Lyme Into Lemonade

We have landed and found dinner and the hotel.  The Bellamy Brothers tour bus was outside in the morning. Here's a few photos of yesterday through 9 am.

Most people with chronic illness, particularly Lyme,  research tirelessly to find what to do next.  While they may have a current plan that works to a varying degree, many believe that it's only a matter of time before what's working great now isn't working at all.  February tends to be the worst time for John because his body is tired from trying to play hockey and his brain is tired from trying to keep up in school.  This isn't challenging for a typical healthy 12 year old, but for a Lyme patient, keeping afloat takes all their energy. It was February when I started grasping for options.  I had looked into a clinic in Germany that uses hyperthermia to treat both cancer and Lyme.  Hyperthermia happens when a fever, or increased body temperature, is induced on the patient.  Some clinics use saunas, some use wet-suits that they heat up, some even give a patient malaria to make the body go into a fever on its own.  The point of the fever is that certain cells and bacter

Welcome to LymeIntoLemonade.  My name is Denise, and I'm the proud mother of two sons, Patrick  (older brother) and John (younger brother who has Lyme).  We have learned so much since we started this journey.  It is often said that things happen for a reason, but finding the reason is riddled with so much negativity that we try not to ask ourselves "why?" However, we hope that by sharing, we can help others on this same journey and give us at least one good answer to "why?"

Summary:  This is a recipe adapted from one on AllRecipes.com.  I've made it "healthier" and cleaner.  This is a great way to use up your fresh garden zucchini.  Here's the original... Chocolate Zucchini Bread for people without dietary restrictions. Ingredients (Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Corn Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free) 6 oz. cocoa powder, 2 T. coconut oil (or 2 one ounce squares of melted and cooled unsweetened chocolate) 3 T. ground flax, 6 T. warm water 2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. plain unsweetened applesauce 1/2 c. coconut oil (cold pressed, virgin) 2 c. shredded zucchini 1 t. vanilla 2 c. gluten free flour blend (Namaste is my brand of choice here) 1 t. baking soda (I prefer Bob's Red Mill aluminum free) 1 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon (plus more for dusting the pans) 3/4 c. dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Use coconut oil to grease 2 loaf pans.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the oil (same technique as applying flou

It wasn't until I was asked about my son's health history, as much as I could remember all the way back to the beginning, that I found what must have been when John began to show Lyme signs.  He was almost 5 years old.  It was January 2010.  John came to me before bedtime and told me his knee hurt.  I figured he was stalling bedtime, like any typical child, so I didn't pay much attention to it.  In the morning, John woke up unable to bend his fingers.  I distinctly remember the way he showed me that none of his knuckles worked properly.  He also could barely walk, as his ankles were so swollen that he had "cankles."  The knee that was bothering him the previous night had a large hive on it, as did his other knee and one shoulder. I immediately called his pediatrician and got an early morning appointment.  She hadn't seen anything like this, and sent me to the local children's hospital.  They ran a litany of tests, including a pretty traumatic blood tes