097 Don't Lose Your Voice- With Georgia Wood

Because each time I started speaking to people about it and just creating the awareness, you hear the healing on both sides. You see it in the comments, you feel it when you're speaking it out. And the more you speak to people about it, they're interested. Even if like you don't want to, like let's say you're meeting someone at a first situation and you don't want to go into the whole like deep thing of it. Even if you lightly mention, oh, I had Lyme disease and I'm a survivor. The next time they see Lyme disease, a little article or something, they'll be more inclined to go read that article because now they've met someone who has fought through it.

Welcome to the Lyme Voice Network. We are chronic illness warriors, caretakers, and advocates who are overcoming illness in all its many forms. We created this show to inspire, educate, and encourage you you on your path to wellness. We're here to help you put the puzzle pieces of healing into place. Join us and our network of Lyme warriors as we discuss how fighting is a mindset, healing consists of choices, and living is the outcome.

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LionVoice thanks Invita Medical for the continued support. Please reach them at 1-866-830-4576. Welcome LionVoice listeners to episode 97 with Georgia Wood. Today we're gonna listen to Jessica interview Georgia Wood, and I'm joined today with my beautiful wife Sarah.

Hello!

And you're suffering from a little cold today, aren't you?

I am a little snuffly, yeah.

Well, you'll get better. It's not coronavirus, right?

Not the coronavirus.

That doesn't go well with Lyme. Bad joke.

You know what I was thinking last night? I was thinking about how, you know, everyone has all these symptoms that are horrible, right? Neurological or pain or arthritic. And I've been sneezing because I've had this cold. And I was sitting there sneezing and I was like, you know, out of all the symptoms to have, like, a sneeze is the type of symptom that like is actually satisfying on some level. Like everything else just hurts or sucks or whatever. But a sneeze is like simultaneously kind of hurting but almost like deeply satisfying at the same time. I'm like, eh, I guess it's a good thing to have.

We have become— I don't know, tempered.

Tempered. Oh yeah, because you're like, how are you feeling? I'm like, well, it's not Lyme, so it's just not that big of a deal.

It's just the simple flu-like symptoms. It's just the coronavirus.

Yeah.

Which we don't have. We've never been to China. Anyway, so back to this episode today with Georgia Wood. I'm excited about this one. She is amazing.

Yeah, we fell in love with her over the last few months. We say that all the time, but she's a fighter, man. She's fought for what she has lost. She's fought for rebuilding a life. So some of the takeaways for me, because Jessica Donaldson does this episode. She is a podcaster and also runs a radio show called the Hippie Science Variety Hour.

Really cool show. Jessica and Georgia have a really interesting discussion today. Well, you know, one thing that really stood out to me was Georgia's struggle to be heard as a kid, because when she first got Yeah, that's so interesting. And you know, Kyle Willis on episode 82, he said the same thing and it was revealing to me cuz you know, we have such a hard time being understood as adults and they have an extra layer as a child. So it made me very, you know, even with our son, uh, who may struggle with it, we, I, it made me more sympathetic to when he's saying that, you know, my bones hurt or whatever.

Right. Yeah. Our 15-year-old Nate has congenital Lyme and I took him out to Invita in 2015 and did testing and he's been on supplements and stuff, but he's had a great 5 years. And this year, he, um, after getting his wisdom teeth out and having some oral surgeries, he has really struggled with his health, which is a story that we hear repeatedly. Yeah, puberty.

He's going through puberty, so it's about the time it kicks in.

Yeah.

And so to just be cognizant of— because I get it, there's so many moms, there's dads out there fighting too, but I hear from so many moms who are caring, they are either sick or they have multiple people in their house that are sick or both.

Yeah.

And you guys, we get it. It is exhausting. It is so tiring fighting the insurance company and figuring out what doctor you can see and what's covered and what isn't. And then, you know, doing all the additional stuff.

It just never ends, it feels like.

Yeah.

So it was a really good reminder for all of us tired parents who have been battling this for a long time, like to keep going forward, to not dismiss our kids' symptoms and to take them seriously. And you know, that's just, those are just really good reminders.

Yeah. You know, another thing that really stood out to me is she said she lost her voice. You know, Lyme Voice has been one of our desires to give voice to this.

Yeah.

And, What was interesting is the way she found to communicate. She used a different approach. She used a poem. She said she's not a poet, but this poem came out of her and that is what got her attention. So it may—

her parents—

and that's what got her parents' attention in a new way.

Yeah.

So I thought for even for us in different ways, maybe we can relook at different ways to communicate. You did a documentary.

Yeah.

If you haven't checked that out, Go to lymevoice.com.

It's called Disappearing from Society and it's 17 minutes and it, it is just that. I felt like I was disappearing from society after so many years of saying the same thing and nobody hearing me and not having physical symptoms that came out and could be valid, could validate the suffering that we were going through. So big news in the Lyme world is Justin Bieber's documentary out on YouTube.

Yes, The Deeper Got the Fever.

I love when people who have a platform in a different area start talking about Lyme disease. Not every person does. Some people are so traumatized they don't want to talk about it. And so I know there's going to be negative stuff in Facebook groups because people function that way. There always is. It's incredibly valuable for putting an illness on the map, for stepping out as a millennial and saying, hey, here's what I've been going through. And he's in a really unique— he's a phenomenal artist, and he's grown up in front of the world, in front of the world. And the fact that he is willing to talk about this on whatever level is deeply valuable to this community.

It just is.

So especially in this day, I mean, where Lyme is not getting you know, it's getting second, uh, second bill to coronavirus, the impeachment virus, whatever. And it's good, this, you know, that it's still being brought to the limelight.

Oh yeah, it needs to be.

It needs to be talked about more.

Lyme is in the limelight.

Uh, also at the end of this episode is a really touching story about her visit to her sister's college that is worth listening all the way through to because it's really—

I recognized it's about overcoming the shame aspects of illness.

Yeah, it is really powerful. You got to listen all the way through. Yeah, it was good. Voice out to our sponsors: Invita Medical at invitamedical.com, Tick Warriors, Tick Warriors for all your bug sprays.

Bug sprays for your house, for your pets. Yes, environmentally friendly. And go to tickwarriors.com and then Medical Bill Gurus.

Yes, you got to check him out if you are looking at any sort of treatment. You got to talk to him. You got to talk to him. Thank you again so much for being with us. Welcome to 2020 and enjoy this episode. Have you paid cash out of pocket for treatments? Or maybe you're considering a new treatment but you're not Not sure if insurance doesn't cover anything? If that's you, you gotta talk to Medical Bill Gurus. The Gurus specialize in helping patients get paid for treatments at medical providers that don't accept insurance. They work all throughout the United States, Mexico, and Germany. Medical Bill Gurus is a third-party medical billing and patient advocacy service. They work on behalf of patients to bill out treatments to non-participating medical providers, and then they'll follow up. Medical Bill Guru has no upfront fee and only has a fee if you successfully receive your payment. Sign up for a free case evaluation with Daniel Lynch himself to learn if you qualify for your insurance reimbursement, and then discuss what type of insurance you should have in place before you go and spend a significant amount at those treatments. At Medical Bill Gurus, their attitude is simply this: we either win together or we lose together, but you will never have a fee unless we're successful. Give Daniel a call today, 1-800-674-7836, 1-800-674-7836, or just simply go to medicalbillgurus.com. Make sure you check the show notes as well.

We'll have a link So today, welcome to the show, model, podcaster, and activist Miss Georgia Wood. Georgia, thank you so much for being on the show with us today.

Thank you so much for having me. It's definitely amazing. Anytime I can speak out about it, I'm happy to.

I'm gonna love your accent and just fall in love with it over the mic all the whole entire episode. So if y'all hear some pauses, it's just me admiring the lovely accent from Australia, correct?

Yes, very correct.

Awesome. Okay, so give us a little bit of what brings you to the show today. I'm— I know that you have Lyme disease. Some of our listeners may or may not be familiar with you, but give us a little overview of your journey so far.

Um, well, I originally— how I found myself in America was I was elite skier, and so there's not much skiing in Australia. So to continue that on for the serious amount we wanted to do, we had to move to Vermont in the USA, and I was around 14. Yeah, it was on my 14th birthday that I moved to Vermont, and I believe that it is around 14 to 15 when I got my tick bite. However, at the time I was suffering from kidney issues, so we just blamed every sort of side sickness on my kidneys. And then I always had a very high pain tolerance, and through my skiing career I luckily had a high pain tolerance, so I pushed through, but I was always getting injured. I was always getting sick, and it was just in a crazy amount for no, no sort of reason. And I always felt like I was the sick one. I could try my hardest, but I would have to kind of stop because I was sick. And then further along, when I was 17, I went off my antibiotics for kidneys, and that's when everything just kind of went AWOL. I was in boarding school, so I didn't really have parents watching over what was happening with me, my actions and my health. So I sort of took it on my own and became a crazy person in a way because I just didn't know what was happening inside of me. My OCD took over. I had a lot of anorexic thoughts. And as I said, I didn't have parents watching over me, so I sort of ran with it. And then when I graduated high school, I was saying to my parents, well, I had this beautiful layout of my next 2 years. I had a gap year with the Australian ski team. Then I was on a scholarship to Denver. Everything looked great. And I was just sitting there saying to my parents and every adult I could find, something doesn't feel right. I'm not myself. Something doesn't feel right. I'm not myself. And no one really believed me. And then things got worse and worse. I was sent off to Australia for a ski camp. And then the depression, the anxiety, the overthinking, all of that hit. And then finally I got a visible symptom, which everyone linked with mono. I got these lumps in my throat, and that's the first time anyone finally listened to me. And then from there it was, let's find out what's wrong. That's kind of how I got here.

Yeah, you really— it sounds like you had to develop those fighting mindsets really young because nobody was listening to you. That comes up so often when we talk to people with Lyme disease especially because it's not a disease that you can look at somebody and tell they're sick. And it's also not a disease that's widely understood even by those that have it, let alone the friends and family that don't understand it on any stretch of the imagination.

Yes, 100%. I think a big thing of it was for me was I didn't want to be weird. I wanted to be normal like everyone else, and I felt always— especially that age group, like you want to like be normal or whatever. And so I was trying so hard to be normal and it just, it wasn't like— I now I pride myself on not being normal, but at the time, at that age range, it was, it was really hard. And I just tried to stick in there and do as much as I could. And even though people weren't listening to me, I knew something was up. I knew that this was not how I should be feeling. I, I just needed to get someone's attention, and I was not going to stop until I got someone's attention.

So was there anything that sticks out that you were able to say or do that got someone's attention? Because I know a lot of our listeners are in that phase as well, where you're crying out, something's wrong with me, something's wrong with me, and no one's listening. Is there anything that you can point to that maybe helped you along develop those mindsets and fight in that way?

I wish I had a really clear, straight answer to just say, like, you can ask for help, but it's not that simple. I think you really have to keep your voice strong. I definitely lost my voice, and because I was so young, I kind of believed adults when I should have just trusted what I was feeling. So I think don't give up on what you're feeling. If you're feeling something, acknowledge it. Stick with it. And for me, honestly, I remember the biggest game changer was for me was I wrote a poem to my parents and my sister. And I'm not really a writer, but somehow this poem just came out of me. And that was one of the biggest game changers for them to understand, like, wow, she's actually— like, this is a pretty sad poem. Like, something's happening.

I think that's really beautiful. I've actually had that happen in my own life. I was sick since I was a teenager too. Granted, I have more years on you than I'd like to admit right now, but sick since I was about the same age as well. I had endometriosis and everything was blamed on that, that, no, you know, all the pains just because of female problems, those mysterious female problems. And never really found out it was— I didn't find out I had Lyme until after a full hysterectomy. So it was a total just my family knew what was— something was wrong. We didn't know what. And then get diagnosed with something like Lyme disease, and we didn't know where to go with it from there. We didn't understand it. And I also started writing, and it was a great healing tool for me. Major. Yeah. And I'm sure that you've come across that. Like, I've listened to your podcast, which is Blooming with Lyme, correct?

Yes, exactly.

And it's, it's really good, y'all. You should check it out. I liked, um, there was one that you talked about the dark depressions, and I really enjoyed how raw and honest you were on it. Have you found that your podcast and speaking out has helped you heal in any way?

Yes, it definitely does. Every time I speak to someone else fighting with it, it's kind of like speaking to a therapist. And also because there was the majority of my sickness, no one got what I was going through. To have people be like, oh my God, yeah, I agree, or yes, I went through the same thing, and it's like the weirdest thing, but they've gone through it too. It was so healing. And even mainly to have other people who still didn't get it, for instance, like my boyfriend, who is so amazing, he was still just trying to grasp what was happening. And to hear other people be like, "Yes, I've been through that," he was like, "Oh my gosh, it is real." And even though he wasn't questioning me, I think just hearing more and more people speak about it, it's like, "Wow, this is really a thing." And that helped me be like, "Yes, thank you. Like, you get it. Like, yes." And that is so healing in itself to have that support. But people have to sort of understand what you're going through to support you. Even if they want to, they kind of have to get it a little bit. So I think it helped a lot in that way of having closer people to me understand like, oh, this is real.

Yeah, I love that you've had somebody that has been there for you, um, in a, in a boyfriend role, especially in the midst of you telling your story where you didn't have as much support around you. It seems like you had a real fighter's mentality to kind of draw that strength from within. I'm gonna be seen, I'm gonna be heard, I'm gonna figure out what's going on. So what did you— what steps did you take to be able to transition? Because when we're in that, like one of your episodes, the depression, when we're in that darky murky murk of Lyme disease and dealing with those symptoms, we have to make those healing choices to start bettering ourselves. What were some that you've made along this journey?

I think that the biggest ones I made that got me to where I I am today was at first I was living in a very toxic environment, just my family. I love them. My families are amazing. However, it was toxic at the time. And so I had to completely— I moved from New York with my family all the way down to Miami, which was crazy to do whilst I was sick and fighting it all. But I knew there was something in my gut that was telling me, you have to get out, you need sunshine. And so I did like this major move, which was very stressful, but I got myself out of a toxic environment. I started to— I changed all my friends. I got new friends. And when I went into these friendships, I said, look, I have this sickness. This is what's up. Um, and I'm gonna— there are gonna be days where I disappear off the map, and I, I need you not to be mad at me. And so very honest with my friend. And I'm not saying you have to go out and get new friends, but with the friends you have, be very clear and honest. I'm gonna have a couple days that I go MIA. That doesn't mean I'm mad at you or like anything. I just need them for myself. And then in those days of those deep, dark, ooey days of depression, I think it's okay to have a couple where you don't do much, but then you have to realize, if I don't do much, I'm gonna stay in this and it's gonna suck. So you just have to start to do little things. So my first little steps are like, make a juice, get up and make my bed, go outside for 5 minutes, walk my dog. And then they don't feel like much. And while you're doing them, you don't really feel like they're gonna have an impact. And then leave it, keep doing them for 3 days and you're back on track. And it takes time and it doesn't feel like you're doing great things when you're doing it 'cause you're still in that deep dark. But if you continue to take the small steps, they turn into bigger ones. They seriously turn into bigger ones.

They really do. All of the self-help gurus talk about those little bitty things. Atomic Habits is James Clear's, I believe. Yeah, Jordan Peterson talks a lot about just the power of making your bed and that those little bitty things, once— not only once you start doing them, you bankroll and build up this confidence of, I, I've already done this, I can do more. Like, I've already proven— especially when you're in the funk of it being sick, because let's face it, I mean, there's days where your body— you have to— it's an act of willpower to get out of the bed.

Yeah. Oh my goodness.

Yeah, there will be. I mean, yeah, I joke all the time, I run on sheer willpower half— yeah, majority of my life. It's just pushing yourself to do it. And those little bitty things like making your bed, like walking your dog, you know, they can add up so quickly because not only are you investing in bettering your circumstance because, okay, Let's just face it, humans like to live in a nice, clean environment. We need sunshine, we need walks, we need things like that. You're also benefiting your mental health because you're doing things just to help you, that there's no other reason for it but just to help you. Are there anything that— is there anything— excuse me, I promise I graduated. It's that Lyme brain creeps up on me and it'll do all kinds of— oh, the things I've come up with, this brain. This brain's beautiful.

I've been like on a tangent on something and I'll be, let's say I'm talking about like moisturizer and then suddenly it will be like waffles. Like the weirdest thing comes out of my mouth.

And I'm like, how did that happen? I always text, I have a best friend that's been with me through the thick and thin of this. And I'll just text him the most random things and he'll be on a 6-day work stretch and he's a neurochemist. So it's not like he just has some regular job, and here I am, uh, texting him the conspiracies of birds aren't real. And he's like, gosh, woman, if you send me one more random thing— I'm like, I don't believe it, it's just cool, these people are interesting. Just that beautiful Lyme brain, you can find humor just about anything.

Sorry.

Oh, you're perfectly fine.

I have this lingering cough that won't leave me, but you have to find the humor in everything now. At first it was really hard to, but now when I have a Lyme moment, it's just, we gotta laugh at it because it's how it is.

I get embarrassed by them too.

Oh yeah, I don't get embarrassed.

Now? Nope.

If I did, that would be so much energy that I'd be wasting that I can't wait. So I just, I don't even have the choice to be embarrassed.

And you make it all fine for everybody else too. If you get it, like, if you just roll with the punches of your health yourself, it makes it easier for everybody else around you to roll with it too. Like, if you make it, if you make it this focal point, it's going to ruin the evening. It's going to. I've had it where I've projectile vomited across a table the first time hanging out with friends and just kind of have to laugh it off and been like, man, that cheese was a killer. I told y'all I shouldn't have had cheese. Yeah, yeah, just laugh, but you just have to.

Yeah, I think that's so important, is especially when people don't understand it, is you have to make a joke about it, otherwise it is going to be uncomfortable or too dark to talk about. But the thing is, it also does have to be spoken about, and I think the best way to do it is with that light twist on it. And you can get serious topics out whilst also having a light twist on it.

Yeah, we've been talking a lot lately about how humor is so healing and such a powerful tool, like off-air as well as on-air. But we've really been focusing a lot on that because there is so much power with it. And if you can just find the humor in the suckiest of situations, you're gonna get through them a lot easier.

Yeah, I also— one thing, this is just side note— one other thing that I do majorly when I'm in my deep dark depression is I put on a comedy show or a stand-up comedy because I would be like—

your favorites?

Um, honestly, I'm really bad with names, but to put it— I can think of many in my head, but I cannot give you the name. But, um, I, I'll send them in my bio. But, um, even like those days where you you cannot get out of bed or you can't move. And I get that there are those days. I put on a comedy show and try to get myself to at least laugh because then in a way I'm like doing some active exercise with my body as well. I try to do that spin on it as well. So yeah.

No, it totally does. I mean, laughing really is some of the best medicine you can have. It helps get your— like, on a physiological level, it gets your cardiovascular system going. On a neurological level, it gets all of those, you know, endorphins and all that good knuckles going. I mean, it's great for you, especially when you're not able to physically maybe exert your body as much.

Yeah, for sure. It's really, really important.

Sorry, I had a panic attack. My screen went blank for a second. Oh, are we back? Yeah, we're back. We're good. Awesome. I, I use my dad's computer for this because I live in the middle of nowhere, so to make sure that we get a good connection, I guess it just It wanted to go crazy on me and throw my Lyme brain a little curveball real quick. No big deal. Yeah, you're good.

You're all good.

So what led you to the activism part of Lyme disease?

I think when I got to a point of having a stable support base— I now go to therapy once a week, I have a psychologist— I, once I got to a really stable point myself, I just knew that Well, honestly, I had this one experience about 4 years ago, and this is when I really knew no one with Lyme. Instagram wasn't really talking about it that much. So I just, I couldn't find anyone. I just wanted an outcome. There was everyone, every doctor was just saying, we'll try this and see what happens. We'll try this and see what happens. And I just wanted to like a step-by-step, you're going to do this treatment and then you're going to do this and then you're going to get better. And then you're not going to get better. I just wanted a set outline. And we finally found someone who their son had had Lyme disease and he's completely recovered. And I go, can I please just speak to him? Like, can I please speak to him just for 20 minutes? Like, I just need to speak to someone. And he ended up saying no because he didn't want to go back to that kind of sad space. And I remember that sort of— I was really mad at him actually at first. I was like, why would you not support someone else? And then I sort of got to a place where I was like, I'm at a place where I can help others now and I can talk about what I went through and I can talk about it openly because I don't, I don't really get embarrassed. So I've been wanting to do it for a while, but because I still have Lyme, it's sort of inconsistent. So I was, I'm a perfectionist, so I was like, I'm not going to do it right. I'm not going to do it right. And then I finally was just like, I need to just do this. Even if I do it in certain little splits, it's fine. Because each time I started speaking to people about it and just creating the awareness, you hear the healing on both sides. You see it in the comments. You feel it when you're speaking it out. And the more you speak to people about it, they're interested. Even if, like, you don't want to— like, let's say you're meeting someone at a first situation and you don't want to go into the whole, like, deep thing of it. Even if you lightly mention, oh, I had Lyme disease and I'm a survivor, the next time they see Lyme disease, a little article or something, they'll be more inclined to go read that article because now they've met someone who has fought through it. So my goal is, is just to mention it as much as possible in every situation because maybe the next— like, I'll give a little bit of information. If they want to learn more, they'll ask me up front. If not, the next time they see it, maybe they'll want to read more, and then it will be a flow-through from there.

Yeah, it's all about that being the little ripples. I always love that analogy where a tiny stone in a pond can create one little ripple, but by the time it's done, it can create something that spans across an entire lake, you know? Yeah. And we can be those tiny ripples just by mentioning it, by wearing a shirt from, you know, that says Lyme something on it. It doesn't have to be a specific one, although we all know that I'm partial to certain ones. But so I was— I had a really interesting week last week, and I want to dive into it with you because I feel like you're a perfect person to talk to about it. This is totally off script.

Let's go. I'm interested.

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Because I feel like you're a perfect person to talk to about it. Totally off script.

Let's go, I'm interested.

So I went through kind of a dark spell last week of where everything starts dawning on me this time of year of how long I've been sick. Yeah, I don't know what it is about this time especially. Um, I was sick for about 10 years and had about a 17-month-long remission, and I've been back in the pit of Lyme for almost 2 years now and was starting to go in that circular thinking of, oh my God, like how much is this taking from me? And was just recognized myself going into that dark place and immediately changed it around and was like, no, what have I gotten from even being reinfected or taken out of remission, whichever way you want to look at it? What have I gained from getting sick again? Like, what are the things in my life that I wouldn't have had if I would not have had Lyme again or had it to begin with? And of course, the first thing that comes to my head are my 3 kitty cats, because I didn't have any animals before I got sick again. I was busy going, got 3 cats, crazy cat lady.

Yeah, I got one puppy and I'm a dog, I'm a dog lady.

Oh, so what are some of your things that you can think of instead of looking at it how we often get in that pit of starting to think what all this has taken from you? What's something that you've gained out of this that you wouldn't have had unless you would have gotten Lyme disease?

Empathy, empathy, empathy. Oh my goodness. Especially— Good answer. Yeah, definitely because I got it when I was so young like you in those ages where you're all just focused on yourself like like, how do I look? Do I— like, am I in the right group? Like, all this unnecessary thoughts. And then it had to teach me how to step back and look and be like, okay, but what is behind the scenes of this person? Like, they may be this perfect blah blah blah blah blah, but there is something going on behind the scenes, whether it's their family, whether it's with them, even whether it's with their animals or something. Like, something else is going on. So if they're being mean to me or rude to me, there's no reason for me to take that personally because there's probably something going on in the behind. So I now always know, like, you can look great, but there is something going on with everyone. So I just— I never really take anything to offense in that sense anymore. I'm just like, okay, you're having a rough day, I totally hear that, um, I'll just support you through it. That's definitely one of the biggest ones I've learned is empathy. Also just the small things like being able to move my body. I've never appreciated that before now. So now whenever I get to work out or whenever I get to dance around my room crazy, I love it that much more. Like I get to appreciate it that much more than someone who doesn't have Lyme.

Right.

They don't know what it feels like to not be able to do that. Or when I do have good brain function, I, I use it and I try educate myself more and I forced myself to read and to do Khan Academy and all these different things that I definitely wouldn't be doing if I didn't have Lyme because I would probably think that I was smart enough. But because of Lyme, I sometimes think I've lost some brain cells that I could have. So I forced myself to educate myself more, which is great anyways. So that as well. The people in my life, I've definitely learned to appreciate time with people a lot more.

I just—

all the little things I appreciate so much more because at points in time they're taken away from you and you don't have that choice whether you want to have them in your life or not. You can't do it at some times. So whenever I can, it's just like, oh my gosh, I'm the queen of the world. Like, and it's the smallest thing, but I'm so proud. And I think really allowing yourself to feel that pride, because a lot of healthy people, they're not going to they're not going to get excited about being able to work out or not going to get excited about being able to go grab some drinks with some friends. But like, to you, you get to harness that in your heart and hold it so close because it's rare, and that makes it that much more exciting and special.

It really does. It makes you have a deeper appreciation for all the moments, like every single one of them. It doesn't matter how big or how small, like, they think can become the most powerful moments, especially when you're starting to heal a little bit, you catch yourself in those moments of, oh my God, I wouldn't have been able to do this before. Those moments, oh, I wish I could package that and sell it. Oh, that's the sweetest moment ever.

Such a special one.

Yeah, it is. As much as it sucks when you're going through it and you realize those things you're unable to do anymore, when you regain the strength to do those, And you will, and you always will.

Yeah, know that. You have to know it's not permanent. What you're going through is not permanent. Like, it's just a downfall, right?

Exactly, it really is. What are some things you've done to turn your health around and to go on the upswing from Lyme? Because it sounds like you're doing a little bit better than— yes, previously. So about what percentage do you think you are at right now recovery-wise?

Um, meaning high is— so I would say I'm like, I'm saying I'm living at like 75% recovered, which is incredible.

That's awesome.

Yeah, it's really good. I, I have actually started prescription medication, which I really thought I never ever would, and I used to talk so down on it. But right now, because Lyme treatment, like a full-on Lyme treatment, is so expensive I, and I'm funding myself, I needed to just find something to get me middle ground. Um, so that's something that I'm not thinking of permanently, but right now I'm saving up to do a full treatment. But the main things is a positive support group, um, getting out and exercising. I highly recommend therapy. Therapy is the biggest thing for me, I believe. I believe, I think I would swing back into a downfall pretty quickly if I didn't have a weekly therapy session. And I found jobs. They're not my ideal careers, but they're something that make me feel like I have a purpose. So I have to get up in the morning. I have to drink enough water. I have to eat enough food of the good foods. I've said, yeah, for me it's mainly having a purpose. If I have a purpose, I don't like not showing up. So I'll do the most I can to show up. I also found jobs that understand Lyme disease. So I've been a nanny. For the past year. So it's a personal relationship. So if I do have a bad day, they can understand and I don't get scrutinized because a big thing I'm still working on is my regaining my confidence in things. I think it's— I'm— I think I'm doing so well because I really want to say it's because I've got a support group now. I truly think since I got like a support team around me, like my family understands it, I've got this boyfriend who understands it. I've got my therapist. I think it's having— and I've got my friends who I can— I, I think that for me, because I did so much of my Lyme by myself, I think that for me was the biggest game changer. Because I've always been able to do the right things in terms of eating and sleeping and getting that, but I think it's the support group that was my game changer because I never had people to go to to speak about it with, to download, I would just keep it pent up. So then it would end up exploding.

Right. This is leading in beautifully into a story you started to tell us before we started recording. So if you want to go ahead and tell us, go ahead and lead in, girl. You're doing great.

Awesome. So I had a recent experience and it was, it was actually my birthday present was to go to visit my sister in San Francisco. And my sister is my role model. She is so smart. She's got her head on her shoulders. She just graduated from Colby College. She's incredible. But she also struggles a little bit with understanding Lyme, and I think she'd be fine with me saying that because she wasn't really there to see what I went through. And so I went to go— we went to San Francisco, and I went to go meet a bunch of her friends, and they all went to college. They've all now got these corporate careers. And in the time I was spending fighting off my Lyme disease, the 4 years they were in college, I was fighting Lyme. Um, the question came up because it's just a normal social question like, where'd you go to school? And I had sort of been told not to mention my sickness because it brings like a damper on the fun party, which I, I totally get, I agree with. So that's why I didn't. But I didn't realize how much it would impact me after because what I did was I let go of my voice. I stopped speaking about the main thing that helps me survive, which is me fighting what I fought. So basically, when they would ask me, hey, where'd you go to school? I'd be like, oh, like, oh, I didn't, haha, like, now I'm a nanny, now I'm this. And I'd kind of like try and make jokes out of why I didn't. But I didn't just straight up say, which I should have. And now I know at the end, I should have said, I'm a Lyme fighter, I've been fighting Lyme disease. I'm not really going to go into it right now because we're in a social scene, unless you want to know more. But I, I was busy doing this. I was saving my life, right? And instead of validating what I was doing, I was kind of being down on myself and acting like I hadn't been doing something great. So at the end of the evening, after having like 25, 30 people ask me that same question, I broke down. I started crying. And then the next couple days before I spoke to my therapist, I just didn't get why I was so sad about myself and I was so just feeling so unconfident and like weak. And then I spoke to my therapist and we finally got to the point, and it was the fact that I'd stopped speaking out about what I know and truly believe in and what had actually happened to me. And a good thing she pointed out to me, she was like, look, it's so sad that this— we're not where we are with Lyme, but it's the fact that if I had survived cancer or multiple sclerosis or something— I can't say that properly, but I think you guys got what I was saying—

MS, We got it.

Stumble at the end words, but totally fine. Everyone would be proud to be like, she survived this, she did this. But because Lyme's so unknown, we're not at that point. So it's like, oh, but what is that? So it's kind of just put on under the, under the table when it should be— no, it's still on top of the table. That's how we get it to be known. That's how we keep our confidence That's how we keep our voices. And I lost my voice big time. And now I've really— that was a big sort of kick in the butt to be like, no, you have to keep speaking about it because otherwise other people are going to feel how you felt today. And that's the last thing I want because I did not feel great.

I imagine not. I mean, just playing through that in my own mind of how and what I would come up with to explain my absence from society. I mean, my brothers convinced my nephew once I went to prison. I did. But I mean, that's the only thing I can think of. Why did you disappear for 10 years? Man, that was a hard 10 years in the pen.

But honestly, like, that's— I was coming up with like the randomest things, and I was, I was really being down on myself, and it was so bizarre that I actually did that.

Every one of them probably painted you like you were just some loser that lost in life, not like a victorious warrior.

Exactly. And that's what I felt because everyone was like, oh, um, cool. And I was like, yep, my life's gone off track.

How about yours?

Yeah. So now I definitely would go on and be like, yo, I am this warrior. I am a queen. I fought this 'Like, I'm so much stronger than you— like, not than you, but than you could ever believe.' Right, right.

I think I'm Superwoman. I really do. Problem. I think I can do anything.

Yeah. And a good thing my therapist said to me was, she was like, 'Just remember, anyone can go to college. Not anyone can fight Lyme disease.' Oh, and I like that a lot. And I was like, wow, that helped. Like, I heard that and I was like, that is so true. Some of the crap I went through, like, I'm not sure, like, maybe you could, but I'm gonna give myself that upper.

Yeah, we were joking about it earlier that thank God for the, um, Lyme brain so we have the forgotten memories. It's a little hazy because times have been rough at times.

Yes, exactly. Yeah, no, I, I block out a lot of my dark past. And I think that's— I speak with my therapist about it. I'm like, am I in denial or am I just moving on? And I think as long as I have acknowledged what I went through and do acknowledge it, I now see it as moving on. Because why focus on the negatives when there are so many positives, right?

It truly is. And excuse me, Mom, I've been fighting off a cold all week. I hope I'm not too heady for everybody.

I'm the same, don't worry.

So tell me some things that you're looking forward to. Our goal here is we fight, we heal, and we live. What things are you looking forward to? Not anything medically speaking, you know, just what are those joyful moments coming up in your life that you're really truly looking forward to getting to live out?

Well, now I'm— I've taken a little hiatus for my podcast, and a big thing is getting back into that. And I think this experience in San Francisco was a big kick in the butt for me to get back into it. And I'm so— especially now doing this as well, I'm so, so much more motivated to get back into that and doing it in more of a positive way and not as much focusing on the negative things. And then also, I just added a new retail job, and this is the first time I've ever been— I just started it like 2 weeks ago, and I was always so scared to go back into retail because it is demanding on the time And I believe that I'm healthy enough now to follow through, and there's a growth up, up in the company. So I'm seeing that as a really big thing to look forward to, as maybe moving up in the company and setting up a career for myself.

Well, congratulations on that. I know that's a huge step. Yeah, really, really look forward to hearing more episodes with the podcast. I'm really, really looking forward to hearing that. So I want to check, um, I don't have your social media handles in front of me right now. Awesome, if you'd go ahead and like to rattle those off for us, we will wrap this up today.

So my main Instagram is Georgia Wood, but there's the, the, the— so I'm gonna say that again. My main Instagram is Georgia Wood, but there's for the word, the O's are zeros, right? And then my podcast Instagram is Blooming with Lime Podcast.

And really hope that you get back on the mic. It's so— it's a lot of work. I totally understand, a lot of work.

Yeah, it's, it's worth it though. It's— every time I finish an episode, I feel like I'm on top of the world. So I definitely am gonna get back into it.

I hope you do. It was lovely speaking with you. You've obviously got a knack for it, and I would love to talk to you again in the future sometime. And thank you so much.

I loved hearing bits of your story, and I would love— I can't wait to go listen to your podcast now.

Oh, well, thank you so much. Yeah, I've been a guest, um, on Lime Voice. Lime Southern Belle is the episode that is me as a guest, and there's several with me as a guest host. So I look forward to talking with you more, Georgia. Thank you so much for coming on the show.

Thank you. Thank you so much. It was amazing.

Hi guys, I want to let you know about a book I wrote called Little Bite, Big Trouble, and I'm going to read a review that recently came in. This is from Carolyn, and she says, thank you so much for writing your book. It has become the means by which I have explained Lyme to my 4-year-olds. They asked for it to be read as a bedtime story over and over again and love that the mama birdie does yoga and juicing like their mommy. I can't thank you enough for writing this book. It has helped my family so much. You can find it today at amazon.com. Little Bite, Big Trouble. Disease is contrary to life, therefore Wherever disease exists, life must also fight to exist.

Good job fighting, Lyme fighters. Keep it up. We'll see you next time. LymeVoice contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 'Kay, Lincoln?

'Kay.

The medical information on LymeVoice is provided as is without any representations, warranties, expressed or implied.

Okay, okay.

Lion Voice makes no representations or warranties in relation to the medical information on this podcast. You must not rely on the information on this podcast as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about your medical matter, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. And for you, you consult your parents, okay?

Okay.

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this podcast. Got it, Lincoln?

Got it.