One step at a time. Ryan Sutter is fighting his battle with Lyme disease on two different fronts: physically and mentally.
The Bachelorette alum, 46, shared a glimpse of his treatment routine via Instagram on Sunday, July 25, showing off multiple pill bottles rounded up on his counter. In a second photo, he documented a sunny mountain view in his native Colorado.
“Picture one is the first and last thing I see every day. Picture two is my focus in between. Both are healing but in very different ways,” he wrote. “Picture one is all the supplements I take. These on top of other treatments like IV treatments, infrared saunas, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and an intentional diet are science based tactics intended to detoxify and rebuild my immune system.”
Some of the detailed healthcare regimen is “crazy expensive, somewhat experimental and not guaranteed to work,” the firefighter noted. “I can’t afford to do all of these at once so I try to find combinations that are doable without compromising too much effectiveness. I have friends that provide discounts and support but am always attempting to balance cost benefit while reducing the stress created by that effort — on me and those I love.”
Sutter isn’t only battling physical symptoms, however. For the former reality star, maintaining a positive outlook is just as crucial as keeping up with his vitamins and supplements.
“Picture two is where I believe a more subtle but equally important healing process occurs,” he wrote on Sunday. “There is science but it’s deeper. There is experience rather than experiment and the cost is only time. The effort here is physical and stress relieving. Inhaling invigorates. Exhaling detoxifies. In nature balance is inherent and healing somewhat magical. It is here where I want to be and here that justifies the efforts needed to find a way forward … And so it goes. Onward.”
The season 1 Bachelorette winner dealt with undiagnosed medical issues for over a year before revealing on wife Trista Sutter‘s podcast in May that he’d finally found the answer to his symptoms.
“My immune system was weakened through exposures to toxins and especially to mold,” he explained at the time. “I tested positive for Lyme disease. … It seems like something that I will always have. Now I know, and I can build back my immune system to fight it off.”
Along with Lyme disease, Ryan received an Epstein-Barr virus diagnosis. “This weakened immune system may have allowed that to come back in. On top of that, [coronavirus] … I tested positive for that,” he said. “The major things now that we’re addressing are Lyme disease and mold toxicity.”
In February 2020, Ryan began to notice his health setbacks while completing an 18-week fire academy with the Denver Fire Department. After more than a year without knowing what was causing him to suffer, he shared a hopeful update with his Instagram followers about his journey to finding a solution.
“Things are looking up,” he wrote in May before taking his Lyme diagnosis public. “As I continue to contemplate the experiences of the past year, I’m beginning to cast off the maybes and find certainty within. I am certain of my place in life professionally and personally. Answers have unfolded in regard to my health and I am certain of my direction moving forward there.”
Trista, 48, and their children — Maxwell, 14, and Blakesley, 12 — have been Ryan’s fiercest supporters through his ups and downs. Though she’ll always stand by his side, watching her husband fight for his health has taken a toll on the OG Bachelorette.
“I try to look at the positive. It’s definitely a good thing to have answers. Not knowing is so, so difficult,” she said during a June episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast. “Those answers come with so many more questions. It’s actually difficult. … It’s been hard to see him struggle because he’s such a strong human in general. He doesn’t share that with everyone, so it’s just hard to see the person you love most in the world feeling like crap.”
Though many things contributed to their “weird year,” Trista said at the time that “it’s been hard” to deal with this particular obstacle.
“I want him to be better. I want him to spend time with our family and make memories. When you don’t feel good, it just takes away from life,” she added. “I’m not doing great, and not just about him. I’ve been struggling for sure.”
