Garrison had been struggling with fatigue and headaches almost daily. I took him in to rule out anything like brain tumors. After his examination, the doctor decided that everything "looks" fine and, therefore, concluded that the Lyme is rearing its ugly head. We decided to put this thought to the test and give Garrison Silverbiotics daily to see if he improves. It's natural, safe, and it works well. I had been very consistent in giving it to him up until my writer's conference last week. He definitely improved. He hadn't had a headache for days. After a few days of no Silverbiotics, he's been struggling again this week. So, back to the Silver. I think we have our answer.

Matthew did not show any improvement with the B12 shot. It made absolutely no difference in him at all. I'm beginning to realize that his symptoms are so much more severe than any of us realize. He's finally learning to recognize the pains he has that are not normal. Almost everyday he's pointing out some pain or weird sensation he's experiencing. I think perhaps his "temper" has as much to do with overload from the Lyme as it does with just having a bad temper. I know how cranky I get when I'm having a bad Lyme day. Also, I always notice a drastic improvement in him mood-wise when I give him his fish oil. One more thing to become more consistent with.

Andrew struggles silently. His has more cognitive/neurological issues, though he does experience severe soreness when he does anything physical out of the ordinary. He could hardly climb stairs after playing a basketball game. He's my silent sufferer who pushes himself and hardly ever complains.

Christopher, I believe, has improved. I think he finally made it over a significant hurtle. The last time he became ill, though he never ran a fever, he never went into the usual strep throat, either. It was a recognizable herx and he only missed two days of school rather than one to two weeks. His energy level had been up until he started missing doses of his meds. He has been extremely fatigued of late...the kind of on-going fatigue that isn't cured by sleep. It's wearing him down emotionally. He's my everything-rolls-off-his-back kind of kid and he actually complained that he's fed up with always being tired no matter how much he sleeps.

The doctor's prediction that I would herx a lot on this new medication was extremely accurate. I have herxed like never before. The first time, I had a fever that reached 104. This last time it reached 102. I've learned that I may be normal in the morning, but by evening I'm going to have a fever...whether low-grade or high, I'll have one. It's a very painful fever even at only 100. The pain is a crushing bond-deep to the marrow kind of pain. My muscles become so tight they feel like balls attached to my bones. My organs ache and beg for relief. The fatigue is so great at times I could fall asleep standing up. The headaches quickly turn into A-typical migraines if I don't take Ibuprofen. My bowels...lets just say mornings are worse, but it gets better throughout the day - the opposite from the fever. Weird! The cough doesn't get bad, but it comes and goes. I don't doubt that I probably still have fluid in my lower lobes...especially the right side. I'm wondering if that's what is causing so much discomfort up under my rib-cage. My vertebrae are sore...everyone of them from the base of my skull all the way to my tailbone. I really should go see my chiropractor, but a busy three-year-old makes that rather difficult...so does my limited energy. I probably need to go once a week for a month or two.

My greatest consolation in this increased level of pain due to the herxheimer's reactions is that it's killing of the "beasties." At moments when I think I can't take it anymore, I remind myself that they are dying and it gives me the boost I need to endure.

However, God is my rock and my refuge. My ever-present help. I couldn't go on without Him.