Our stay here is always relaxing – and a chance for me to reconnect with old friends. I had my annual girl’s lunch with Kathy and Jane in White Bear Lake. It’s great to get together and catch up on what’s new in their lives.
Mom and I had a wonderful lunch with some old and very dear friends, Judy and Delores. This goes WAY back. Mom and Delores were 
best of friends when we were living in Duluth (my years 1-3). Judy, Delores’ daughter, is only 12 days younger than me and we were inseparable when we were young. With one family upstairs and one downstairs in a beautiful old duplex in Duluth, we had a lot of great memories and it was fun to reminisce over lunch at Judy’s house in Minneapolis.
best of friends when we were living in Duluth (my years 1-3). Judy, Delores’ daughter, is only 12 days younger than me and we were inseparable when we were young. With one family upstairs and one downstairs in a beautiful old duplex in Duluth, we had a lot of great memories and it was fun to reminisce over lunch at Judy’s house in Minneapolis.At Mom’s house on the lake –it was time to get the basement “resorted”. We spent days sorting through cabinets, drawers – rearranging and donating. Cases of wine and sherry from YEARS ago--- we even found small mini-bottles of Scotch from my trip to Scotland – in 1977!!! This was very well aged scotch. 
After some convincing—I went back to Mom’s to paint the basement, leaving John at the motorhome in St. Paul. We finished the job after 12 hour days….exhausted. I drove with Mom to Minneapolis for her 5 year post-cancer checkup—all was well. But, she left and headed home, very exhausted. Something was wrong. We left Minneapolis and were heading toward Indiana. Something was not feeling right so we stopped outside Eau Claire, unhooked and I went back to Mom’s to take her to the doctor. The local doctor took blood work and did a general exam. He assured us that “It’s not Lyme disease”. Two days later- the blood work came back- with Mom’s white blood count way up. Knowing that something was off, Mom went to her regular doctor—one look and he diagnosed Lyme disease. He immediately put her on antibiotics—but it would still takes a month to get back to normal.
This whole experience gives you a new perspective on Lyme Disease. It’s certainly nothing to be casual about. Left untreated, infection can spread to the joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Living in Minnesota, we had always been warned to look for the “bulls-eye” indicating a tick bite. Well, in my mom’s case, the rash was everywhere. The good news- she got treated early – but only because of her persistence. I hate to think what could have happened if she had listened to the first diagnosis!
After some convincing—I went back to Mom’s to paint the basement, leaving John at the motorhome in St. Paul. We finished the job after 12 hour days….exhausted. I drove with Mom to Minneapolis for her 5 year post-cancer checkup—all was well. But, she left and headed home, very exhausted. Something was wrong. We left Minneapolis and were heading toward Indiana. Something was not feeling right so we stopped outside Eau Claire, unhooked and I went back to Mom’s to take her to the doctor. The local doctor took blood work and did a general exam. He assured us that “It’s not Lyme disease”. Two days later- the blood work came back- with Mom’s white blood count way up. Knowing that something was off, Mom went to her regular doctor—one look and he diagnosed Lyme disease. He immediately put her on antibiotics—but it would still takes a month to get back to normal.
This whole experience gives you a new perspective on Lyme Disease. It’s certainly nothing to be casual about. Left untreated, infection can spread to the joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Living in Minnesota, we had always been warned to look for the “bulls-eye” indicating a tick bite. Well, in my mom’s case, the rash was everywhere. The good news- she got treated early – but only because of her persistence. I hate to think what could have happened if she had listened to the first diagnosis!
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