
  • Testing
  • Contact
  • Treatment Info
    • DesBio Treatment Facts
    • My Treatments
    • Treatment Blog

Pregnancy & Lyme Disease: All The Info About Gestational Lyme Disease

10/28/2015

4 Comments

 
A question I receive in my inbox rather frequently is, "is it safe to have a baby when the mom has Lyme disease?" This question is really complex, and I have found that people are either staunchly against it, or strongly support it; this post is not meant to take either side. Instead, I set out to find and compile all the research pertaining to Lyme disease and pregnancy and organize it in a way that can be easily accessed. It is however not intended to be medical advice, so always consult your Lyme Doctor on this issue, even if you are in remission.

I know Lyme patients my age who got the disease from their mother in utero because their mother did not know that they were bitten by a tick during their pregnancy, or did not know that they were carrying Lyme disease prior to getting pregnant. There are many unfortunate and heartbreaking stories like this, most recently the story of John Cauldwell and his entire family being diagnosed with the disease. Lyme disease is such a stealth pathogen that women with vague symptoms can have no idea that they are ill, and through no fault of their own unknowingly transmit it in utero. This is why it is so important for women who do know they currently have Lyme disease to get pregnant only under the care and advice of a Lyme literate doctor. But we will cover this topic and others more in depth below.


If you are a healthy pregnant mother who gets bit by a tick during your pregnancy, what should you do?
This is an issue that most LLMD's agree on with the CDC, and they both stress that prompt treatment is necessary as there are grave risks for your unborn baby. The CDC says: "Untreated, Lyme disease can be dangerous to your unborn child. Lyme disease that goes untreated can also cause you to have brain, nerve, spinal cord, and heart problems. With early treatment these complications can be prevented. If you suspect you may have Lyme disease, see your physician (5)." I would like to however add the edit of "please see a Lyme literate physician," and that's because the CDC only recommends 2-4 weeks of antibiotics, which we now know is not sufficient enough.

A Lyme literate physician will be able to help in the initial treatment and also follow you along the entire pregnancy afterwards to make sure that your baby stays healthy throughout. The other benefit is that after pregnancy you have a Doctor who knows what to look out for going forward postpartum if Lyme disease persists.

What are the risks to the baby if the mother does not seek treatment? Dr. Daniel Cameron MD detailed many different findings of such situations. Studies found that stillbirths occurred when the disease was contracted during the first trimester. Gestational Lyme Borreliosis was described in 5 of 19 pregnancies studied, resulting in cortical blindness, intrauterine fetal death, and rash (1-3). Another report attributes an infant death at one week old to a transmission of Bb from the mother, after the autopsy showed evidence of spirochetes in the spleen, kidneys, and bone marrow (2). A third report detailed a newborn death at 39 hours of life, with a left side hypoplastic heart and the presence of spirochetes also in the spleen, kidneys, and bone marrow. Borrelia was also able to be cultured from fetal liver tissue in 4 stillborn infants (4).

These findings prove the presence of Borrelia in the baby and go on to emphasize why treatment when bit by a tick during pregnancy calls for prompt measures. A Lyme literate doctor will work with you to find the right antibiotic regimen, and it is typically any combination of Amoxicillin, Cefuroxime, Azithromycin, and IV Ceftriaxone. All of these are safe for pregnant women.

Could I get pregnant if I already have Lyme disease? Is it safe, and can I give birth to a healthy baby?
For this question I consulted different physicians who are very well versed in treating chronic Lyme disease and have experience in this arena. One of these physicians is Dr. Marty Ross MD, who has his own Lyme practice and provides care to pregnant mothers. Dr. Ross advises that women with Lyme Disease can get pregnant, but they must know the risks and must take steps to prevent transmission. Lyme symptoms will typically improve during the pregnancy and worsen after delivery.

There is no single study which has followed large numbers of women to determine the actual Lyme transmission rate. However a review was conducted by T Gardner in 2001 and published in the Infectious Disease and Newborn Infant 5th edition. Gardner looked at 263 cases of pregnancy outcomes where Lyme was involved and found that 66 fetuses had Lyme. This suggested an approximate 25% transmission rate in pregnancy. However, this was a very small batch study, and it is likely that the actual amount could be much higher.

So what can be done to ensure that the Lyme disease does not transmit to the baby? The common treatment is for mothers to take antibiotics during the entire pregnancy. Dr. Charles Ray Jones MD, the leading pediatric Lyme Literate physician, followed 160 pregnant women with Lyme who took antibiotics before & during pregnancy. Of these 160 women, 5% of the babies born had laboratory evidence of Lyme transmission (in placenta cords or foreskin). These babies were treated, and afterwards all 160 women went on to have healthy infants.

The Lyme Disease Foundation in Hartford, CT also had similar encouraging results. The foundation kept a pregnancy registry for 11 years, beginning in the late 1980's. They found that if patients were maintained on adequate doses of antibiotic therapy during gestation then no babies were born with Lyme disease. Dr. Joseph Burrascanno MD, another leading LLMD mirrored this sentiment, and said that his experience over the last 20 years agrees with those findings.

The consensus seems to be that you can safely have a baby when you have Lyme disease, but it absolutely requires necessary precautions. You need to be able to commit to antibiotic therapy before conception and all the way through the pregnancy. This is something your LLMD will discuss with you so that you are prepared to make the commitment and ensure a healthy birth and a healthy infant. You also need to be prepared that symptoms typically flare considerably postpartum, and planning for that is also very important. If you have an unexpected pregnancy then make an appointment with your LLMD immediately, so you can get started on adequate antibiotic therapy as soon as possible.

Can Lyme Disease be found in breast milk?
According to Dr. Joseph Burrascanno MD, the answer is yes. Breast milk from infected mothers has been shown to harbor spirochetes that can be detected by PCR and grown in cultures.


The long term studies seem encouraging, but again, always see your Doctor prior to making any decisions regarding pregnancy and Lyme disease. There are clickable links to the information posted above throughout the post, as well as resources at the bottom. This is not medical advice, nor is it a medical opinion, but rather a gathering of facts from multiple studies and physicians to better help guide patients looking for information on pregnancy with Lyme disease.

xoxo,
Christina

References:
  1. Markowitz LE, Steere AC, Benach JL, Slade JD, Broome CV. Lyme disease during pregnancy. Jama, 255(24), 3394-3396 (1986).
  2. Schlesinger PA, Duray PH, Burke BA, Steere AC, Stillman MT. Maternal-fetal transmission of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Ann Intern Med, 103(1), 67-68 (1985).
  3. MacDonald AB, Benach JL, Burgdorfer W. Stillbirth following maternal Lyme disease. N Y State J Med, 87(11), 615-616 (1987).
  4. MacDonald AB. Human fetal borreliosis, toxemia of pregnancy, and fetal death. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg A, 263(1-2), 189-200 (1986).
  5. CDC.gov
4 Comments

Tiredness vs. Fatigue. It's Not The Same & Here's Why:

10/7/2015

6 Comments

 
When I was in college cramming for finals running on 3 hours of sleep I always assumed that was the most tired a person could feel. As I drug myself out of bed and headed to Starbucks for 3 shots of espresso I would mutter to myself, "I'm such a zombie, I'm so exhausted, this is terrible!" There is no denying I was incredibly tired, but what I didn't know at the time is that there is a difference between being tired from a lack of sleep, and experiencing tiredness on a whole new level; fatigue.

Fatigue: extreme tiredness, typically resulting from illness.

Tired: in need of sleep or rest.

When I got my first dose of fatigue first hand from my illness I couldn't find the words to convey what it felt like. The closest I came was, "It feels like I was hit by a semi" but even that didn't do it justice. Fatigue is such a deep whole body exhaustion that blinking is painful, and breathing feels impossible. It's like darkness crawled into every single cell of the body and depleted every ounce of energy. If anyone has every had mono then that would likely be the closest example that can make a fragment of sense. No amount of sleep can satisfy fatigue, and you wake up feeling like you never slept a wink.

So often I hear people belittle the symptom of "fatigue" in those who have a chronic illness. You can't see fatigue on a person, you can't touch it or make it be tangible & so people assume it must just feel the way they do when they're too tired.

If only.

If fatigue felt the way I felt after a week of cramming for finals in college I would be jazzed. Because the real fatigue is one that wins every battle; Will I make it to the shower today? Will I be able to walk to the kitchen? Fatigue decides. There is no mind over matter, there is no choosing to force yourself up. Fatigue is an intense exhaustion that rules all and controls all, even in the strongest of soldiers.

That's really important to note: Fatigue is not an optional feeling the way tiredness is. You can be tired, chug a Redbull or a coffee & power through a few more hours. Being tired doesn't stop you from completing normal daily tasks like taking a shower or washing the dishes. It doesn't feel good to push yourself when you're tired, but the difference is that it's non negotiable with fatigue.

When a patient with a chronic illness calls in sick for work, cancels dinner, or postpones any other plans because they are too fatigued, it's likely they feel as though every ounce of life was sucked out of them. It's easy for people to look down upon that "excuse," or feel as though it isn't valid. Coming from the perspective of someone who was once healthy I understand why. People think of what tired feels like to them and assumes that must be what tired feels like in an illness, so why can't they push through? Why are they so flaky?

I spent a long time blaming my own self and my own body for not cooperating better in regards to "being tired." I soon learned that the key word was "tired," and that wasn't what I was experiencing. I had crossed over from tired into the territory of fatigue, and that was a whole new beast.

A change in the stigma surrounding the word fatigue in regardless to chronic illness begins with acknowledging that there is a difference. I myself did not know the difference because so often in the English language we toss together words with similar meanings and use them interchangeably.

For the record, being tired from work or school or life is tough, and I don't ever want to take away from that. Mostly because I don't feel like the best way to educate on terminology is to belittle or pit "healthy" people against "sick" people. There is no competition, but sometimes advocates can create an "us" versus "them" dialogue which is damaging and unnecessary. Believe me, I remember being healthy and I still had my own set of very real problems & being tired from running on little sleep was 1 of them.

But it is important to make note that fatigue is not just that run of the mill tiredness you feel after a long week & remedy with a cup of coffee. Fatigue is crushing & leaves a person physically immobile, but not by choice.

If someone cancels plans or shares that they are struggling with fatigue in their illness I simply hope that this post could shed a bit of light on what that might feel like & how it impacts them. At the end of the day being tired & being fatigued are both pretty terrible feelings, so since its 2am here at the moment I wish a goodnight to all.

Xoxo,
Christina
6 Comments

What Is The Role Of A Caregiver When A Patient Starts to Experience Self-Doubt? 

8/23/2015

2 Comments

 
There will be days for every patient where self-doubt starts to creep in. Am I making the right choices with my health? Is this the best treatment plan? Why do I feel like I'm not moving forward? Is this a new symptom or a side effect of a new supplement?

The questions are endless, and the doubt can be paralyzing. Very quickly that small wrinkle of doubt spirals into worry, and then progresses into fear. It happens to every single patient, no matter how long they have been on their journey. 

A caregivers role goes far beyond the physical tasks. I depend on my family to be my backbone when I start to doubt myself and have a tough time coping. Every so often I will just get overwhelmed, and sometimes it's the tiniest thing that starts this thought process in my mind. I start to wonder if I will ever get well. This leads me to start to question if I'm doing all that I can, or if my treatment plan is the right one. I get exhausted with being exhausted and I wallow in that feeling of wondering if I will get to know what being healthy even feels like again. It's during these times that my family stops me in my tracks. They start to remind me about "last week," or "last month" when I had a better day. They say, "remember when you could manage to eat two full meals AND snacks not too long ago? And that same day you also walk outside for fresh air? That day came out of no where, but it is proof that your body is capable. You are on the right path."

Next is usually when I retaliate with some more doubt or try to disprove what they said, but never the less they still don't ever let up. They tell me over and over again that I WILL get well, and they will be there every single step of the way. Their eternal optimism and unwavering positivity amazes me. It gives me the will to fight and pick myself up from the pit of negativity that I somehow fell into. I have never once seen my family panic, even when I've been in some of the worst situations. They might do it in private, but in front of me it is a united front that everything will be okay.
 
The job is a caregiver is unsung work. People focus so much on the patient and give them the glory for being positive or fighting hard, but I'm nothing without my family who gives me the fuel. I run on empty a lot more often then I would like to admit as the months of being sick pile on, but their support is stronger than ever. I realize that half of why I fight is for them. It's because they deserve it. I challenge you to stop and think about the people who love you the next time you want to throw in the towel. Realize that they are counting on you and how much fight they have given and continue to give of themselves on a daily basis. It's not easy to be the strength for someone they love while watching you suffer day in and day out.

To all the caregivers out there, thank you. To everyone who already unconditionally supports someone who is ill, you are the light of their lives even if they don't get a chance to tell you. And if you are a new caregiver and aren't quite sure what it entails, then let me tell you that half of the job requirement is being a positive voice no matter the circumstances. It does not matter how much doubt is being thrown your way, don't give in. Don't ever tell a patient things like, "you're right, maybe you won't get well." Or even worst, "I agree, you aren't getting any better, what now?" Things like that are not healthy or productive for the mindset of a patient. It only makes them feel guilty and helpless, and it is not conducive for healing. Even if it seems true, try to reach deep down and find 1 single positive thing, no matter how small it is which has improved. It can be anything. Find it, and remind them of it over and over again. When the smoke clears if you need to discuss new treatment options or bring up a discussion about a change of plan then do so when things have cooled. No patient can be rational or help themselves when they are in a negative panicked head space.

Doubt is crippling, but it's something that every patient will face. It doesn't make you any less of a fighter, in fact I think it strengthens you to stumble and pick yourself back up. You are forced during that time to look at all the positives and remember the good moments. Some of you might not have a direct in person support system during your illness, but a caregiver can be absolutely anyone, even a friend you met in a support group online. A caregiver is essentially someone who gives you care. It can be virtual emotional support and care, or physical in person care. The idea is still the same. They are there for you in a time of need. If you read this then I urge you to take a moment to thank them, whoever they are, for their support and love.

To my family, thank you endlessly. I love you

xoxo,
Christina

2 Comments

Lactated Ringer IV Contains CORN Byproducts - Beware If You Have A Corn Allergy or Intolerance (Emergency Room Safety Doc Included) 

7/19/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
This post is a bit of a PSA, as I recently learned that Lactated Ringer IV's contain corn byproducts. If you are shocked right now then you are certainly not alone! I was honestly both surprised at first & then sadly the more I thought about it I realized I shouldn't be surprised that they would use a corn byproduct in something that is SO widely used in hospitals. And the crazy part is that as a patient you often have to learn the hard way, because there are no real warning labels anywhere.

I have had a lot of trouble with Lactated Ringers in the past 6-8 months. Each time the symptoms got worse and came on stronger. I would get sydden sharp pounding headaches and my stomach would start to burn, but I never understood why. I was under the impression the IV just had saline and some minerals. But this last time I realized I had no idea what "sodium lactate" was. Upon further research I found out it is lactic acid taken from the fermentation of corn sugar. If you have an actual corn allergy then it is VITAL that you do not get anywhere near a Lactated Ringer. I myself have an intolerance to corn and it's something that hit me like a ton a brinks.

The more I researched the more I realized that a lot of these medical products contain corn. For example, dissolve-able stitches have corn starch on them as a coating, and many other ready made IV's contain dextrose which, you guessed it, is corn glucose. My searching led to this amazing Google Doc that is linked HERE, which is a comprehensive list of things you can and cannot have in a hospital setting if you have a corn allergy or intolerance. It's essentially a handy printable to keep if you ever find yourself in an Emergency Room or Hospital of any kind.

So, what can you do if you need IV hydration or nutrients? There are a few options. You can simply get Saline which is safe, or you can ask for (non-lactated) Ringer's solution. But you do need to make sure it does not have dextrose in it, because some might.

I hope this can be helpful to someone out there who is confused why a hydration IV made them feel so much worse. The IV's used to help me a lot, but recently when I felt worse for wear I knew something was happening, and now I know! As I always say, being a patient is a full time job which fully requires one to be their own advocate.

-Christina


0 Comments

What Are EMF's (Electromagnetic Fields), And How Do They Affect Someone With A Chronic Illness Like Lyme Disease?

6/5/2015

10 Comments

 
Picture
The REN Pendant, SafeSleeve leather iPhone case & Laptop Case
When you become ill you also become acutely aware of all the dangerous and harmful things in the world. Suddenly your eyes are opened up to genetically modified foods, and all the toxic chemicals being sprayed on produce, and even the hormones being pumped into livestock. You realize that things like paint and nail polish and hair spray are chock full of aerosol chemicals that can paralyze and lock up your muscles in an instant from just one whiff. As if that wasn't shocking enough you also have to watch out for parabens and carcinogens in your body wash, lotion, shampoo & conditioner. Then you have to calculate in the heavy metals in our environment and how they also add to the overall toxic burden of your body.

Every single one of these are things that you would never ever realize are a problem until you are ill. When you become ill your body is broken down and fragile, and every tiny thing counts. Every added burden on the body is one more hurdle to jump through to get well.

I used to think I could skip some steps, maybe some of these things just wouldn't be a factor for me. Wishful thinking perhaps? But what I am learning slowly is that in order to heal you must really genuinely commit to all aspects. Leaving out some parts of the process and hoping my body would manage was a mistake.

So, what exactly are EMF's? Simply put, EMF's are Electromagnetic Fields. They are invisible fields that are emitted from any electrical device (including all wireless devices). They are absolutely everywhere in our world today. If something needs electricity to run in any capacity then it emits EMF's. Looking around my room right now I see my computer, phone, ipad, heating pad, lamp, TV, DVR box, DVD box & an air purifier. All of these are emitting EMF's constantly.
Also, what is often forgotten is things like WiFi; if you have it in your home then it has its own electromagnetic field that it is pumping through your home 24 hours a day.

Now you might be wondering, why should I care? Our bodies have their very own natural electromagnetic fields. Running through each and every human body is a highly sensitive natural resonance. The earth also has its own natural magnetic field, and the two of these work in synchrony. Many ancient healing practices simply revolved around grounding the body by standing barefoot outside so that the body and the earth can mesh and balance out. It sounds kind of loopy I know, but there is a calm that overcomes a person when you just connect with the ground.

The trouble begins when all these man made EMF's listed above start to pass through our body and they interfere with the natural fields inside of us.
Symptoms are primarily seen in the nervous system with fatigue, anxiety, foggy thinking, depression and insomnia. Often times healthy people do not notice any symptoms from this at all. I used to think I was like that, probably because I was in denial about being separated from my precious wireless devices. I didn't want to believe that they could be hindering my health. However, upon much more further review it has become all too clear that I am indeed sensitive to EMF's.

Most people who become ill with a chronic illness will begin to notice that they are also sensitive to EMF's. It happens because the body is already in a dysfunctional state, and these invisible waves simply become too much extra added stress. I have spoke to many patients who started turning the Wifi router off at night and powering off electrical devices when they slept. They all noticed it made a huge difference in the kind of sleep they had. Cutting these EMF's off (or at least down) during the night when the body is working so hard to regenerate and heal is often the first big step to taking some of the burden off so that things can be restored.

As far as the rest of the day it is simply impossible to stay away from all EMF's. Unless you move into a hut in the middle of nowhere with no electricity at all, it just isn't realistic. But what you CAN do is make an active effort to protect yourself from EMF's. There are tons and tons of EMF protection products out there to chose from. They make individual cases for different electrical devices, small sticky pads that can be attached to items to diffuse EMF's, and even small pendants you can wear on your body that create a shield all around you where EMF's can not pass. For all of these products I have read hundreds of reviews, and the consensus is that people DO feel a huge difference when using them. A lot of symptoms they were suffering with simply melt away, and most notably they realize they are much more calm and their brain isn't so wired.

In the last 4-6 weeks I have purchased a few items for my protection. None of these were sponsored or paid for. I did all my own research and purchased these myself and am receiving 0 compensation to discuss it. As you can see from the photo above I picked out a phone case which protects from radiation (EMF's and radiation are two different things). This is important because its been long known that radiation can lead to cancer, and cell phones and computers both emit it. This isn't so bad except for when you place your phone in your pocket or place your laptop on your lap (or anywhere up against your body). The SafeSleeve iPhone case I got is cute and protects the phone well. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something to blend style and function. I also got the SafeSleeve leather laptop case as well to keep my laptop in when its in my room to diffuse radiation. When I take my laptop out to use it I place the SafeSleeve in my lap so it functions like that as well. However to be extra cautious (or when I don't want that leather case in my lap) I bought a Laptop Skin Shield which is a sticker you put on the bottom of your laptop that blocks radiation too. Basically, for my two most used electrical devices I picked SafeSleeve because as a brand it's functional, it's good and it's stylish too, which doesn't hurt!

The next item I chose is called the REN pendant. Essentially in very layman's terms this pendent creates a shield that circumvents your body and in that shield EMF's are diffused before they can get into you to create havoc. I chose this because it is WAY easier to walk around with 24/7 protection then to try and put a case on everything electrical in my home. Especially since I have an electrical heating pad on my stomach almost constantly and they don't make a case for that! The REN pendant is pricey, but I did not find 1 single bad review about it. They offer a 30 day return policy with no questions asked but said that they have never had 1 returned back to them because of it not working. Those are some pretty amazing stats if I do say so myself! I took the plunge and got the silver pendant which I began using about a month ago. I can 100% say that it has changed my sleep completely. My insomnia has completely disappeared, which is nothing short of a miracle. I should note however that insomnia and painsomnia are 2 different beasts. Painsomnia is staying awake due to pain keeping me up, but the insomnia that I had was good old fashioned tossing and turning until 7am for no good reason. Since I put this pendant in my room my sleep has been noticeably deeper and as soon as my body pain allows me to sleep I sleep instantly. I noticed some other things improved too as far as neurological night time issues & anxiety. Overall it is 100% worth the investment and truthfully the best option I found for keeping yourself protected from EMF's constantly.

This was a bit long, but hopefully informative in some way shape or form. If you haven't already I recommend looking into seeing how EMF's might be hindering your recovery. It might sound kind of new agey and strange (I was a long time skeptic), but I can't deny the benefits I have felt.

xoxo,
Christina


10 Comments

A New & Powerful Way To Detox: Activated Charcoal Poultice

1/2/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
When you get to the point during treatment that not only do you feel miserable, but your liver and pancreas are hurting terribly & your kidneys feel like they have knives in them, you realize your body is teetering on being over pushed. This is what happened to me recently. I overdid it, and my body was not equipped to handle it. All the regular things I did to detox were no longer keeping up. They did help, but not as much as they needed to. Here I was, 4 days before Christmas feeling the sickest I have felt in weeks, and trying to do all I could to calm the storm. This was when I came across a wonderful testimonial about using an activated charcoal poultice placed over the liver and pancreas to pull out toxins and normalize liver and pancreas enzymes.

I have known about charcoal for a long time, and took capsules internally, but it never dawned on me that it could also be used outside the body. Activated charcoal is incredibly powerful. They use it in hospitals when patients have overdosed, and it really latches on to toxins and clears it out of the system. The many testimonials I read spoke about making a poultice (which I will explain below), and putting it over the liver area for 8 hours per day. Just to give you an example of how powerful this can be, there was a young lady with chronic pancreatitis who was going to have her pancreas removed because of how bad her case was. Even with pain meds, nausea meds & a liquid diet she was still constantly so ill that it was uncontrollable. A doctor who was familiar with activated charcoal began her on a regimen of using the poultice 8 hours a night over her pancreas, and drinking a slurry internally 3x a day. Within 48 hours she was eating solid food, and within 2 weeks she was out of bed functioning. It took 3 months to get her to a normal and stable place, but to me it was a huge testament. Others shared how their high liver enzymes got normalized within a few weeks, and all these great stories were enough for me to give it a try myself.

It is extremely important to use PURE charcoal powder for this. At first I took my capsules and crushed them up and tried to do it that way. It was a big mistake because all the fillers in them actually made me much more sick. It wasn't until I switched to pure charcoal powder that I realized what a world of difference it makes. I buy mine here & it's worked really well!

You can read how to make a poultice here, but its basically like a charcoal patch that sits over the liver and pulls toxins out.The key is to tape it up so that it stays damp on the skin. It sounds far fetched, but I can attest to just how much this indeed helps. It has made all the difference for me since I began, and I am so thankful I landed upon it. It has helped clear the brain fog, gave me a little pep in my step, and just overall taken down the toxic feeling. If you have ever felt it, you know what I mean. You feel like you are in a haze, and your body feels weighed down and exhausted. Using the activated charcoal poultice along with my other detox methods has helped during my time of extreme need, and I urge you to give this a try! A tablespoon of the powder is all you need per dose so the 1lb bag goes a long way. You can also mix it in water or put it in capsules to take it internally which is a great toxin binder, but you MUST make sure to drink it 2 hours away from all meds (since it will soak them up). The charcoal poultice on the skin though will NOT interfere with medicine absorption.

Steps:

​1. Mix up some charcoal powder with 1 TBSP of water to make a paste the texture of pancake batter.
2. Either put this mix directly on your skin over the liver/pancreas OR use a cheesecloth and put that on your skin first and put the charcoal mix on top of it. Because the fabric of cheesecloth has holes the paste will get through without it being directly on your skin. It's up to you. 
3. Take a piece of paper towel and wet it so its damp and place it on top of the charcoal paste.
4. Take a piece of Saran Wrap and put it over top of the damp towel. Optional, you can tape the edges of the Saran Wrap with a paper tape to seal it in. 
5. Take a heating pad and put it on top of this poultice to lock in heat and draw the charcoal into the skin. 
6. Lie like this for at least an hour (longer if possible)

I hope this can be helpful to someone else, if you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment & I will do my best to answer it. As always I am not a Doctor, so none of this is intended to supplement medical advice.

xoxo,
Christina
5 Comments

The Link Between Mast Cells And Full Body Inflammation. 

12/4/2014

4 Comments

 
This post contains pertinent information for both those with and without typical allergies. If you suffer from a Chronic Illness or stress of any kind, please read on.

A lot of people suffer from seasonal allergies. Or, if you are like me, then they are not so much seasonal as they are year around. Some also have multiple chemical sensitivities, and of course we all know about food allergies and intolerance, which set off a whole different kind of reaction in the body.

The one common thing in all of these reactions is the release of Histamine.
Histamine comes from Mast Cells in our body. When the body senses that an invader (allergen) is in the body, the Mast Cells blast open (degranulate) and out comes Histamine. Histamine very rapidly races through the body and creates inflammation everywhere. It seems counter intuitive, because we see inflammation as being a bad thing. However, that is how the body protects itself from an invader. The inflammation is the reason why you experience every single symptom like itchy eyes, runny nose, coughing, hives, stomach upset, swelling, asthma, etc. This is all due to the Histamine, and it is why you typically grab an antihistamine for a reaction. Many people take an antihistamine regularly such as Claritin or Zyrtec, and other people reach for a Benadryl during acute attack. These all work to block the action of the Histamine so that it can not continue to wreak havoc.

Now you might wonder why certain parts of your body are affected more than others during allergic reactions. The answer to that is very simple. Mast Cells are bountiful in the stomach, and also all along the bronchial lining and in the sinuses (primarily mucus membranes). Since this is where the most Mast Cells are, this is also where they will create the most problems. However, it does not mean that it is limited to those locations. As soon as the Histamine is released it will create inflammation in every single part of your body to a degree.

A recent study found that those suffering with Chron's, IBS, and Ulcerative Colitis had MUCH higher amounts of Mast Cell degranulation and Histamine in their gut lining than healthy adults. This shows that even when we don't realize it, Histamine could be a huge key player for much of the inflammation throughout the body. As many of you know those people who suffer with any of the above ailments very rarely have issues limited to just the bowel. They typically have whole body symptoms and dysfunctions which they have to manage.

Some of you might not think that you qualify because you don't typically have seasonal allergies, etc. But, did you know that stress actually turns up the volume on Mast Cells, activating them to release inflammatory chemicals? Oh yes, stress (such as the kind that comes with a chronic illness) can be creating a Histamine issue in your body and you might not even know it. People who inhale an allergen will get symptoms such as a runny nose, itchy eyes, a cough etc, because that is where the allergen entered. But what about those of you who have histamine released by Mast Cells through the body simply from high stress? For those of you, the symptoms will just be full body inflammation. Also, for those of you fighting Candida, the byproduct of C. Albicans has been shown to trigger Mast Cells in the body as well. As you can see, there are many ways to have Mast Cells activated, and it is NOT limited just to having obvious allergies.

The biggest issue is that Mast Cells are a bit like a slippery slope. Once you start the cycle of provoking them to degranulate it is very hard to stop them. After they have been provoked for a while the Mast Cells become incredibly sensitive, to the point that very small stimulus will illicit a very large response. They very quickly can switch to over-reactive mode, and this is when things become very tricky.

Researchers are slowly learning that simply blocking the Histamine with an anti-histamine is not a good approach, because it is not fixing the issue at the very core which is the Mast Cells themselves. So, what are your alternatives?

I recently began investigating a better way to go about things and found that there are products called "Mast Cell Stabilizers." What these do is stabilize the Mast Cells so that they do not release Histamine in the first place. It calms them down from being so over-reactive and gets them back to a normal baseline level. If you stop it at the very source then they will not degranulate and spread harmful inflammatory responses throughout the body.

You can go the pharmaceutical route if you want, but those come with lots of side effects which are not too pleasant. There are nasal sprays and nebulizer powders which work as Mast Cell regulators, but they don't get into the entire body, and are only for specific areas such as the nose or the lungs.

This is when I found out about an amazing natural flavonoid called Quercetin. I will go into its benefits below, but for the purposes of this post, I am listing all the ingredients that are along-side Quercetin in a supplement I recently began taking called D-Hist.

Quercetin: This is a powerful natural flavonoid which supports inhibiting mast cell degranulation and its unfortunate consequences such as Histamine release. It has been shown in NIH studies to be more powerful than any prescription Cromolyn on the market. Other perks of Quercetin? Researchers are now realizing that by using this powerful substance to lower inflammation in the bowel it can lower chances of cancer development. Chronic inflammation in the bowel is a big player in the development of cancer cells, and they are finding now that it is incredibly beneficial. It is also worth noting that Quercetin helps improve the overall efficiency of your immune response to combat infection. One recent study showed that quercetin simultaneously offset the effects of stress while it reduced susceptibility to the flu. And last but not least Quercetin was shown by researchers to be highly protective to the nervous system as well. Talk about a quadruple threat!
Vitamin C: Also works to promote a healthy Histamine response, and is a bit of an anti-histamine itself on its own. On top of that, it also helps boost the immune system.
Bromelain: This strong pineapple enzyme thins mucus secretions and helps to clear the airways with its mucolytic properties. It also is known to be great at thinning thick sludgy blood and helping to get circulation moving through the body.
Stinging Nettle Leaf: This supplement has been shown to regulate a healthy immune response, by helping the body to not over react to allergens. It also has been shown been to block important enzymes within the arachidonic acid cascade to help stop allergic reactions before they start.
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC): An amino acid that is also a natural mucolytic, NAC reduces the viscosity of mucus. Clinical studies have shown oral doses of NAC to be an excellent means to recharge cellular glutathione, a foundational antioxidant.

There are two amazing supplements on the market which have these ingredients and are all natural. One is Redd Remedies Children's Sinus Support, and the other is called D-Hist. Since I am small and really sensitive to all medications I take the junior version of this called D-Hist Jr. The Junior version has half the dosage amounts of the adult version.

Natural Mast Cell stabilizers are a wonderful option to help cut down inflammation in the body all throughout. Even if you don't realize it, Histamine is playing a role in all of our bodies to an extent to create more problems which we do not need. By taking that extra burden off the body and balancing the immune system to not over react to "invaders," you can help yourself tremendously.

I hope that this post could be informative to many of you, and as always this was not intended to supplement medical advice. As always, talk to your Doctor before changing up any kind of supplement plan that you have.

xoxo,
Christina


4 Comments

Parasites & Protozoans - The Eosinophil connection (How To Tell If You Have Parasites)

9/12/2014

14 Comments

 
I've received many of the same questions from those around me, and it's all been fair questions, but one I didn't know how to answer.

The basic question/s are "Why are you doing so bad again now, when you used to be better? How are you worse now than you were 2 years ago? What's happening?"

Well, I don't really know. I mean, I know why, and it's because I have been fighting like hell through a relapse while simultaneously trying to kill these parasitic infections in my body. However I can't tell you why this is so hard in comparison to other treatments I've done. Trust me, I did not estimate it being this hard. I do not make this statement lightly, but treating the parasites & protozoans has been the toughest part of my entire treatment. Harder than the Lyme & harder than the Bartonella, the C Diff, or any of the viruses. No one could have prepared me, I was very naive when I went into this.

Back in May I was doing SO good (well, good by my standards) before I began this, and it was just a slow little slip downward, coming to what I consider rock bottom yesterday.

I thought I would use this time to briefly discuss some clinical lab tests that are ran which can show you the level of parasitic infections in the body. Since 2007 my physicians have been checking a specific thing in my body called eosinophils. The eosinophil count is often indicative of having a parasitic infection. I took to asking my wise and well educated friend Clay Brown to explain this to you all:

As you know, eosinophils are a type of immune system cell knows as granulocytes. The most common granulocyte is neutrophils, and then there are eosinophils, basophils, and then mast cells. Mast cells are most commonly known for releasing histamine during a reaction of some type... They get their name because they are the "suicide bombers" of the immune system. Each type produces different proteins, enzymes, and cytokines. When the immune system is activated, either by trauma or infection, ganulocytes are stimulated to be produced in the bone marrow. They then travel to the site of trauma or infection and degranulate, or "explode" really. This releases all those enzymes, proteins, cytokines, etc, in hopes of killing bacteria or marking them to be killed by other immune system cells.

Now, it was long hypothesized, and later proven that in parasitic infections, the immune system will produce more granulocytes. This leads in turn to more degranulation by the cells themselves... In the case of eosinophils, one major molecule they release is the Eosinophil Catatonic Protein, or ECP.

Now it's odd, but for some reason in some individuals with certain infections, the Total Eosinophil count will be higher. This number is what you'd see on a CBC blood test... Sadly, modern medicine just calls this Hyper-Eosinophilic Syndrome, or HES. Now having HES does not mean that the person will have a high ECP, but almost always they do... I've even read of some NIH studies on people where they classified them as having HES and the individual was later diagnosed with Babesia. (Link here to study)

So, a normal ECP value for a healthy individual should be less than 10... In people with babesia or other parasitic infections, that number will be much much higher. This is really the reason LLMD's will check an ECP number to monitor such activity for infections and things.



Pretty interesting huh? My eosinophils have been chronically high. Like off the charts high. Higher then the high level on the scale most of the time it was checked. Eosinophils can be raised a bit due to allergies, but my allergies aren't that debilitating to have ever warranted that drastic amount of lab results. It was pretty obvious I had parasites and/or Protozoas going on in my body (infections like Babesia & Protomyxzoa are considered Protozoas & essentially a parasite). So in a sense I shouldn't have been shocked when treatment began & it was so tough, but still... I'm such an optimist I never am totally prepared. I always think that I will be the exception & have an easy time. Hey, at least I'm positive right?

Anyway, after a long fight we checked my levels again, and much to my hearts joy I saw the levels went down DRASTICALLY. I haven't seen levels this low ever, and my mouth dropped when I saw the screen. It was so encouraging to see that all the hard tough days were worth it.

Picture
Visual reference of my levels through the months/years compared to now
What does this tell me? It tells me my fight is doing what I need it to, and to not give up. I can't give up now, I have to finish what I started so this can never ever get a leg up on me again. I have to keep the momentum going until everything is cleared out, which means until I feel well, and then many months after that (you can never be too sure). Now is do or die as I say, and I have to power through and stay focused on the goal at the end. My health.

I've lost a ton of weight during this, I'm back down to a lowely 92lbs and dropping, but that's the name of the game with parasites. They fight me for my food, especially when I'm trying to kill them off. They want to survive, so whatever I eat, they take half. Greedy little things right? If any of you have advice for weight gaining supplements please do message me or leave a comment. Sticking with the Lyme diet and trying to gain weight is quite a task if I do say so myself.

Thanks for reading, and as always, keep fighting!

xoxo,
- Christina


14 Comments

The Power Our Words Have On Our Healing

9/10/2014

2 Comments

 
"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." (Proverbs 16:24)

"The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.” (Proverbs 12:6)

I have always believed in the power of our words. I believed that they impact us at a deeper level then just on the surface. I am a spiritual being and it's no surprise that in many places in the bible you can find scripture speaking about the power that words hold. Look at God, he spoke the whole world into existence, and we are all created in his image. I know not everyone subscribes to this school of thought, and I respect that. But I think we can all agree that words hold power to make or break us.
Have you ever heard that if you look in the mirror every day and repeat positive affirmations to yourself that it will actually help depression, while changing your mood and self confidence? It's been written about many times, and psychiatrists across the world use this technique on their patients. It's all about reshaping the way your mind perceives the world. Without you even noticing it I bet that many times a day you say things in your head like "I'm not pretty," "I hate my body," "I'm so fat," etc. These negative thoughts cycle in our brain and effect us at our very core.

Don't believe it? I know, it sounds a little bit far-fetched, and I can imagine many of you are ready to stop reading. But I urge to look at the recent experiment done on tears. Ross-Lynn Fisher studied 100 different tears from human beings and found that our basal tears (the ones which lubricate our eyes) look vastly different from the tears that we have when we chop an onion. Also, the tears that come from joyous laughter look nothing like the tears which come from sorrow. The tears were taken from the same person, and yet time and time again Rose-Lynn could identify what kind of tears they were (happy or sad) due to how they looked on a microscope. Each tiny tear drop carries human emotion, and it truly is enough to blow you away. To see for yourself you can check it out by heading over to The Topography of Tears. This to me shows that if our thoughts are capable of changing the makeup of our tears, then why do we think that these same words and emotions don't have the ability to bring upon a change at a deeper level?

Before this recent tear study there were actually 2 more large studies done by scientists on the power of our words which I think is really important to share.

The Water Experiment
This first study was conducted by a scientist named Dr. Masaru Emoto. During the 1990's he set out to see how words affected things in its environment, specifically water. He first observed plain water under a microscope and photographed what it looked like. He then separated the water into many glass jars and enacted different things on each jar. Some jars he wrote words on such as "I love you," or "you make me sick,", other jars were prayed over and blessed, and some jars were introduced to different kinds of music or sounds. Afterwards, Dr. Emoto observed the water again under the same microscope. The change in the water was absolutely astounding. See for yourself below

Picture
Picture
If that isn't enough to astound you, this experiment was actually recreated many times with the exact same type of results by regular run of the mill patrons as well. They has the same outcome as Dr. Emoto.
Picture
If you want to watch a short video on this experiment to see it demonstrated and a little more in depth you can follow the link HERE

The Rice Experiment
This next experiment took the power of words one step further by testing them on rice. Dr. Emoto wanted to see if words could be even more powerful than what he experienced with the water study.
Dr. Emoto poured water over cooked rice, which was placed into 3 different glass jars. He then labeled one "Thank You!," one "You're An Idiot," and he left one unlabeled to serve as the control. Then, every day for one month, Dr. Emoto spoke whatever word was on the jar to the rice inside. After the 30 days were up he observed the rice and the results (again), were astonishing. The rice labeled "Thank You!" was a clean yellow, and had began to ferment, giving off a warm aroma. The rice labeled "You're An Idiot" which had negative words spoken to it was completely black, completely rotting, and gave off a pungent odor. And lastly, the control rice faired the way any rice that was cooked and left out would fair... it simply began to rot, but wasn't near as bad off as the one which was all black.
Now, you might ask if this has been recreated. There are many videos of people who did this themselves, including here, here, and here if you are interested in watching the documentation of this experiment by every day people (non-scientists).
_____________________________________________________________________________________

If words can do this to rice and water, imagine what it can do to our bodies (which are made up of 80% water by the way). When you have a chronic illness it's easy to be stressed out 24 hours a day. I used to find myself getting mad at my body for not cooperating. I would say things like, "My stupid stomach hurts," and negatively speaking to my body because it fatigued and hurting. I was angry that this was happening and I dealt with it by having these awful thoughts about myself. I would look in the mirror and analyze how horrid my pores looked and how lifeless my skin was. Day in and day out I didn't love myself deep down, and I didn't realize how detrimental it was to me until recently.

Everyone talks about "positive thinking," as if saying one positive thing a day will change things. It won't. It takes a complete overhaul to change old habits, and that begins by starting your day off looking in a mirror and complimenting yourself. And every time you start to have a negative thought (especially during a bad flare or bad pain), get a mirror and repeat positive affirmations. Learning to alter negative thoughts that sometimes went under the radar and switching them to positive ones is a long process, and I won't claim that I changed over night. But once I realized how powerful my thoughts and words were I knew that I had to alter this if I wanted to heal. I couldn't be stuck in this negative head space any longer.

We are humans, so that means we will ALL have bad days and we are allowed to sulk or have sorrow over how things are. We are allowed to vent and be frustrated sometimes. That's normal. But working to use our words to help lift us up is something I truly believe has a place in everyone's recovery. So the next time you find yourself getting angry with your body, try to rewire that thought and instead tell your body you love it for fighting hard every day. Post positive quotes and inspirational imagery all around your room or in your car. Do whatever you need to keep you reminding yourself to change the dialogue in your mind.

What do I do? Well I started off by implementing times during my day when I do a daily devotional, and times when I do spoken prayer with my mom. I speak to myself in the mirror whenever I am washing my hands and tell myself that I am a fighter and I will get through the battles of the day. I stopped belittling myself for looking lifeless and instead commended my body for fighting for me for so long even though it has had a really tough run, and that considering all of that I'm still me and I am still beautiful. Slowly but surely I started to believe it.

xoxo,
Christina
2 Comments

Hair Loss & Lyme Disease (Hair Loss with Chronic Illness)

8/27/2014

23 Comments

 
I wrote this post for HealClick many months ago and realized I never posted a link to it here. However, I see a lot of people struggling with hair loss and not understanding why. I went through this myself and did a lot of research into the why and the how. I also decided to include a picture of my hair before when it was at its very paper thin brittle state & what it looks like after implementing the things I did below. I hope this is helpful to some of you as well, and as always the original post on HealClick can be found here.
Chronic illnesses come with an insane amount of stress. Even if you can keep it calm on the exterior, there is so much havoc happening inside the body. In the case of Lyme disease you have bacteria that is drilling it’s way into different parts of the body creating pain and autoimmune conditions all over the place. I have no idea how my body functions when I think sometimes of what all is actually happening inside of it.

But I digress… A huge issue I hear a lot of patients complain about is hair loss during said illnesses. It’s scary when your once thick gorgeous hair is thin and coming out in clumps. Every time I would touch my hair I was pulling some out, and my hair looked and felt like paper. I’m a skincare & beauty lover, and although hair was the least of my worries health-wise I still got very stressed out over it. I spent a big chunk of time googling info on what to do and why this was happening. However at that time I came up with very little info on why hair loss happens when you have Lyme Disease.

So I took matters into my own hands. I started to think about hair loss associated with disease on a deeper level. What makes our hair grow? Well vitamins & nutrients for one are vital, which I was depleted on, so that was one thing I knew had to change. I started a variety of vitamins, and really I would recommend getting checked for vitamin imbalances and supplementing those as needed.

Next I thought about it at the root of the hair itself. Often times hair will fall out if the scalp has an unfavorable Ph balance, and I found out that chronic illness can severely mess up the scalp Ph. So I bought a shampoo called Nizoral. Although it is intended for dandruff, trust me on this one. The main ingredient in Nizoral is Ketoconazole, which is an antifungal but also works as a DHT-blocker, thus lowering inflammation on the scalp. It actually helps a lot in hair loss situations due to a scalp imbalance. Within 3 months of use 3x a week my hair was totally different. My hair dresser noticed how much healthier it looked, which to me is the ultimate good sign

As time went on & my health went from dire to stable I also noticed more improvement. I saw my dermatologist, explained my findings, and this is when I learned I was suffering from something called TE (Tellogen Effivium). TE is a condition which happens when the body is under lots of stress. You see, our hair grows in cycles. Hair growth cycles all vary, and at any given time your hair is either in a growing stage or in a sleeping stage. Your hair does not grow evenly all at once. Those hair follicles which are “asleep” at any given time wake up when the time is right and begin to grow new hair in place of the old ones you shed. It’s a nice little cycle that takes place in perfectly timed intervals so that we aren’t ever bald but we have fresh hair. When you get TE the stress causes this “sleeping” stage to extend.

The American Hair Loss Association explains the 3 ways T.E can develop:

1. There might be an environmental insult that “shocks” the growing hair follicles so much that they decide to go into a resting state for a while. This results in an increase in hair shedding and a diffuse thinning of hair on the scalp. This form of TE can develop rapidly and may be noticeable one or two months after receiving the shock. If the trigger is short lived, then the hair follicles will return to their growing state and start producing new hair fibers pretty quickly. This form of TE usually lasts less than six months and the affected individual has a normal scalp hair density again within a year.

2. The second form of TE develops more slowly and persists longer. The hair follicles may not all suddenly shed their hair fibers and enter a resting telogen state. Rather, the follicles may enter a resting state as they normally would, but instead of returning to a new anagen hair growing state after a month or two, they stay in their telogen state for a prolonged period of time.
This results in a gradual accumulation of hair follicles in a telogen state and progressively fewer and fewer anagen hair follicles are left growing hair. In this form of TE, there may not be much noticeable hair shedding, but there will be a slow thinning of the scalp hair. This form of TE is more likely to occur in response to a persistent trigger factor such as stress.

3. In a third type of TE, the hair follicles do not stay in a resting state but rather cycle through truncated growth cycles. When this happens, the individual experiences thin scalp hair and persistent shedding of short, thin hair fibers.

Luckily TE is NOT permanent. Your hair will re grow and the follicles are not permanently damaged. It’s almost like the stress paralyzes them into not growing as they should. The two main causes of T.E are stress and poor diet, which with Lyme disease often both are occurring at once. Even if we eat a healthy diet, often time most of it does not get absorbed, leaving us with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

TE lasts as long as the stress lasts, so there isn’t a miracle cure, but you can rest assure if you are one of many who are experiencing this, then it’s likely not serious. My biggest worry being in my 20′s was that I would soon be bald. But it’s not the case. If you had nice hair before the illness then it’s not gone forever! If you want to stop the cycle now & help your hair regrow sooner then I recommend using Nizoral with a good scalp massage, because it's been shown to help with T.E. In fact, massaging the scalp in general helps the hair to grow so I would often lay in bed doing that on dry hair during the day. Also, good high quality hair masks are very helpful to rebuild the keratin bonds in the length of the hair. I used this Virgin Hair Fertilizer which puts nutrients directly back into the length of the hair. Together they helped my hair be shiner and stronger as well as speeding up growth. I used the Nizoral for about 6-8 months and then stopped because the pH balance and hair loss seemed to be okay and it can be drying if used too long. Since then I just pulse it in about 1-2 times a month for good measure, and have kept up with a weekly hair mask. The photo below shows about 2 years from where I started and where it is now. The key for me was Nizoral and the right hair masks, with lots of TLC! 

I hope this post was useful to some of you struggling with similar situations.

xoxo,
-Christina
Picture
From left to right you can see progression of my hair health: 1). Jan 2012 2). July 2013 3). Current (Aug 2014)
23 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Enter your email address to subscribe to new posts:


    Follow @ladyoflyme


    Follow Lady Of Lyme (@ladyoflyme)

    10.2k Followers, 618 Following, 51 Posts - Follow (@ladyoflyme)


    Categories

    All
    Crohn's
    Educational Posts & Info
    Gift Guides
    Giveaways & FREE Resources
    Health/Life Updates
    Interviews & Features
    Lyme Awareness
    Quiz & Polls
    Reflective Thoughts
    Things About Me

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2022
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

© 2011 Lady of Lyme™. All Rights Reserved.

Terms and Conditions  - Privacy Policy
Connect with me:
Facebook
Twitter
Contact   About   Email Me


Lady of Lyme is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.