The Lyme Diaries: A Day in the Life Currently (October 2016)

Happy Thursday friends! It is hard to believe that almost 15 months since I wrote my last "The Lyme Diaries: A Day in the Life Currently" post! Sometimes it seems like things change so rapidly and other times it seems like it is living in one big circle again and again that nothing is different. 

If you are new around here I started "the Lyme Diaries" series about 2 years ago and what a blessing it has been to my little heart to connect with so many of you also walking this long journey. I am so glad that we can encourage each other! I also hope and pray that this helps readers who wonder, "exactly what in the world is Lyme Disease?" and those walking this long journey with me.

Since sharing my original diagnosis of Lyme Disease in March 2013 and continuing to share updates on my health through my "Notes on the Porch" posts I have received many emails asking a variety of questions on treatment, advice, ideas, and a host of other things. At first I was able to share my limited knowledge with ease because these emails were not so frequent, but since writing the "What is Lyme Disease" post in May 2014 (and updating it each May) these emails, facebook messages, etc. have quadrupled a hundred fold and I struggle to have the time that I want to adequately answer the several hundred emails a week. (Let's be honest... I have not been able to answer even a 1/3 of them.) So out of that, "the Lyme Diaries" was born. (If you would like to read all of the posts in "the Lyme Diaries" you can click HERE!)

So, when I first started "the Lyme Diaries" I shared what a day in the life of having Lyme Disease looked like for me currently at that point (you can find it HERE if you are interested) and continued to share every few months with my last one being in July 2015. Obviously since that time so much changed ("Nic the Picc" and then "Courtney the Portney" to name a few big changes) so today I wanted to share with y'all an "updated" day in the life as of October 20th. While some things change in the day to day this is a generalized daily schedule that I have right now, but first:

To sum up a few things:

Daily I currently spend (between oils, supplements, meds, IV therapies, IV Meds (including one med that costs $25000 each month alone), Things for Courtney,  detox activities, doctors appointments, travel costs of gas and ferry costs, and other medical related things) approximately: $2500

Daily I currently Take: 225 Supplements, 6 Oral Meds, 2 Different IV Meds, 1 Alternative IV Therapy

Daily I Use: 1/2 Bag of Epsom Salts (for Detox Baths), 6 Different Oils, and currently 8 pillows on my bed (a random but fun fact) *smiles*

Weekly: I have approximately 15 different needles stuck into my skin for a variety of reasons due to the fact that some of my doctors can't use Courtney

And here is the current schedule:

Treatment at Home Days

5:00am- Take Meds

5:30am- Take Supplements, apply oils 

5:30-7:00am- Go back to sleep (or doze). I make it a point to keep my room dark and to lay still even if I can't sleep so that my body is still resting.

7:00-8:00am-Take 2nd Meds, Spend time in prayer, in God's word, and spend specific time praying through the healing verses in the Bible, apply additional oils

8:00-8:15am- Stretching, apply oils, and drink 1 bottle of Smartwater
8:30- 9:00am- Eat breakfast, drink Smartwater, take supplements, herbs, and medications

9:00-10:00 am- Dry Brush, Walking, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, Detox Activity (can vary depending on the day), apply oils

10:00am-10:45am- Work on Shop orders, Write, Interviews, Marketing for Books

10:45am- supplements, shots, drink Smartwater (with apple cider vinegar)

11:00am- 1:00pm- Apply Oils, Take Meds, Nap, IV Med/therapies, etc.

1:00-2:00pm- Eat Lunch, take meds, take supplements, apply oils, Stretch, and drink Smartwater
2:00-3:30pm- IV Med/Therapy, Writing, Answering Emails, Blog Writing, Marketing for Books, apply oils, Work on Shop orders, Alternative Therapy Appointments (including acupuncture, reflexology, etc.)

3:30-5:30pm- "probiotic snack", medications, apply oils, drink Smartwater (with apple cider vinegar), nap

5:30-6:15pm- Detox Activities

6:15-7:00pm- Eat dinner, take supplements, medications, and apply oils, drink Smartwater

7:00 -8:00pm- read in bed, pray, spend time with the Lord memorizing scripture), spend time with family, answer emails, chat with friends, write letters, etc. 

8:00pm-Take nighttime supplements, medications, apply oils and head to bed

Treatment at Doctors/Hospital- Approximately 1 and 1/2 hours Away

5:00am- Take Meds

5:30am- Take Supplements, apply oils 

5:30-7:00am- Go back to sleep (or doze). I make it a point to keep my room dark and to lay still even if I can't sleep so that my body is still resting.

7:00-8:00am-Take 2nd Meds, Spend time in prayer, in God's word, and spend specific time praying through the healing verses in the Bible, apply additional oils

8:00-9:00am- Stretching, apply oils, and drink 1 bottle of Smartwater, Eat breakfast, take supplements, herbs, and medications, Dry Brush, Walking, Drink Aloe Vera Juice, Detox Activity (can vary depending on the day), apply oils

9:00-10:30 am- Travel to Doctors Appointments and Hospital

10:30am-4:30pm- Doctors Appointments, IV Treatment, "Courtney the Portney" Appointments, Hospital Related Activities, Bloodwork, Various tests and Appointments
(In this time that I am at Doctors Appointments and the Hospital I am also continuing to keep a regime of taking supplements, medications, applying oils, drinking my daily amounts of water, stretching, doing walking, and even doing some writing. You will probably laugh, but I even work on shop orders on these days- while riding in the car)

4:30-6:30pm- Travel Home from Doctors Appointments and the Hospital (Due to traffic and me needing extra stops for being sick it takes us longer to get home than it does to get to the appointments)

6:30-8:30pm- Detox Activities, Walk, Eat dinner, take supplements, medications, and apply oils, drink Smartwater, read in bed, pray, spend time with the Lord memorizing scripture), spend time with family, answer emails, chat with friends, write letters, etc., Take nighttime supplements, medications, apply oils and head to bed

This is pretty much my life everyday (alternating between these two schedules). *smiles*  And yes, it is that incredibly regimented in order to get in every single supplement, oil, and medication that I need to take in. While there are a few exceptions this is pretty much how life looks right now. There are some days where I am in bed by 6:30pm (literally) and other days where I am up till 10:00pm simply due to different medications. 

BUT I hope this is helpful in understanding how regimented the life of a person who has Lyme Disease is. I always kind of smile wryly when I receive the question, "so what do you all day?" or "what does your day look like?". I think that sometimes people think I am just laying in bed eating bon-bon's all day long. *smiles* BUT in all seriousness everything that I do is focused on getting my health back. Fighting for your health is a full time job and its a job that you do not want to lose. While this is a very rigorous schedule (and a very isolating one!) it has also provided me so much opportunities to spend hours and hours in prayer and with the Lord and truly developing deep and lasting friendships and that has been a blessing in this journey! 

Again, I hope that is of help in understanding more about what a day in my life currently looks like and helps answer your questions! If there is anything specific that you would like to have answered let me know and I will be happy to respond!

Happy Thursday y'all!

{Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.}