Just a little update

• Went to Seattle this weekend. Clay has officially been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, and Bartonella (a disease that travels with Lyme). Our doctor went over all the lab results and he tested positive on multiple tests.

• Clay is SICK SICK SICK. To give you the readers digest version...our bodies have these cells that are our fighter cells...CD57's I think? Anyway- you are supposed to have a count of over 100, Clay's count is 15. Which basically means his body isn't fighting for him and has kind of given up. She said that his immune system has become auto-immune...meaning it attacks itself now...and that his immune system is basically the same as an AIDS patient. This explains why he gets sick ALL THE TIME!

• Clay's vitamin D is low low lowwwwwww. So low, he had to get a prescription of a really high count of vitamin D that he is now taking.

• Clay's blood is THICK and really quite messy. It is very thick with bio-film. This causes his organs to not get the nutrition they need and the oxygen they need...so it's pretty bad news. This is all of course, caused by the Lyme.

• Clay has mono, two types of pneumonia, and basically a ton of other things I can't remember right now.

• Now that she sees how bad he is (she said he's the youngest she's seen that is this bad, meaning he's had this for a LONG time...but she keeps saying how good it is that he's only 25, because he shouldn't suffer permanent damage from anything...because his body is so young still), she thinks the best thing would be to go once a month for a while...so that's what we'll do.

• His treatments are gonna be pretty heavy for a while..and she said he will definitely herx BIG with this next treatment. It'll probably be this week...so that'll suck. Oh well- the fact is, it's actually GOOD news when that happens cause it means it's working. So it's like...we are happy when he herxes, cause we are thinking "DIE LYME, DIE!"...but at the same time, I wanna break down and cry cause Clay is in soooo much pain.

• We finally nailed down with the doc what he should stay away from- food wise...and it's a definite NO REFINED SUGAR, and NO GLUTEN. She said it's a good idea to stay away from dairy...but it's okay to have a bit now and then. Like- she said don't drink glasses of milk, and absolutely NO ICE CREAM! hah. She emphasized that a lot. Oh yeah, and NO YEAST. But all other grains and natural sugars are okay. So I can totally work with that.

• She said that Clay shouldn't fly in airplanes, go on buses, be around sick people, or lots of people really. She said if ANYone is sick, he will get sick. And his immune system is fighting hard enough. Clay said he still wants to fly though...because it is too stressful for him to drive. So...we'll see. But he probably wont be going to lots of church (he's not anyway cause he is usually sick these days)...so that kinda sucks.

• We are so grateful that we found our doctor, and we are so grateful that we both have such understanding employers and family and friends. Can you imagine if we just gave up and never sought out this doctor? Clay's immune system would just get worse and worse and he could even possibly have a heart attack from his blood getting so thick (that happened to one of her patients that was 39)! I'm just so grateful for so many things.

• With that, I have a hard time not being SO ANGRY with the medical field in southeast Idaho. Do you know that multiple doctors said to Clay, "There's no way it could be Lyme Disease" when he presented them with the idea? And wouldn't even give him the time of day about it? Do you know that he was tested for Lyme disease before? But in the worst way possible, making it come back a false negative? But of course the doctors just accepted that? This all happened years ago...can you imagine? Clay could've been cured by now had they just been humble enough to listen, and educate themselves a little more. I feel like shouting on the rooftop to EVERYONE about Lyme disease. No one knows about it, and it's ridiculous because SO MANY people have it. And they don't even know it. Or they've been "treated" with 2 weeks of antibiotics and told they are fine, when the aren't. I could go on and on. I just wish that doctors weren't so prideful.
  

• On other notes- I have eaten enough candy for an army...and I've started listening to Christmas Music. I know, I know. I just can't help it. I'm so excited! I only listened to three songs on Josh Groban's cd. But they are so good, I don't think I can stop!