Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse
Even the most integrative, supportive doctor can only do so much for an individual during the worst period of healing from Lyme. The process looks different for everyone, but a patient must feel significantly worse before they begin to recover. When Lyme bacteria (or other coinfections) are first attacked by antibiotics, herbs, or other treatment, they release toxins into the body quicker than they can be dispelled. This is called a Jarisch-Herxheimer (Herx) reaction, and it can often include panic attacks, brain fog, paranoia, depression, pain, affected vision, racing heartrate, dysfunctional thyroid, disrupted digestion, severe confusion, and amnesia among many other symptoms. Herxing, in other words, is a complete—and sometimes seemingly unending—nightmare. When you’ve fretted about that frustrating doctor all night and Herxed all day, these autobiographical poems may go down smoother than a pill. Arranged chronologically in the order that they were written, they move from devastation to determination, addressing the various frustrations and dynamics of living with chronic Lyme disease—the isolation, the trauma, the fear—and also providing a voice of solidarity and inspiration for those suffering from this devastating illness. Written as a love letter for Lyme patients who are running out of patience, as well as for their family and friends, Not If, When is a clear-eyed, defiant, and poignant exploration of what it means to live—and sometimes even thrive—with Lyme.
1135820602
Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse
Even the most integrative, supportive doctor can only do so much for an individual during the worst period of healing from Lyme. The process looks different for everyone, but a patient must feel significantly worse before they begin to recover. When Lyme bacteria (or other coinfections) are first attacked by antibiotics, herbs, or other treatment, they release toxins into the body quicker than they can be dispelled. This is called a Jarisch-Herxheimer (Herx) reaction, and it can often include panic attacks, brain fog, paranoia, depression, pain, affected vision, racing heartrate, dysfunctional thyroid, disrupted digestion, severe confusion, and amnesia among many other symptoms. Herxing, in other words, is a complete—and sometimes seemingly unending—nightmare. When you’ve fretted about that frustrating doctor all night and Herxed all day, these autobiographical poems may go down smoother than a pill. Arranged chronologically in the order that they were written, they move from devastation to determination, addressing the various frustrations and dynamics of living with chronic Lyme disease—the isolation, the trauma, the fear—and also providing a voice of solidarity and inspiration for those suffering from this devastating illness. Written as a love letter for Lyme patients who are running out of patience, as well as for their family and friends, Not If, When is a clear-eyed, defiant, and poignant exploration of what it means to live—and sometimes even thrive—with Lyme.
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Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse

Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse

by Gail Tierney
Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse

Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse

by Gail Tierney

Paperback

$17.95 
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Overview

Even the most integrative, supportive doctor can only do so much for an individual during the worst period of healing from Lyme. The process looks different for everyone, but a patient must feel significantly worse before they begin to recover. When Lyme bacteria (or other coinfections) are first attacked by antibiotics, herbs, or other treatment, they release toxins into the body quicker than they can be dispelled. This is called a Jarisch-Herxheimer (Herx) reaction, and it can often include panic attacks, brain fog, paranoia, depression, pain, affected vision, racing heartrate, dysfunctional thyroid, disrupted digestion, severe confusion, and amnesia among many other symptoms. Herxing, in other words, is a complete—and sometimes seemingly unending—nightmare. When you’ve fretted about that frustrating doctor all night and Herxed all day, these autobiographical poems may go down smoother than a pill. Arranged chronologically in the order that they were written, they move from devastation to determination, addressing the various frustrations and dynamics of living with chronic Lyme disease—the isolation, the trauma, the fear—and also providing a voice of solidarity and inspiration for those suffering from this devastating illness. Written as a love letter for Lyme patients who are running out of patience, as well as for their family and friends, Not If, When is a clear-eyed, defiant, and poignant exploration of what it means to live—and sometimes even thrive—with Lyme.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781631527357
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publication date: 08/25/2020
Pages: 136
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gail Tierney wrote Not If, When as a love letter to others with Lyme disease. She is currently attending grad school full time at Princeton Theological Seminary and also serving as Artistic Director of an eco-theatre troupe called The Kaleidoscapes. This one is for her granny—a warrior who showed her firsthand the extraordinary resilience of a survivor. She currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Nine months 1

Mud pot thoughts 2

During the time of not knowing 3

Scraped clean 4

Parasitic debut 5

Honey badgers don't give a shit 6

Like a virgin 7

Siri came for me in the nighttime 8

Thanks, man 9

Field notes 10

Don't read this one to your aunt with the pink ribbon 11

Poor connection; mailbox full 12

For everyday 13

Confused in the middle of a crosswalk 14

There's a reason for florists 16

From a floor in Nicaragua 17

Jetlag 19

On pops's response to poops 20

Zoinks, bugman 21

Yelling is fun 22

Narcissism 23

CDC, look @ me 24

Bad mood 25

Woof 26

Teeth-marked tongue 27

Yep, I'm looking for attention-from doctors 28

Control issues 29

Hello, my name is 30

Blown kisses 31

A little coitus never hoitus 32

Stick of doom, you say? 33

Stop rewind >> play 34

New growth 36

Bloodshed 37

I am frustration hear me roar 38

Palpitation 39

Ha! 40

Become like Liam Neeson 41

Slow turn towards the sky 42

Seaweed baths are a holy experience 44

No one can resist Mel's brownies 46

No longer confined, but redefined 48

For rock bottom 49

Remember, Simba 50

"bite me" isn't my go-to taunt 51

Chlorella, Chlorella Deville 52

The spiritual practice of 53

Did you drink the hippie-dippie jungle juice or something? 54

An Ode to Magma Shoulders 55

Not today, Satan 56

Walking alongside others 57

Sometimes I respond to something someone said after they leave 59

The greatest insight 60

Gesundheit 61

Mandala 62

Thanks, mom 63

One of the first things I wrote down 64

REI made a solid point on Black Friday 66

Remember your roots, and let them root for you 67

To those of you who are sick 69

To the tick 70

I just got Cindy Lou Who'ed 71

My hope for you 72

Sometimes random suffering points to not-so-random suffering 73

So fresh so clean 75

Occupied 76

Hiker praise 77

Riddle me this 78

Press conference 79

Sick of tears and skippin' the beers 80

British buddy 81

Reframe 82

A pox on the rutabaga! 83

A sidewalk somewhere 84

What if 85

Apothecary banter 86

Shots on shots 87

Take a break 88

You lead, I'll follow 90

Txts from last night 91

Is it still a secret in a published book? 92

My face amongst the trees 93

Ran fresh outta words 94

Splish-splash 95

Tinder profile 96

I do 97

Road trip! where to? 99

Accessible 100

Welp 101

Chekhovian delight 102

Repetition 104

Banana peel 105

Apostles of Beauty 106

Towards the end of a book, it's good to paraphrase 108

All for now 109

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