Lisa's thoughts about Love, Life, Lyme, and Liver disease

One of our sillier photo sessions I think it is normal to rethink things that have transpired in our lives.  Who doesn't question what if I had not done this - or what if this didn't happen.  My most recent thought has been "What if Heather didn't get bitten by that awful Lyme disease carrying tick?" I was wondering how things would have been different if she hadn't become so ill.  My guess is that she would still be living in New York and employed at the same restaurant, her hectic schedule would limit the amount of time that I would get to see her (yes, selfishly sometimes it is all about me), and she would still be surrounded by her amazing group of friends in the city. That all seems pretty normal and idyllic.  No disease, gainfully employed, healthy, and happy. However, I have come to realize that life as you know it can change in a minute.  A serious illness can quickly alter what we seem to take for granted.  As bad as it seemed in the mome...

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears It's a world of hopes and a world of fears.... A few months after Heather was diagnosed with Lyme, we both realized how little is known about Lyme Disease and we decided to share Heather's story.  We made up business cards with our blog URL and the back of the cards have facts about Lyme. In the event that we share her story with a stranger, we provide a card so they can maybe help someone else understand the importance of early detection and treatment.  It's not like we walk up to people and say "Heather has Lyme, have a business card."  That would be awkward. Heather doesn't let Lyme define her. She is living with Lyme.   She still has some lingering complications from Lyme, but Lyme is not the first thing that Heather wants people to know about her.  Heather would rather talk about her family and friends, love of music, the beach, and politics (come on, she is from the DC area - we talk politic...

So many chronically ill patients hear these words.  Tough words to hear when the patient is feeling like crap and putting on a brave face so other people don't have to hear and see their pain.  For the record, Heather doesn't look "sick" in the pictures that I post.  Yes, it is obvious to many that know her, that she lost a lot of muscle and weight.  I know - some people are thinking that they wish they could lose weight too.  Trust me - nobody wants to lose weight because of a disease.   Heather is eating and Heather has lost weight.  Both are true.  Sadly another true statement is that she is still recovering from Lyme.   A few weeks ago Heather caught a stomach virus that was going around.  Most people were sick for a day or two.  Heather's immune system is still compromised and it takes her longer to recover.  It has been about two weeks and she randomly spikes a fever.  A sign that her body is...