Hello my loves! How is everyone doing today?
I wanted to pop in for a quick UPDATE post on all the things — life, Lyme, eczema. These are questions I get asked pretty frequently and I haven’t spoken about some of this in a while.
Eczema Update //
Let’s start with eczema, because I know there are so many chronic sufferers out there. When I first started dealing with debilitating, full body hives and eczema (which you can read more about here), I could not for the life of me figure out what was going on. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Lyme, mold, EBV, co-infections, parasites, and more that I finally had answers for this chronic and extremely uncomfortable inflammatory skin condition.
But long before I even got diagnosed with any of those things I discovered the term “chronic urticaria” — a.k.a chronic hives / eczema — and I was SO RELIEVED to know that there was a name for what I was experiencing and that I wasn’t the only one out there experiencing it. It’s a scary position to be in. The pain was ferocious and I literally did not sleep for 9 months straight because the itching was SO. DAMN. BAD.
When I saw dermatologists they told me it was eczema and prescribed a steroid cream — one that I wasn’t comfortable using longterm because I know the dangers of the longterm effects. Functional medicine doctors said it was candida. Therapists said it was anxiety. It wasn’t until I finally met my incredible Lyme doctor that I was able to get to the root of the actual issue. Getting to the root is ALWAYS KEY, so if you’re in this boat, keep that in mind. And with beginning to treat Lyme, I slowly but surely started to heal.
Now I can say that after two and a half years of trying EVERYTHING under the sun, giving it time, treating Lyme, finding the plant-based & SOS-free diet (and celery juice!), and finding the ONE PRODUCT that finally alleviated some of the pain for me, I am in a much better place. I still get flares here and there, because Lyme life is a THINNNGG, but the flares are fewer and further between and don’t get as bad because I have my toolbox of go-to’s to use for when it does.
So insert the product I am a huge fan of for eczema: Gladskin Eczema Cream. It focuses on a healthy balance of bacteria in the skin (yes, the microbiome, which of course we have everywhere in our bodies including our precious skin) and restores the balance so that the skin can heal. It is steroid free which is extremely important to me, as well as clinically tested, cleanly formulated, and highly moisturizing and soothing.
It has no fragrances, no steroids, no alcohol, no parabens, no preservatives, and no sulfates. AKA… it is TBB approved and a total dream for us eczema sufferers. To make it further TBB approved, they do NOT test on animals & it is also hypoallergenic.
I started using Gladskin about 3 months ago because the main areas I still get big patches of eczema are under my arms (right back where it all began… see the pics in this post), on my forearms, and along my stomach. My eczema is also impacted by the weather, travel, and flares up when my immune system is down. All in all, I need to keep my go-to’s on hand or the flares can get debilitating.
What I particularly love about the product is that it goes on really easy and smooth, it doesn’t feel super thick or greasy like other eczema creams tend to, and in my experience has worked really quickly (basically overnight… but I do continue to apply for about a week or so). I use it whenever I get a flare, and have been really amazed with the results it has given me — especially in my problem areas like under my arms. See the before & after below for what I’m talkin’ about!
& check them out here!
Like I said, my other go-to’s are diet (SOS-free & vegan), living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, and treating Lyme/EBV & co-infections with herbs, stem cells, sauna, and more.
The Lyme healing journey has been a real one. Which brings me to my next point… LYME UPDATE. I am going to do a much bigger post on this soon but for now wanted to at least share with you guys how I have been feeling lately.
Lyme Update //
If for the last two years I was basically feeling like a 2 out of 10 (with 10 being the healthiest / most energized), now most days I feel more like a 6.5. I am so eager to be feeling like a TEN, but I know that the improvements I have seen so far are something I am still very grateful for. Sometimes my body gets run down and I start feeling more like a 2 or 3 again and I get so ridiculously grateful for that 6.5 energy I now feel.
Some days, I will say, are even better than that. My current most debilitating Lyme symptoms are severe jaw pain, pretty intense fatigue, stomach issues, bloating, gut problems overall, and insomnia. I know I am going through another detox period right now for many reasons (acne flare, exhaustion flare, all around flare-flare), and will share more about that soon. I am also going through a major flare so have cancelled/postponed a lot of my work schedule for the time being and will be doing another DEEP HEALING later this month — which I will also write a whole post on ASAP.
As far as Lyme treatment, at the moment I am keeping things simple and focusing on just a few key treatments- stem cells, Lyme killing herbs, colonics, infrared sauna, occasional fasting. and an anti-inflammatory diet. I mean REALLY simple compared to all of the things I have been doing in the past. I will get deeper into stems soon because I know people are curious about what that entails, but for the record I have been doing them pretty much monthly for the last year and they have made a HUGE impact on my healing.
The fact that I am able to work again, use my brain again, and start being out and about in the world more often is a great sign. For a while this was totally not an option for me, and something really shocking that I found the other night when shamelessly going through my old Snapchat videos from 2016 (to find the ones of when J and I first got together!) was that in September 2016 I wrote: “I think I have chronic fatigue, what can I do?! Help!” That was nearly four years ago. 🙁 And it makes me so sad that my body has been going through this for so long.
All in all, I am on the up and up. Oh also, NATURE HAS BEEN THE MOST HEALING THING FOR ME. This week in particular has not been easy, but time outside has been my saving grace.
Life Updates //
And then for the life update, because it’s always fun to give a good life update… LIFE IS GOOD. Other than the fact that I am still healing and trying to take things super easy, I am really loving life lately and the lifestyle I have built for myself. I have slowed down and learned from this Lyme journey in so many ways — I know what’s important, what matters, who has stuck by my side, who to give my energy to, what lights me up the most, and who I am in my heart.
I am spending so much more downtime with my husband, our families, our friends, Huddy. Going to the farmer’s market every Sunday, cooking at home (SOS-free life, baby!). staying on top of my detox regimen, doing a lot more hot yoga and walks outside again, spending time in nature. Podcasting again has been such a treat after four months off. After scaling way back and truly STOPPING work entirely last year, it has been the biggest blessing to be able to dive back in this year.
The creative inspiration has also been flowing for the first time in so long, which is the greatest feeling because the brain fog from Lyme was truly debilitating before it started to lift a few months ago. There are a lot of fun projects in the works, which I will get into very soon. But for now I hope this post armed you with some good eczema knowledge + updates on what may help of you’re suffering too!
Thank you to my husband for being the most amazing and sweetest human there is. <3
Lots more updates to come, but for now we will put a put in it. 🙂 How is everyone else doing?! Make sure to check out Gladskin if you suffer from eczema or itchy skin issues — they are the BEST and have made a huge impact in my eczema healing. 🙂 Also thank you to Gladskin for sponsoring this post so that I can share the magic with you all!
