Three more days, whoo hoooo!!!!!

I've been counting down the days.......

Three more days and the school bus arrives!!!!

I love that school bus.

Understanding Lyme Disease...Part One

I was motivated to write the following post after reading of a fellow Lyme sufferer who is struggling with the alienation that having Lyme Disease brings.

Let me explain...

Although you might have heard about Lyme Disease on the news, 20/20, etc... unless you have Lyme, most of you don't know the WHOLE story.

To keep it real and specific, I'll use myself as the "typical" Lyme sufferer.

I AM the average Lyme Disease sufferer.

It took years, 8+ years for me to finally be diagnosed with Lyme.

I don't ever remember being bit by a tick, or having the typical bulls eye rash. 80% of Lyme sufferers don't ever remember the tick bite.

In those eight years, I've been misdiagnosed too many times to count, from idiopathic chronic hives to mastocytosis.

I've spent a total of nearly three weeks in hospitals over the last 15 years, and actually that estimate is probably low.

I've had doctors out right tell me nothing is wrong, even though my blood work showed another wise.

I've had doctors tell me all I need is an anti-depressant and I would "feel" better. This one is particularly frustrating but all too common with undiagnosed Lyme patients.

I've had people tell me that it's all in my head, and because I look okay, obviously nothing is wrong.

Most uninformed doctors will tell you it's easy to treat, and easy to cure.

Lyme disease is a microscopic bacterial organism (like a parasite) shaped like a spiral-shaped worm or spirochete named Borrelia Burgdorferi.

Even if treated immediately (which is rare), the bacterial organism can invade every part of your body...tissue, organs, brain, central nervous system within a matter of hours.

Because of this, it is very hard to eradicate from the human body.

Almost all Lyme sufferers also test positive for parasitic co-infections common with Lyme.

Lyme Disease is an infectious disease and yet my infectious disease specialist couldn't/wouldn't diagnose me.

Most doctors won't touch a Lyme patient with a ten foot pole.

I'll give you my opinions as to why in Part Two.

It's a pretty purple skirt

Long day in the car today.



Littlest Monkey: Are we almost home?

Me: Almost, we're on the outskirts of town.

Littlest Monkey: What? We're on a skirt?

Me: Yep, on an outskirt.

Littlest Monkey: It better be a pretty purple skirt.

Please lock the bathroom door!!!!

I really love having the type of home that my kids run in and out of...

Unfortunately, having this type of laid back house comes with interesting problems.

It's not only just my kids running in and out of the house...it's also their neighborhood friends, siblings, etc...

On more than one occasion I've woken up (from an afternoon nap) to a little three old chirping in my ear, "Monkey Girl, whatcha doin', are you sleepin'?" He's even gone as far as to crawl in bed with me, telling me how much he misses me. It's sweet, and honestly doesn't bother me a bit.

Every neighbor in every neighborhood over the years eventually gets used to seeing me in my bathrobe. I think it used to bug Hubby Monkey but he's gotten over it. It's only a matter of time before I'm walking the monkeys to the bus stop in my pj's, robe and slippers.

Really, if this were the 1950's you'd have seen me wearing one of those house coats...of course, it would have been cute.

Thank God, my neighbor likes me, because a few weeks ago I had to explain to her that her little monkey saw me half naked/half dressed...well, really I was attempting to get dressed, quickly, I might add. But in runs MY MONKEY, without knocking (what a shock!) and her friend is trailing behind her. HELLO!!!! MOMMY'S NAKED HERE!!!!

Now, my kids see me naked all the time. But, honestly, I'm trying not to flash the neighbor kids. I don't want to scare them...or scar them, whichever.

I may be nuts but I do have my modesty.

But it's such a pretty belt...

If you are anything like me, you are tightening the 'ole belt these days.

It's been a slap of reality every time I go to the grocery store.
Last week, I actually paid $4.09 for two peaches...count them, TWO peaches.

At $2 a peach they'd better be damn good peaches. I want to see some singing and dancing.

My family is part of the middle class that is slowly being squeezed...scratch that, make the quickly being squeezed into obscurity.

It's getting a little depressing every time I open the bills...$12 more a month for electricity, $11 more a month for garbage pick up, $4 more a month for sewer...and I can't even keep up with the skyrocketing prices at the grocery store....and don't get me started about going to the gas station.

It all adds up.

I don't know about you monkeys but I've been cutting back.