Lyme 101

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and this blog post is not medical advice. Seek professional help (from a Lyme Literate Doctor) if you think you have Lyme disease.

** I am a private person.  I am only creating this blog because I feel that the Lord wants me to do so.  I will be completely genuine and honest by writing this without regard to who the reader is... whether they be my best friends, medical professionals, atheists or the NSA.

Lyme Terms:
Spirochete: A flexible twisted bacterium. 
Herx: The Herxheimer reaction, aka "Herx", is described as a temporary increase of symptoms (or temporary development of new ones) when the spirochetes are killed by treatment and release a toxin.
Lyme literate doctor: A doctor who has educated him/herself about Lyme disease and co-infections.  Because of the controversy in the Lyme world, LLMD's do not advertise as being such.

Lyme disease can be really awful.  It affects everyone differently.  Some people will get a "bull's eye" rash, and some will not.  Only half of people ever remember seeing a tick.  Some will have it progress to the point that they can't walk, it may affect their brain to the point that it disturbs their speech.  Others may just have light and noise sensitivity, dull headaches, or ringing in their ears.  Everyone is different... please know this.

One part about Lyme disease is the fact that you don't look sick.  I can usually fake that everything is fine and life is good, but the truth is that there are some days that I am barely functioning.  I know that this is an experience that Lord wants me to have, so that I can be stretched, grow and help other people.  It is through the enabling power of His Atonement and the love from my family that I am able to keep moving forward.

Another reason for creating this blog is to give people ideas of where they can turn for help.  When my family doctor told me that my labs came back positive for Lyme disease, he suggested I make an appointment with an Infectious Disease Specialist.  I did make the appointment, and afterwards I felt uncomfortable with that decision.  I didn't know what else to do.  My sister-in-law put me in touch with a friend of hers that had Lyme for 20 years.  We spoke over the phone, and she helped me tremendously by providing information about the different helps that are available.  I canceled my appointment with the Infectious Disease Specialist and felt a lot better about going a different route.  Feel free to email me at lymeanite (at) gmail (dot) com with any specific questions.

List my symptoms: 
*in order of most frequent to rarely occurs*
-aching joints (knees, ankles, elbows, fingers, wrists, hips)
-constant dull headache
-confusion
-inability to multi-task
-brain fog
-exhaustion after doing simple things, like walking up the stairs or standing too long
-memory loss
-constantly lacking energy
-low blood pressure
-racing heart
-hoarse voice
-blurry vision
-flu-like symptoms
-inability to drive at times
-a little bit of depression (probably is kept to a minimum because I have been on depression meds for 13 years... it helps me be "normal")
-pin-prick pains
-clicking joints
-anxiety
-itchy skin (usually at night)
-muscle twitches (usually in legs at night)
-muscle aches
-night sweats
-burning sensation up and down legs
-air hunger

While educating myself on the disease, I read The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments by Bryan Rosner, Why Can't I Get Better? by Richard I. Horowitz, and watched the documentary Under Our Skin.


Watch full documentary HERE.

I am currently under the care of Dr. Andrew Petersen.  He has been fabulous, and I highly recommend him.