Ok, so here's the deal. Back in November, I developed a systemic staph infection, that we're STILL struggling to get under control. This is NOT diet related. I have an existing genetic defect that causes my immune system to respond inappropriately or fail to respond at all to invaders, while OVER-reacting to my own tissues/blood/lymph. I've had it since birth. Diet and homeopathic treatment have helped me live over 20 years beyond what the medical community expected for me, and ancestrally-minded living has me still mostly mobile and functional... I was afraid, several years ago, that I would be spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair -- but managed to use the tools from a number of folk to turn that around. However, in terms of this latest infection, I had an injury with an open wound. I work in a large medical center, and staph is a way of life--and I just HAPPENED to be covering someone in the clinic for the holidays (because of my health issues, I typically deal with the administrative end, rather than being in the clinic). We've exhausted the oral antibiotic options with yet -another- recurrence discovered yesterday, and it looks like a PIC line and IV antibiotics in my future (I find out tomorrow).

In the meantime, since Thanksgiving, I've had difficulty with maintaining my fitness and nutrition. I've had sporadic admissions on bed-rest, with accompanying abysmal diets (and no-one to bring in better food), long hours of hyperbaric therapy sessions that have cut deeply into my weekend food preparation habits, and needless to say, I've been out of the pool and fitness center and unable to walk (the infection is in the skin, muscle, and bone of my lower leg) off and on since Thanksgiving.

The effects are starting to show. Of course, I try to keep myself going when I'm home -- but needless to say, work hours, medications and their side effects, and trying to keep the pressure off my companion (who is not really up to handling being a caregiver--but I knew that about her a decade ago and I still deeply love her) are taking their toll. I'm no longer losing or maintaining weight loss--even slowly... I've started gaining again. What's worse is that I'm struggling to hold on to the little bits of my nearly-three-year-long program that was doing SO well, and I see it slipping away. I see myself losing mobility again, and my immune system is slowly teetering on the brink of yet another major upheaval.

I'm hoping there are others here who have dealt with chronic (non-diet-related) illness and have watched the Health Wagon start to roll away without them and have managed to find tools to at least keep it in sight while dealing with the other issues without slipping so far off the track that the Wagon is completely out of reach by the time I get my issues under control.

I'd appreciate any assistance y'all can provide. Thank ye much!