My story is typical of most people with Lyme.......
I basically diagnosed myself... on pure instinct... and the ironic thing, is that I never knew anyone with Lyme disease before I had it.....now I know too many people with Lyme....
I considered myself lucky in the beginning... it did not take years or 20 doctors to diagnose me... and I did get a positive ELISA from Stonybrook in the beginning.... that was enough to at least get treatment......if I had never had that positive test, who knows how bad I would be now....
It took about a year, but by the end of 1994, I felt like I had been cured and the nightmare was behind me......so I thought for 2 and a half great years.....then, out of the blue, on a beautiful Monday morning in June of 1997, I woke up and could not move my neck...
Hoping that it was just because I slept badly, I tried to ignore it... but the same instinct came back to me that Lyme was rearing its ugly head again....
Then the other symptoms began....the twitching, the burning pains, the muscle aches, headaches and depression set it.....it was back again.....now I had chronic Lyme disease.....all the horror stories I had heard, were now my reality... and it is one hell of a frightening reality to face...
I will spare all the details... but here I sit one and half years later, still on and off IV, still fighting this disease that most people ignore, belittle, and laugh about....I have been so depressed, that I could no longer care for my 6 year old triplets.....what they see me endure must have scared them for life... They think it is normal for mommy to have an IV in her arm all the time... maybe this will make them more compassionate human beings in the end.....they have watched their mommy suffer....
And I fight this horrible disease, as well as fighting the insurance company for every submitted claim and had to listen to ignorant physicians tell me I have connective disease, dengue fever, fibromyalgia, etc.... Some good things have come out of Lyme disease....Those are the things I wish to focus on.......I have two wonderful, caring, compassionate physicians for whom I am grateful to.... Dr. Emilia Eiras and Dr. John Drulle.... Both of these doctors take the extra step consistently to help their patients win the battle of Lyme......
I have also met wonderful support people through the internet, the doctor's office, the Lyme Disease Association of New Jersey and just friends of friends who are fighting hard also to beat this....All of these people have touched my life in a positive way and gave me the extra push I needed to continue this fight.....If it were not for them in conjunction with the support of my family and select friends, I would not be sitting here putting these words down on paper....
As much as I hate Lyme and what it has done to my life, my dreams, my family, my career, my finances, my self esteem, and my future, I am thankful for the inspiring people I have met along the way.....and when I am really down.... I know I can call Mike , Michelle, Barbara, or Gigi, or go see Dr. Eiras or Dr. Drulle, and they will get me through the difficult hurdle ...... I have not given up hope that one day, Lyme will become a distant memory for me......until that day, I continue to be thankful for and inspired by the special people I have met on this journey towards renewed health!!
Andrea
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