A Day Late, Several Thousand Short -

I recently read there's a challenge out there in the World O' Lyme for bloggers to write daily about their experiences along the trail. While it started April 15th there were taxes to be filed and some CRAZY medical expenses to be tallied. So I wrote yesterday. Big deal.

In my former life as a teacher the phrase, "take away" was often used. Sometimes it literally meant, "what cool object can I send home w/the kid so the parent will know we did something today?" But often it was used as a question teachers used to motivate themselves.

* What do I want my students to learn this year?
* What do I want my students to "take away" from this year in MY class room?
* How can I enhance their learning?

So now I have to ask myself, what would I want a reader to know about Lyme and its life wrecking havoc during a month of blogging?

* That despite pain and fatigue I can still be witty?
* That we get down but not out?
* That it frequently costs us everything for a CHANCE to get better? ("Spin that Wheel of Fortune ... what did she lose TODAY, Johnny?")
* That the longer we go undiagnosed the longer, more aggressive/expensive/painful treatment is?
* That medical students are not taught how to diagnose Lyme disease and consequently we owe this "thanks" to their educational system?
* Perhaps you'd like me to wax political on the CDC, FDA, insurance companies and Big Pharma? That's always a doozy.
* My personal life? I can take care of that one right now. I go out to grocery shop and go to medical appointments. I have one dear friend who takes me to appointments to which I can no longer drive and an amazing "birthday twin" showed up at my door with an adorable gift and a card in March. I was embarrassed I had FORGOTTEN we were birthday twins. And no ... my own mother didn't send me a card. Talk about losses. But ok. Now that topic has been covered.
* TRAVELING with Lyme. I'm not talking Europe or even Chicago. I'm talking about being away from one's meds/supplements/foods for more than two hours.
* Dating and the Lyme patient. Or dating the Lyme patient. Or the Lyme patient even considering asking another to even consider what dating life might be like. That will be a good one. Right now I've got one word: documentaries.
* Darn. That's only nine and although this will count as one entry and the detox bath got its own, I've still got a bunch of topics to consider.
* OH. Food.
* Exercise.
* Some basic educational stuff such as symptoms
* Stages of Lyme disease ... I had to divide this from the above. It was just too emotionally overwhelming to write.
* The IDSA vs. ILADS. Burrascano's Treatment Protocol and HOW to find a good LLMD.
* Oooooo. How to navigate the online Lyme community. Whew. KISS. Keep it simple, silly/stupid. Really. Nay, nay ... from drama stay away.
* The stages of grieving.
* The attitude necessary to be bestowed the title of a Bad Ass Lyme Warrior. Yes, you're talking to one.
* Resilience. What it is, what it isn't, and who can have it. (Just a little teaser ... this is not something one is born with.)
* Faith and the Lyme patient. Or the Chronically Living. Or just me.

That's about all I can come up with at the moment. I've taken the first round of drugs today and am waiting for them to "settle" before I attempt a shower ... otherwise it's all over and I do mean literally. Then I have THREE things I must accomplish today, one highly emotional. Yay.

* Lyme patients and emotions. Lyme RAGE.
* How to support a former friend/former colleague/family member with Lyme.
* What to SAY to the Chronically Living (and equally importantly what not to.) I was recently informed by someone that they were worried they'd have a life like mine. Yikes. I'm choosing to look at that in terms of the speaker's comfort level which must have been pretty high to be able to verbalize fears to me. Good on me. Feeling like my life was something to be feared by others? That didn't feel so great.
* Tick Prevention: Dress Like A Dork
* How To Safely Remove a Tick

That's 22. If you'd like me to cover something in addition to the items above, please just let me know in the comments.

Will I be covering them in order? Not necessarily but I will count down the days; despite Chronically Living I'm still me. Still organized, still like my ducks in a row, and am an even GREATER fan of "the list."