A year ago today, I first experienced heart block due to Lyme Carditis while playing basketball. I've described the ordeal working through just the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases already, but I have been extremely reluctant to post on my treatment even now, a year after this kicked into high-gear.
"Why is that, why won't you go into your treatment?", you may ask. Well, the treatment has been very controversial and I am very concerned about sharing details of my treatment and dealing with severe blowback. Am I over-reacting here? No, I don't think so - I've already lost relationships with medical providers during diagnosis and I really don't want to mess up what I've got right now in treatment. I have some privacy concerns, too; the side effects of treatment are often not appropriate to share in the moment. I do plan to describe treatment in detail when I come through it all - perhaps another six to twelve months.
What I can share though is that the treatment covers changes in diet, exercise and sleep, a set of prescription medication and herbal supplements all taken on a very complicated schedule, and frequent monitoring. Basically, I remember at all times where I am in treatment and if I fail to execute my treatment even slightly, my health usually suffers for it very soon after.
I can also share that the treatment is working; I have made progress and I hope it continues. My heart continues to function like a champ, so my pacemaker isn't pacing, though it is ready to kick-in if things go sideways, and it continues to gather metrics. Speaking of metrics, I have many metrics to show improvement: blood counts are getting better, weight is pouring off me - I've lost 30lbs so far, my resting heart rate is in the 50s, and I ran a 7:40 mile - I haven't done that in easily 25 years. And when I play basketball nowadays, I feel like I'm effortlessly flying up and down the court with new speed and agility, and that's a very long way from December 10, 2015.
