Lyme be Weird – The Twilight Zone of Neurological Lyme

Will There be Cake?

The first week that I went from happy, functioning, not-sick Tara to holycowamIdying Tara, many bizarre and weird symptoms exploded, capsizing me in a downward death spiral into an abyss that I couldn’t even begin to explain to doctors. Yes, today, we explore the explainable Twilight Zone of Neurological Lyme.

Neurological Lyme, or Neuroborrelliosis, is when the nasty little bugs (borrelia spirochetes) that cause what we term “Lyme Disease”, infect the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS, in short, consists of the brain and spinal chord and assimilates information it receives from the body as well as directs and influences the activity of all parts of the body. There is also the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that consists of the network of nerves and nerve communication through the… not brain and spinal chord parts of the body. I’m real scientific guys so stay with me. Below is a diagram. There is…

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Hi! I’m still around… I promise.

Confession –  I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog (as if that isn’t completely obvious). For those of you that follow me on Facebook, you know that I’m able to share pithy, inspirational posts but I struggle to sit down at the computer and write meaningfully. There are all sorts of reasons for this (technology issues, graduate school PTSD, training) but they merely excuses.

I’ve had some great ideas for blog posts in the last several months, so my goal is to either write them or video them and share. Several are time contextual, so I’m thinking I’ll back date them (such as my “Training Like I’ve Received the Call” post) in an effort to avoid confusion. I’ve learned a lot on my journey to American Ninja Warrior and I want to share it with you all.

Mainly, I need to learn to put my butt in the chair and WRITE (a lesson many struggle with). Wish me luck! I hope see a lot more of y’all.

American Ninja Warrior, Here I Come!

Because I am ridiculously tenacious, I have applied to American Ninja Warrior again. I’m feeling so much more prepared this year than last. Last year I went in with the mindset that it would be a hoot and a good way to raise awareness for Lyme Disease. This year I am going in with the mindset of being a real competitor.

In addition to doing this for myself, I am also doing this for all my fellow warriors! When I want to give up, your support carries me through. It helps me dig down deep to find the strength to persevere. I know that I have to keep fighting because you all are out there, rooting for me and if I give up, you might give up too. We’ve created this beautiful feedback loop of support!

(Now that the taping of the show is in the can, I can share my application video with you)

Allegra’s ANW8 application video

 

A follow up interview with GoTarryn

GoTarryn, the traveling trainer, speaks with me again about life with Lyme.

GoTarryn Personal Training Video Blog (11/16/2015)

Super Easy Pulled Chicken (a great protein source)

All my health practitioners tell me to eat more protein, but I have Lyme disease, so I don’t have a lot of energy to cook for myself. On Pinterest I found an amazing baked taquito recipe (which you can find here and I highly recommend) which called for pulled chicken. After making the taquitos several times, I perfected a pulled chicken recipe and have had many requests to share it.

I begin with a packet of chicken breasts from Costco.

Drizzle the breasts with olive oil and generous amounts of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I then season to taste with the following:

• Cumin
• Tumeric (which is excellent for inflammation)
• Curry Powder
• Cayenne Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Chili Powder
• Paprika

I also add a lot of:

• garlic
• fresh ginger

(you can crush your own or buy it ready to use as I do)

Your breasts should look like this:

Then cover the breasts with two cans of ginger ale.

I then set the slow cooker on low and leave it to simmer for 5-6 hours.

When it is done your breasts will look like this:

We have been using two forks to pull the very tender meat apart but I recently read that you can an electric beater. I cannot testify to whether or not it works though. (If you use beaters and it works, please tell me about it in the comments below.)

Since I use a Costco package of breasts, I end up with tons of chicken. We freeze the majority in separate baggies for future use.

In addition to the taquito recipe above, we use the pulled chicken a variety of ways:

• As a grab and go snack on its own.
• On a roll as a sandwhich
• on a baked potato with cheese
• tossed with lettuce, pumpkin seeds, craisins, tortilla strips, and dressing (or your favorite salad toppings)
• mixed in with Tasty Bite and jasmine rice.

Please tell me in the comments below your favorite ways to use this delicious, nutritious, and easy protein.

GoTarryn invited me back!

GoTarryn, the traveling trainer, requested a follow-up interview and I was thrilled to oblige!

GoTarryn Personal Training Video Blog (08/13/2015)

Tick Prevention! Please read and share to protect yourself and loved ones during Tick season!

See that itty-bitty speck? That’s what stole my life. Please protect yourself!

LymeAWAY!

I’ve already received 4 messages from people just in this last week regarding Tick bites. PLEASE, PLEASE remember right now the nymph (babies) ticks are out!! So when you are outside whether you are hiking, playing in the yard, gardening, camping or even at a local park do a tick check when you come home. Here are some tips I would suggest too…these are cheap products that can help.

1. Wear some kind of hat
2. Wear light colored clothing so that you can see the ticks
3. Cover any or all exposed areas such as your ankles, arms, & legs. Ticks love the warmer spots like your Ears, armpits, groin, etc. I know it can be hot to wear long clothes in the spring/summer so if you prefer there are products that help protect from ticks such as…

A. Permethrin Spray, this is good through 6 washes of clothing-

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