Something interesting to know about me…for some reason, I seem to attract bad luck (ask my old boss, Mike, who called me the Angel of Death – in jest of course!). The first major stroke of bad luck came on my husband Joel and I’s wedding day, December 29th, 1996. We planned a beautiful winter wedding in the Seattle area during Christmas break our senior year in college. With most of my extended family still living in the Midwest (where I’m from), they were surprised we would plan a winter wedding. Aren’t you worried about snow, they asked? Of course not! It doesn’t snow in Seattle, I say!
Well…I think you can see where this is going. The wedding story might be better suited for another post down the road, but needless to say that nothing about our wedding went as planned due to the largest snowstorm to hit the area in over 50 years. Bad timing for sure.
Yes, my timing always seems, shall we say, interesting. A perfect example of this is the fact that after 20+ years in the tech world, I finally have the job of my dreams. Exactly three days after turning in my resignation, I learned that one of my favorite gourmet food companies was closing. The business was still doing great, but the owner was ready to retire. Here was the best opportunity I had been presented in my career, but maybe not at the best time. I couldn’t say no.
I bought the company and now make and sell the most delicious and unique oils, balsamics, salt, and spice blends. I struggled with the decision, knowing that I had already left my corporate job to spend more time figuring out what the heck was wrong with my body; however, how in the world could I pass this up? After spending the first few months of 2018 lying in bed most of the time, trying to heal, I realized I wasn’t really feeling any better and still hadn’t found a doctor who could help solve my puzzle. This proved to me that stress wasn’t my problem (which so many doctors always tried to chalk it up to). My brain was not being stimulated, and as a Type A person, this was not a good thing.
So, I signed the papers at the end of June, right about the time that we were noticing my blood pressure and pulse being a little off, later to be diagnosed as Hyperadrenergic Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or Hyper POTS, for short. As a quick side note, this is where both blood pressure and pulse sky-rocket as soon as you are in the upright position My blood pressure was extremely low after laying down for a while (we’re talking 80/50 low) and then crazy high by late afternoon (200/120).
On the one hand, my summer was spent diving into the excitement that was my new business! On the other hand, I was a guinea pig for the blood pressure medication industry. After trying over 10 different BP meds, I’ve sort of settled into a combo of 3; 2 of which I take on a regular basis and 1 that is for emergencies. We’ll see if this is the long term solution, as it has killed my eyesight and caused insane lethargy. For someone who hasn’t taken a nap in over 10 years, I could sleep all day on this stuff!
Bringing it back to the present, after getting my multiple-tick borne disease diagnosis and all of my other abnormal blood test results on December 28th, I have spent the time since obtaining the first round of prescriptions, supplements, and other related Lyme protocol items so that I can begin tackling this enormous challenge. While I really want to start it ASAP, we already had a work-related trip planned to San Francisco. I use the term “work-related” loosely here, as this event we are attending might just end up being my version of heaven – the Fancy Food Show, the largest specialty food and beverage show on the West Coast, where we get to check out all of the latest and greatest food trends, products, packaging, branding, etc.!!
I’ve known about this show since I bought the company, and because I haven’t been able to fly for several months, I figured it was out of the question. But then the crazy idea popped into my head! Why not drive down? So, yep – that’s what we are going to do. We are leaving tomorrow, and in an electric vehicle, to boot…which should make it a very unique and interesting adventure. I’m so excited for this event, but also very nervous. I know I should be starting my new medication protocol right away, or at least resting up before I start. Even without the risk of “herxing” (https://www.lymedisease.org/lymesci-herxing/), I know this kind of trip would land me in bed for several days after. I know I’ve committed to rebuilding our company’s website and launching it by end of month. I know I’m pushing myself too hard once again (nothing new here), but timing is never quite on my side.
Hopefully, in this case, it will be worth it!!
TOTALLY TICKED OFF 