Lyme Disease Support Group
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. It is now one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the U.S. Lyme disease is caused by infection with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, and is primarily transmitted to humans as well as dogs, horses and other domesticated animals by the bite of infected ticks.
I'm new to this group so hi everyone. I am a senior in high school and really struggling with keeping up with things in school. I was diagnosed with lyme about 6 months ago but likely have had it around 2 years. Its hard to explain to people what im going through because they always tell me i dont look sick. A lot of days i miss my morning classes because i physically cant get out of bed and people will call me lazy and tell me to go to bed earlier but dont understand i cant fall asleep at night. My anxiety is so bad i can go to many school games or events because i get nervous around crowds and loud noises. Sometimes i get anxiety for no reason and have to leave class because i am not able to cope with it. My energy gets so low sometimes i cant walk from one class to another. I am an athlete and captain of my team and therefore expected to be at every practice giving 100% but so many days i am too weak to practice. Its so frustrating because often even when i am in class i dont retain what i am learning. I find myself reading the same sentance 3-4 times before i can move on. I often find myself slipping into depression because i feel so alone and like no one understands it. I can feel my friends and teachers getting annoyed and i've been told countless times "its all in your head."
I havnet done antibioticc treatment because i know it would be so taxing on my school attendance but now i am unsure what to do next year when i hoped i would be in college but i know i cant go like this. I take around 45 supplement a day just to get me through and its so hard to imagine that if i dont get cured i will have to rely on pills just to be able to do the simplist of tasks. I know there are clinics that people go to everyday and a lot of them feel better after 8 weeks of living there but i dont see where i have the time to do that.
I have a couple questions, one being how do you get through this without having the support you need and the other is what treatment should i do that will have the least effect on my school.
Thank you for listening :)
involved in all these activities so I know it must be doubly difficult. (I am a retired 'mom') obviously at a different place in my life, but I can still relate to all that you're saying. Maybe even more so
being a mom. My children didn't have Lyme but plenty of other challenges where they had to
make some major changes to deal with their lives.
Have you or your parents seen or heard of the dvd, "Under Our Skin"? I don't agree with all
the things in the film, but overall, it gives a good view of the big picture and what people
have to go through to deal with this illness. I was treated with herbs and homeopathy and
didn't do well on antibiotics for instance, but every one's different. I can't say if there is a treatment that will help you go to school. I had to quit working for instance, because I couldn't
function. I still take supplements. But you will need to treat the general infection and probably
co infections and that may take some time. It doesn't really just magically 'go away' after six
months that I know of, unless you catch it really early.
So. You have my sympathies for what's going on. Your health is most important and
you really need to treat the Lyme. You may have to forgo some of the things you really like
because you can't keep pushing yourself and get better. That much I know. Please keep
posting here. I'd like to know how things go and I just want to wish you the very very best
because I know you'll get better. It just may not happen quite the way you want.
You imply that you don't have the support that you need. Do the adults in your life not believe that you have a real illness, and do they not know how serious chronic Lyme is? Perhaps some websites might help? Do you have insurance? Transportation to doctors so that you can find a doctor with Lyme experience (most doctors do NOT know how to treat Lyme)? If possible, see an infectious disease specialist, integrative medicine doc, or functional medicine doc who you know in advance has experience with Lyme. Educate yourself about Lyme, its co-infections, and the dozens of effective treatments that people use for Lyme so that you can advocate for yourself. Pharmaceutical antibiotics are not the only treatment option, but no road to overcoming Lyme is easy or fast.
Your health matters. Lyme is very hard to beat, but you can beat it if you make doing so a priority.
Sending you a big hug and healing vibes!
You are not alone. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone in this -
Blessings