Less than a year ago, UFC lightweight Jim Miller lost a decision to Diego Sanchez. It was his second loss in a row, leaving him just 1-4 his last five. At 32, he was considering a final fight with Takanori Gomi at the glorious UFC 200 in July and then retirement.

However, in exactly seven months today, Miller has won three in a row, and fights Dustin Poirier in the opening fight of the UFC 208 PPV card. The difference was the discovery that he suffered from Lyme Disease, as he discussed at a recent UFC 208 media day.

It was just getting things right, getting healthy again, said Miller to Chuck Mindenhall for MMA Fighting. Man, 2015 was not easy. It was the little things when you think about it. It was not so much the fights. It was just doing my daily things with my family and with the gym, it was just really difficult. And it wasn’t so much just the physical side of it. Yeah it was hard to get out of bed, it was hard to move, every time I stood up it hurt. I was like an old man, going up and down the stairs sideways. It was stupid.

But mentally it was difficult to deal with. I’m just happy that I kind of got it figured out. I’m not out of the woods yet with the Lyme.

I actually had a second round of it come around, basically right before that last fight. I was off medical for a couple weeks, like six or seven weeks, and I started to notice the early symptoms right before the fight, and I was like, alright, let’s get through it. I feel good.

One of the symptoms is you get muscle spasms and stuff like that. For like three days my left eye was twitching and I was like, ahh s***.

And because I’m self-hating, basically, I was like, let’s see how long it takes for me to feel like s***. And it was like three weeks, and I was like oh man, I was hurting. But I’m back on the medications.

I don’t obsess about it, but the goal has always been to be recognized as the best. I know that I can beat anyone on the planet that fights at 155, it just comes down to the night. I’ve had to deal with a lot of bulls***. But I’m excited, because I feel good again. I feel like I’m supposed to feel.

This video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights one man’s struggle with Lyme Disease.

For more information, please check out the CDC information site.