Along the path of healing from CIRS and Lyme, we have trusted in our Naturopath’s expertise to guide our path. We knew God brought her to help heal us, and we have seen miracles. My husband after 6 months on O2 (and 10 months into CIRS diagnosis), no longer needs ambulatory oxygen to control his pulmonary hypertension. The boys and I are on the road to recovery from Lyme Disease as well. It’s been our trust in God which has kept us going down the path toward healing, even when things have been rough. We now know how well naturopathic medicine works, and it’s easy to forget God in it. With each bump in the road towards healing it’s easy to rely on new supplements, and not ask where does God wants us to go. God’s answer may be “yes” “no” or “wait”.
Ultimate healing is both spiritual and physical. Part of the spiritual component is believing that God will heal us and cares about our suffering, just as God cared for our souls and send Jesus to be our Savior. Believing in God’s love and goodness when life is so hard with chronic illness can be challenging, yet countless times did Jesus care about physical healing as with the women who had 12 years of bleeding, the blind man, the paralyzed man etc; they were saved by their faith in Jesus. It’s not God who caused our illness but sin and a fallen world. When our faith has been weak, we asked our friends and family to continually pray for us and pray for healing.
Giving up fear is probably the biggest component of ultimately trusting God and a necessary step in healing from CIRS. Mold is the center of FEAR that grips most of us with CIRS. Fear and trust do not mix though.
How did our fears subside? Ultimately, it was a complex process: prayer, healing, retraining the mind, and trusting that God would protect us. Our family and friends have prayed for us continuously. At 4 months into CIRS treatment, God brought us friends and a new healthy church which started our journey to give up fear. Friends who supported us with cleaning and encouragement went along way for us to see God at work to meet our needs. We bought a mold proof RV which allowed us to travel and find more joy in life as a family, just laughing and having fun. As I’ve healed from Lyme disease, my brain became more clear and focused; I realize how Lyme Disease fogged my brain and caused increased anxiety. When I was still was recovering from CIRS, a friend told me about DNRS training to retrain the mind to not freak out about mold and to stay calm and reclaim one’s life. I have not yet done this training, but in principle it’s similar to talking your brain into staying calm so your body will not ramp up it’s immune system chain reaction with suspected exposure to mold. We’ve also found essential oil sprays and personal air filter necklaces which help open our world and minimize the risk of reexposure while giving us freedom to live.
So, as we’ve healed our world has started to open up again. We have glimpses of what life was like before CIRS without fear of mold. We know how far we’ve come and have seen God’s hand.
So, I write this blog because we are at a crossroads. We can continue to take more supplements every time an imbalance in the body or infection pops up. Or, we can continue on the path of naturopathic medicine and discern what we should continue, what should we “wait” on and where should we back off and see how healing is progressing. We recently suspected my youngest son is healing from his breathing problems so we backed off on his daily naturopathic nebulizer treatments and he’s stable with one-quarter the treatments. Just 5 months ago, he was on Atrovent almost daily to control his shortness of breath and since then, he is no longer dependent on it and healing.
Ultimately physical healing needs to be accompanied by spiritual healing in order to fully recover. We are not trusting if we close off our world to be “safe” from mold. As the same time, we need discernment and wisdom on how to heal and the logistics of healing from a chronic illness like Lyme Disease and CIRS. Giving up fear and trusting in God’s path for our lives has it’s easy and hard times, but if we continually seek His will, God will make our path straight and lead us towards healing.
We have come so far since diagnosis from CIRS ten months ago, thanks be to God.
Proverbs 3: 5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
My Kids Healing Journey from CIRS and Lyme 