Guest Blog, The TRUTH About Dressy Date Nights:

Foreword: This is a guest blog written by a beautiful friend, both inside and out, named Kari. Although she does not have Lyme disease, but other illnesses, her explanation rings true and can be applied to any Lymie's situation. This is the perfect answer to the statement "But you don't look sick..." and is educational for those who know we are sick yet get confused when they see us out. A very special thank you to Kari for allowing me to share her story and a special thanks in advance for all of those with Lyme she will undoubtedly be helping.

The TRUTH About Our Dressy Date Nights

We take pictures for good reason, because that means I got fully ready and we BOTH got out. To make this date happen, I stayed in bed until noon last Friday, with no plans to do anything else during the day. That meant that outside of resting my body/stomach, I would only have to focus on getting ready when it was date time. I woke up in pain and didn't tolerate my first meal of the day well at all, so by mid-afternoon, the first kink in our plans made its presence known.

Although we would be having a nice meal out with friends, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat at the restaurant without getting sick and that I couldn't allow that to happen if I wanted to see the Broadway show afterward. So, with a few extra "supplies" inside my purse & under Andrew’s arm, we got ready and had a wonderful time with Bart & Shannon at dinner. I enjoyed a diet coke.

 The other issue with a lengthy evening in the theatre is that I still hadn't eaten and my body needs to have something every few hours. So, during intermission, I whipped out my container of cereal and bottle of water and refueled. The nerve-racking part of that is not knowing how my body is going to react to its next dosage of food. Praise God, the cereal went over without a hitch. We made it through ACT II and even squeezed in some pictures with friends before leaving!

I am posting this for our curious friends. I know it is confusing to see so many pictures of Andrew and me out enjoying shows but then hearing things about my “health problems” and such. Like anybody, we just make-do. We plan ahead for “major things” like Broadway shows and double dates and basically cater to whatever my needs are when that day comes around.

I am grateful for a husband that carries my “supplies” when called upon and leaves events early when my body has had enough. We take pictures the Sunday mornings we both get to go to church together and on the nights we have a spontaneous trip to get frozen yogurt.

With as many days as I spend in bed, we just really want to focus on and remember the good feeling days…often the good feeling hours. So, we take pictures – LOTS of pictures. You really just never know what kind of condition someone’s health is in, because quite often, they look just like me. We so often hear “BUT YOU ARE THE PICTURE OF HEALTH!” and just smile and think, ”If you only knew the truth of our day!” Ha!