When our Co-Founder @rkatzman found she'd been bitten by a tick in 2020, she had no idea her life was about to change.
"I was outside with @matsukatzy and he had gotten away from me and I lost him. I went into the fields to look for him (the house I was in was on a farm). I woke up the next morning and noticed a small mark on my hip, but thought it was a scab. Matsu was insanely itchy the next two days and I noticed two more marks by the first one. I started to panic and ripped it off me and realized it was a tick. I took Matsu to the vet who was also covered in them.
"Around three and a half months later, I started to feel out of control of my own body. I had night sweats where I would have to change my clothes and sheets multiple times a night, muscle/joint fatigue to the point I could not get out of bed, memory and train of thought loss, I was constantly tired. My whole life changed over night.
"After years of knowing my body so well, I knew instantly something was wrong, so I went to my doctor who did a standard lyme test which came back negative. After another month of debilitating symptoms I sought out a functional medicine doctor who did specific lyme and gut testing and blood work, and that's when I got my positive result.
"It was hard at first because I still wanted to think I could work the same way and be on 100% of the time like I was prior. I realized I needed to put my health first and take the time I needed to recover. That meant being in fewer meetings and really prioritizing what needed my attention each day and each week. I really focused on recovery classes and being gentle and kind to my body, knowing it was okay to not work out as intensely as I was. I changed my focus from 'workout' to 'movement.'
"I am feeling the best now that I have in a long time. It's a rollercoaster, and things are always changing as I am always changing, and that is okay. For me, it's about tuning into yourself and listening to your body.
"Your diagnosis does not define you. Learning how to adapt and evolve can be a positive. Not every day will be amazing but you do your best, health is a journey and its something you have to commit to."