I recently celebrated my 100 days of stem cells at Disneyland! I have been so happy with the results of my stem cell treatment and with the new 2.0 version of myself.
Going to Disneyland marked an important accomplishment for myself. One of the last times I went to Disneyland was for a company trip right after my Lyme Diagnosis 2.5 years ago. I had been sick for 2 years and doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me as I was rapidly declining in health.
I had not started any Lyme treatment yet and was in a very dark place. I spent most of the day sitting down by myself while my friends rode all the rides. The jolting of rides would make my aching joints feel like they were shattering, the lights and sounds would make me feel crazy and the walking sucked the life out of me for days after.
I am happy to report that I rode every ride I wanted to ride on my 100 days and lasted walking around Disneyland from 830am until close to midnight and I still felt good afterward, aside from some muscle soreness which is NORMAL after a day of walking all over Disney! I think I might have even lasted a bit longer than my boyfriend who is healthy. He has seen such a shift in me in the past 3 months, that he now wants to eventually get stem cells as preventative medicine for himself.
I also had my 100 day follow up and my Global Diagnostic results showed that my stem cells are still hard at work. Phil said that sometimes the initial ups and downs can take longer than 100 days, more like 120-140 days to get to a more stable point. It showed that my body was still detoxing a lot which is good news because I know there is a lot that still needs to be cleared out of my body.
To be honest, I have been feeling so, so good that if this is where my stem cells got me to I would be so happy compared to how I had been feeling. The fact that my stem cells are still working on overdrive and are going to get me better than I already feel is the best news I could ever hear. Stem cells do continue to heal you for up to a year, but the first 100 days tend to have the biggest up and downs.
In the past month, I have been able to do things I honestly was not sure I would ever be able to do again. I started doing exercise a few times a week (yoga, pilates, bike riding, walking). I got an A in my fast paced Anatomy class, I started working almost full time again and I have been able to go out and socialize with friends again. To be able to do all of this at once and have a glimpse of a normal life again has been pretty amazing. It's hard to figure out what normal is since it has been so long since I experienced it. I am always checking to see if its ok to be tired after doing certain things and if my friends are tired too. It's a bit of a strange feeling, but I am glad I am at this phase in my healing.
The only regret I have about stem cells is not having done them sooner, but they say everything happens at the right time and I am glad I am finally crossing the finish line into remission.
Overall I don't really feel I am experiencing any Lyme Symptoms anymore. I don't feel sick. I have not had a "bad day" in over a month and I have not had to take breaks to rest in bed in the past few weeks either. I take 2 supplements a day, but can go days without taking them and still feel fine. I think I can finally say my Lyme days are behind me, and what is left is just a lot of repair from the damage it caused to my body and immune system. It will still take time to repair the damage, but I am not at the mercy of this disease anymore thanks to stem cells.
So where am I at with all my remaining symptoms?
This was my most frustrating symptoms. I couldn't think, I couldn't remember anything and for the life of me, I could not recall words when I would be talking. No other treatment I did really chipped away at this. It did take a while for my brain to come back with stems as it did not clear until around week 9/10 but now that it has, I have felt clear every day. I think between having a really clean Bulletproof Diet and the repair from the stems I feel smarter than I did before I got sick!
Joint Stiffness was one of the first symptoms to melt away during week 2-3. I used to have joint pain that fortunately resolved with my previous treatments, but I was left with residual joint stiffness. I basically felt like I was 100 years old all the time and super stiff. Fortunately, this was one of the first symptoms that cleared up. I remember when I first noticed I could move my hands with no pain or stiffness. I could not stop opening and closing my hands.
I also suffered from chronic insomnia. This was also one of the first things that resolved with stems and also integrating some lifestyle changes before sleep. I started wearing Swannies that block out blue light and also do a short meditation and mantra to unwind my head before I try to fall asleep. I have not had to take any sleep aids since I implemented these tools and got stem cells. I also have been sleeping like a baby for about 9-10 hours a night. It is a very restful healing sleep. I am ready to sleep less but it seems my body is still in repair mode and wants some extra hours of snooze time. The dark winter hours are not helping this part either so I will continue to allow my body to go through its hibernation phase.
I also suffered from pretty debilitating anxiety and OCD issues. Cavitaiton surgery helped a lot with my anxiety and mind but since getting stem cells this has also continued to improve.
After being sick for the past 4.5 years and feeling like I was experiencing life from the sidelines, it's so nice to finally feel good again and feel like I can do things in life. Even before I started feeling better and healing with stem cells, there was something interesting that shifted early on right after I got my stems.
I had right away noticed that overall I was happier and had more motivation to be alive. The past 4.5 years, life had been a chore and I felt I was just alive in survival mode rather than living and enjoying life. For the first few weeks of stem cells, I felt lighter and happier and more motivated to be alive. Now that I am through the 100 days and feeling so good I wake up everyday ready to live life to the fullest. It really feels like a second chance at life.
My energy is soooooo much better! I got a good boost around week 7 and by week 9 I had more energy. As I got to my 100 days, I had almost normal more energy levels, though I do need to sleep a lot still. Now that I am passed my 100 days I feel like some days I have more energy than my boyfriend which is pretty amazing considering where I have been. I feel like my energy can still get a bit better so I am excited to see how much more this improves as the stems continue to heal me. I think once I don't have to sleep as much to feel rested my energy will also start to improve even more.
I have noticed my Chemical Sensitivites have dramatically improved. I think I will always have some level of sensitivity to fragrance and cigarette smoke, as it truly is toxic, but I don't feel as taken down by it anymore.
Overall I am feeling 95% better at my 100-day mark and know that the stems are continuing to heal me. It is pretty magical how symptoms would just melt away each week. It wasn't a walk in the park though. Stem cells are not an overnight fix. It has taken years for our bodies to be this damaged and it's going to take time to unravel that. The healing did come with lots of ups and downs, but the downs have definitely stabilized and I feel night and day from where I was 4 months ago. That being said there are still a few pieces that still need repair.
As I mentioned earlier in the post, the symptoms I am still experiencing are not from active Lyme or Co-Infections, but more left over damage that is still in repair mode. I know nerves take a long time to heal (6-9 months) and all the symptoms I have left are neurological. I am being patient with these remaining issues and letting the stem cells continue to work hard.
These 2 parts have definitely improved but they are not normal yet. I have been able to start listening to music again and not feeling overwhelmed by it, which is nice, but I still find myself sensitive to loud sounds.
Light sensitivity has always been an issue for me, even pre-Lyme but the Lyme just really amplified it. I have been experimenting with using Irlen lenses and that has actually helped a lot!
I still have some subtle finger twitching only in my right hand. I often forget it's even there, but when I see it, it does remind me of how sick I once was. Phil says that these sort of neuro symptoms can take 6-9 months to heal so I am being patient with it and trusting that these symptoms will also fade away.
This has always been a weird symptom. I have had a weird rib pain that no one can figure out for about 3.5 years now. The best answer was costochondritis so I am hoping that as time goes on, it will continue to heal and repair as well. It does not really bother me on a normal basis but I do notice it flares with lots of exercise.
Thanks to Lyme I did develop some Autoimmune Conditions. I am hoping the stems help to get them more under control or into remission as well.
This one is a tough one to change, even with stem cells, but I have noticed my reaction to gluten is not as intense. It still lasts 7 full days, but it is not taking me down as much as it used to. Interestingly, I don't get any digestive issues from gluten. It seems to be all cognitive/Neuro symptoms such as brain fog, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and fatigue so maybe as my nerves continue to heal, these reactions will lessen as well.
Hashimoto's is also a tricky one. I don't feel my thyroid has ever been balanced since I got Hashimoto's and I feel I have gained some weight due to its imbalance. I am hoping to continue weening off my Thyroid medication as my stem cells continue to heal me.
I am going to start living my life again! Working, traveling, socializing, setting goals and continuing to share my experience so I can help others on their path to healing. Fortunately, I don't feel like my remaining symptoms really affect my quality of life and day to day activities. They are things that will heal with time and I trust my stem cells to do just that.
It has been a hard 4.5 years of barely being able to work out. I went from doing yoga 5-6x per week to total weakness. I just got myself a fitbit to start inspiring myself to work out again now that I feel good with exercise. I am excited to start getting fit again. I am definitely easing back into it, but it feels so good to work out and not be wiped out for days after.
I am definitely going to take advantage of my second chance at life and live life to the fullest. I now truly understand how your life can change in a single moment and I plan to live each day to it's fullest potential and not take my health for granted.
I am excited to experience the continued healing of my stem cells and how many more improvements I will have over the course of this year. Stay tuned for monthly updates on my stem cell journey.