lymie times

Highgate Cemetery, London, England; May 2004.

This herx is kicking my ass, I must say.

It's been going on since Wednesday or so. I was due to herx anyway, and being so run down with work and theater, it hit me especially hard. The same old stuff - chest pressure, muscle melting feelings, inner vibrating, fatigue, headache, brain fog, eye muscle pain.

I had my Lyme appointment this morning. He was happy I've lost 15 lbs. Not that it matters so much for the Lyme, but it's just good for overall health. He decided to re-run the original Lyme Western Blot test to see if anything new comes up - I'm not sure how it all works, but he wrote six different test codes on the blood work order form to Igenex. Lyme disease and its co-infections go in cycles, so different things come up at different test times. It depends on which infection is raging at the time and what your body has made antibodies against. He also ordered a test for the co-infection Babesia, which may explain the fatigue, the frustrating chest pressure/air hunger/hard heartbeat that I can't seem to shake.

I can't believe I've been dealing with this for almost four years.

He told me that I must, must, must take it easy and not let myself get so exhausted and stressed as I have the past two months. That even though I feel like a healthy person, I'm not - I still have a chronic illness. I haven't gotten enough rest and have been on the go constantly. But I somehow have to finish what I started: wrapping up directing this play (3 more rehearsals), photographing the show and designing/printing the marquee, and making magnets. Then I'm done.

Did anyone catch the U.S. Nationals? It's the greatest night of figure skating of the year! And how cute is this 14 year old, who won the gold?

Mirai Nagasu, from Arcadia, CA

I'm crushingly exhausted. I will make myself a wonderful fresh vegetable juice concoction for part of my dinner. And sleep. Much sleep. I will pop a Lunesta, go to bed early, and let my body do some healing while I'm tucked in.