Things have been just short of brutal so far this week. My Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday have consisted of appointments and therapies running from 07:30 until 17:00, with just an hour in between, to catch my breathe and pause for lunch. My fatigue is worse than ever, so I shuffle around the Klinik like a zombie. Continuous night terrors haunt me and make restfulness that much more unattainable. I feel terrible waking my mom from her most deep sleep, unknowingly screaming about various subconscious evils confronting me. I get in bed at dusk drained from the day and get out of bed at dawn exhausted from saving my friends and myself from treacherous Tsunamis.

The novel additions to my treatments this week were Thermography testing (an extremely sensitive method for measuring point-specific differences in body temperature), infrared light therapy, infusions of alpha-lipoic acid, neural therapy injections, and Matrix-Regenration Therapy (including Bioresonance therapy, direct current treatment of the tissue, and a petechial vacuum extraction massage). According to Dr. Rupp, my Thermography results revealed my “body’s ability to handle change, in any form—temperature, time of day, altitude—is ZERO!” In order to try to alleviate some of my shooting nerve pain, Dr. Rupp injected a syringe of neural therapy into my neck, right beside my jugular vein. The experience was un-“nerving”, to say the least.. pun fully intended. I immediately broke out into profuse sweats and my left pupil contracted to the size of the head of a needle, while my eye lid got swollen and drooped for the next couple hours. It was a bit bizarre!

It is very clear to me what it is that is giving me the strength to endure—the people around me. Each person I meet is nicer than the next! The staff, for the most part, is just beaming with optimism. Everyone who has ended up working here has an incredible story to tell about what brought them to this remote town in Switzerland to treat the ailing. Even more remarkable though, is how I am surrounded by the most unbelievable warriors! In my humble opinion, my fellow patients are some of the most impressive people that inhabit our planet. The kindness, shared by all the visitors on extended stays, is a palpable ray of hope, which shines throughout the Klinik.

The next best thing that has happened to me in the past few days are a pair of pants. My body’s initial reaction to some of the treatments was to become more inflamed than seemed humanly possible. For a day or two I couldn’t bend my fingers, because the joints in my hands were so puffy. Following hyperthermia therapy, I realized I couldn’t fit into any of my pants, because my legs had blown up like hot-air-balloons. Still being a 20-year-old girl, not yet immune to the immaturity of vanity, this frustrated me to no end. My mom, who has stood by my side and been my biggest advocate every step of the way, spent the next day shopping around St. Gallen to surprise me with a treat. Following my 06:00 wake-up call, when I went to get dressed, she proudly pulled out this beautiful pair of velvety, loose-fitting pants. Anyone who knows my mom, knows how artistically gifted she is. Her magnificent taste extends beyond her eye for interior design, thankfully, she is quite fashionable as well. In contrast, anyone who knows me, knows I am not a fan of perusing the mall or trying on clothes. Frankly, my strong distaste for shopping came about as my symptoms worsened and the process became too taxing. Due to my disinterest in clothing purchases and my mom’s knack for finding special pieces: together, we make a glorious couple! On the day she gave me that pair of pants, she gifted me with much more than a cute look, she blessed me with self-confidence and dignity—both qualities that are hard to hold onto while battling a chronic, rare illness.

I’m half way through my stay in Switzerland thanks to my stupendously compassionate doctor, the wonderful secretaries and nurses at the Klinik, the resiliency, kindness, and hopeful energy of my fellow patients, and….my perfect pair of pants.