I work outdoors, in rural areas, in Southern Missouri, so it was guaranteed that I would be exposed to tick-borne diseases. I believe I was infected in mid-June 2018, when I came down with what seemed to be a flu-like bug. After a couple weeks, I was feeling a little better, and was able to get back to work. After the Labor Day weekend, I was feeling pretty rough, to say the least. I was struggling to load my kayak on top of my Jeep. That's when I went to the doctor, and started the first round of Doxy. I got the diagnosis a week later. The Doxy was worse than anything I had felt up to that point, and I was relieved when it was over. I traveled for a couple weeks in October, and it felt like it was holding me back, slowing me down, again. At the beginning of December, I took on a large project, with a short timeline. Near the end, I realized that I wasn't recovering (physically) the way I should have been, and went for another 3 week round of Doxy. Near the end of that round of antibiotics, I discovered kombucha, while looking for "ways to recover from antibiotics". I spent a solid week herxing on the couch. After that I was able to get back to limited work. I had good days and bad, but I kept drinking my kombucha, even began brewing my own. It completely replaced my soda habit.

At the beginning of February, I came back from a long, hard day in the field and skipped my evening beer. The next day, I was run down, but worked anyway, skipping my evening beer yet again. This seemed like a great time to quit drinking. It had been years since I had gone more than a couple days without either a beer or a glass of wine. For the next 10 days, I saw steady improvement. Then, I began researching anti-inflammatory diets. In the process learning about chronic inflammation, leaky gut, and various other related ailments, or even side effects. Without much guidance, I settled on the Whole30, after hearing my dad's girlfriend sing its praises. With both kombucha and water kefir on the approved list, I was ready to get started.

So, here I am, on Day 8 of the Whole30. I herxed pretty bad last week, but come Saturday, I had more energy than I'd had in months. I got out, took a walk by the river, and truely enjoyed the wind and sunshine. I didn't eat nearly enough, spurring another herx on Sunday (yesterday). Fortunately, it only lasted for the day, and had virtually cleared up by bedtime. I woke up this morning feeling pretty darn good. I have noticed that a lot of the inflammation in my joints is gone (or greatly reduced), which has left me with somewhat painful joints, but a greater willingness and desire to work through the pain. My "sleeping" temperature has dropped dramatically, and the night sweats are virtually gone. Sure, I've been having some strange dreams, but that's a small price to pay.

There is hope!!

In summary, here's what I've done:

* Antibiotics (Doxy) - two rounds, and I'm not doing that again
* Added probiotic beverages to my daily routine (kombucha and water kefir)
* Removed alcohol, grains, dairy, processed foods and added sugars from my diet
* Added collagen and biotin supplements (as well as drinking bone broth a couple times a week)
* Switched to sea salt (non-iodized) for everything

And the benefits:

* Greatly reduced inflammation
* Reduced time spent herxing
* Clearing of the "brain fog"
* Better control of my emotions/mood swings
* Ability to recognize when it's time to rest, and when I can push just a little further

Remembering that I'm only a week into this new diet, I hope that this information can help others. I will continue to post updates, letting this group know how it's going.