Running the Distance while battling Lyme Disease

This fitness feature guest post is by Amy Pope Fitzgerald of the blog, Twinglesmom. Read her triumphant and truly inspiring story about living with Lyme disease while being a Mom and runner.

 

I am ultra marathoner living with chronic Lyme disease. When Lyme first invaded my body, I was in my mid 20’s with my entire life ahead of me. I do not recall being bit by a tick or finding a bulls eye rash on my body. I woke up one day and felt paralyzed, scared and wasn’t sure if I would see my 30’s.

 

This debilitating disease robbed me of physical strength and I had to rely on crutches for mobility. Fifteen years passed before I was given the proper diagnosis of Lyme disease. All those years of living with “fibromyalgia” had been a lie. If I had been correctly diagnosed, I would probably not still be battling Lyme disease. This is an illness that I will most likely live with for the rest of my life unless a cure is found.

I consider myself one of the” lucky ones.” Less than a year before being diagnosed, I made a decision to push through the pain. Thanksgiving 2009, was the day that the miracle happened and I was given the gift of running. I ran five miles that day and I have never looked back. Relentlessly, I went on my training runs and increased my miles and began to strength train twice a week. Fast forward to October 2010, after receiving two months of treatment for Lyme disease, I ran my first marathon! When I crossed the finished line, I felt so strong!  This is when I first thought about running an ultra marathon! Since crossing my first 26.2 finish line, I have finished 7 marathons total, the DC Ragnar Relay (GOTR of NoVA team captain), the inaugural Dopey Challenge, and the JFK 50 Miler in 2012 and 2013.

Exercise has been crucial in healing my debilitating pain. I’m convinced it is my natural antibiotic. Many individuals living with Lyme become guinea pigs as they try concoctions of different medicine. I think some of us living with a chronic illness are lucky enough to stumble upon a way of life that doesn’t drain our bank accounts and give us false hope. I have come to a point that I understand I will never have the life that I dreamed of but that I appreciate every blessing.

So yes, I’ve given up on finding a doctor who can cure the Lyme that has invaded my body for almost 19 years. But I have not given up on living. I run and exercise regularly with a dream of running my first 100 Miler on 3/8/14, while raising awareness about the epidemic of Lyme disease and to raise money to find a cure. Read more about my 100 Mile journey, or find me on Facebook.

If you would like to read more about my story about battling Lyme disease, please read the February 2014 issue of The Platform Magazine. You can get the free digital issue where my story begins on page 14 as published in the February 2014 issue of The Platform Magazine! My Lyme Disease story begins on page 14! Thank you for helping to make a difference!

I had to fight through the pain during the first few months of running but now I’m pain free! I eat a healthy diet and limit red meat, dairy, sugars, and carbs. I drink a lot of water. I see an acupuncturist twice a month. I still have “bad days.” I rest on those days when my body is tired and the brain fog has settled in. But the difference is between now, and then, is that before I started running, all my days were “bad ones.” Once I made the decision to incorporate these life changes and switch my thinking to being positive and mindful, my life has soared and embraced with goodness. Each day that I wake up with energy, alertness and an ability to focus, is truly a blessing.  I acknowledge it, embrace my day and live every moment given to me.

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Eliot

If you have an inspiring fitness story to tell or a challenge that you completed in the last year TMC wants to feature you!  Contact me via Twitter or email.