Never under estimate the value of rest and a clean diet while battling chronic Lyme disease. It’s not that I didn’t sleep in Vegas; I just didn’t get the amount of sleep I have grown accustomed to getting in order to function like an upstanding citizen. It’s not that I didn’t leave for my trip with good food intentions; previously I mentioned I had prepared a lot of snacks and breakfast food for my trip. Every day for breakfast I would eat my “Lyme friendly” granola or muffins and then as the day progressed my food choices would unravel. I enjoyed Wolfgang Puck Pizza, Gordon Ramsay’s French fries fried in truffle oil and sprinkled with powdered sugar, gelato, pork tacos… you get the picture. Quick recap of foods I consumed that I am supposed to avoid: Dairy, gluten, fried food, processed sugar, and caffeine. Hey, don’t judge. I was on vacation!
Once I returned to DC it didn’t take me long to realize that I had overdid it in Vegas. (My definition of overdoing it in Vegas has changed drastically since the last time I visited there, but that is another story). Imagine waking up after a seven hour nap feeling dizzy due to a mild case of vertigo and then realizing while you are in the shower that you are in so much physical pain that it actually sucks to be taking a shower. Try not to be jealous, but this is what happened to me on the first afternoon back from my trip. My entire body felt bruised to the touch. The water coming out of the shower head literally felt like it was beating down on my shoulders. Attempting to soap up my body was a painful endeavor. The fun did not stop there.
Agitated, disoriented, exhausted and sore; my condition upon returning to the office after my trip. Black-Eyed Demon and The Anti-Christ; names my colleague called me to my face during the first three days I was back. For those of you who do not know me personally, I am a very social, easy-going, happy laid back individual. Even with all of my current medical issues I’ve still (for the most part) maintained my disposition. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments of grumpiness and anger toward my current health situation, but for the most part those moments are not in public places.
In addition to feeling like a gigantic off-balanced bruise I was really angry when I returned to my office. My smile was nowhere to be found. I was annoyed that people were stopping by my desk to ask me about my trip. I loved my trip, I just didn’t want to hear people’s voices talking to me nor did I want to answer them. In a low cube no privacy environment like the one our office adopted over a year ago, my agitated state did not lend itself to being nice to my peers. I also had blotchy skin, pupils that were dilated to the point where there was no color in my eyes and brain fog. Not only did I not want to converse with people, when I did open my mouth in an attempt to either have a nice rational conversation or yell at someone, I couldn’t even remember what I was trying to say. One afternoon I was so angry I had to throw some office supplies on the ground in my cube to get some aggression out and make myself feel better. This episode highlighted the immediate need for me to hit the reset button on my body. I turned to a local DC company that delivers homemade raw vegan organic treats, tonics and sprout salads to complete my mission.
I first stumbled across Goûter (Goo-TAY) at my yoga studio one evening when they were handing out free samples of their products. I was blown away by their delicious raw vegan snacks and tonics and have been enjoying them ever since. The Goûter tonics come in different flavors, are very refreshing and are chock full of vitamins, energy-boosting nutrients and antioxidants. I had been hearing great things about their 3 days cleanses and decided it was a good time to try one since my body had gone completely haywire. I contacted them through their Facebook page and I ordered a 3-day tonic cleanse which was delivered to my front doorstep. There are multiple cleanse options. I requested the one that they thought would be best to combat inflammation.
Over the course of three days I drank 18 tonics, one every three hours while I was awake (6 per day). My friends kept asking me if I was hungry. I wasn’t hungry at all. I was able to keep my regular schedule of work and yoga without a sign of a grumbling hungry stomach. After the first full day of the cleanse my skin cleared up, my eyes returned to their normal state and my brain fog lifted. By late morning of day two I was suddenly the friendliest person on the planet; bitchy Jules was nowhere to be found. I didn’t take my antibiotics for three days because taking those without food in my stomach would have led to disaster. I still had all of my aches and pains, but I didn’t care. I felt refreshed and happy; the best I have felt since before my treatment for Lyme disease started. I literally felt like a new person. For those three days I also didn’t have to worry about preparing/cooking food which was a delightful break as well.
A couple of weeks after my cleanse I had an appointment with my doctor. I sat in his office and told him about how before I left for my trip I was experiencing pain and swelling in my forearm and elbow along with visible bruising. I told him about my post–Vegas experience and the cleanse while he sat quietly in his chair nodding his head. He told me that the sore tendons/muscles and the attitude shift were signs of a Bartonella flare-up. He changed my medication, and sent me to the lab for more blood work. He was also intrigued by the cleanse and the great results I had, and suggested I try it again.
Would the Bartonella flare-up, which was already in the beginning stages before I left for Vegas, have been as severe if I had not traveled?
While I didn’t ask my doctor this question when I was in his office, the look on his face when I was telling him about my trip and what happened after my trip spoke volumes to me. That being said, I had a blast traveling with Marisa and Rachael and will gladly do it again, perhaps with less consumption of gelato and french fries.
**If you are local to DC and want more information regarding Goûter you can find them on Facebook or follow them on twitter @heygouter where you can keep track of when and where there tonics are available for sale. Not only am I fan of their product I am also a fan of Steve Mekowski and V Orban; the team who founded the company. They are armed with knowledge about raw vegan food and its health benefits and have provided me with wonderful information regarding a few questions I have asked them**
