Remission Remission

Hello all,

For any of you keeping up with my Lyme journey, you might have noticed that it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted any updates (like, over a year!) There are a few reasons for that. The primary reason is that, since my last post, there hasn’t been too many changes to my health, so there hasn’t been anything to update on. The second, and probably the more positive reason of the two, is that my posts began as a therapeutic way for me to document the journey of my health crisis. With my health improving as much as it has, and as I am now back in school (almost full-time) and working again, I haven’t had very much time to spare.

I have reached a significant milestone in my journey with Lyme disease – as of February 14^th, my doctor has officially declared my Lyme to be in remission. What this means is that, though some amount of the borrelia bacteria will always remain in my body, it is no longer actively attacking my cells. So that’s positive news! I am also no longer taking any antibiotic medication, which also a nice break for my body.

As great as this news is, however, my fight with this disease is far from over. Though my disease is in remission, the damage done to my nervous system will take several years to recover. I continue to experience my Lyme symptoms on a regular basis – tremors, lightheadedness, weakness, brain fog, dizziness, vertigo – though, the idea is that their severity will lessen as time goes on.

In addition to this, the Lyme bacteria continues to remain in my bloodstream, meaning that I could relapse at any given time. This is most likely to occur when my body undergoes extreme amounts of physical stress, such as what is inflicted during pregnancy. And since Lyme resides in the bloodstream, there is high risk of passing the disease on to unborn children while they reside in the womb. For this reason, family planning has been and will continue to be a bit more complicated for Sam and I, and we are needing to proceed with these decisions with much greater thought and care than most couples ever need to consider.

And while my Lyme is now in remission, the Epstein-Barr co-infection that I contracted along with it is still actively attacking my body. I am still taking medication to help fight off this virus, as well as many supplements to assist in my healing process.

There is still much I must travel along this journey with Lyme. And to some degree or another, it will likely impact me my entire life. But I have and will continue progressing towards a healthier Kenna, and for that I owe all the thanks that I can possess. The Lord has been so good to me during this trying time. I have come closer to him through this experience in a way that I do not think I could have beforehand. I have learned that it is through the good times, as well as the bad, that the beauty of life is realized. And for that, I am forever thankful.

Thanks to all of you who have shown support and concern over the years. I never get tired of hearing someone asking how my health is doing. Really, it means the world to me to know that, even though this trial has been going on for so long, there are still people out there who remember that I am struggling and who stop to check in on me. Your thoughtfulness does more than you could ever know.

Your healing friend,

Kenna

P.S. - Random, but I wanted to add a photo to this post only to realize that it's been MONTHS since Sam and I have taken a picture together. Definitely need to do better at that... In the mean time, here's a selfie of us of what we look like right now on our couch snuggling and watching LOTR. Look at this sweet guy! No matter what my health is like, with this man by my side, my life is always really great. :)