It can be scary and it can be fearful when there are breakouts of horrible viruses like the Ebola virus and Lyme Disease. It can be especially hard because I believe like many others believe, that there is so much cover up and unanswered questions….at least with Lyme Disease. When my daughter, Abbey and I first found out we had Chronic Lyme Disease it was definitely an overload of information to process. It was also a relief of finally knowing what were dealing with, after many years of being misdiagnosed and dealing with unknowns and illnesses. I felt the same way the day I cried my eyes out with relief and sadness, while holding my oldest son and hearing that his diagnosis came by as positive for Chronic Lyme Disease. But, on a positive note, like Phil Robertson says, “Now We are Cooking With Peanut Oil”! Yes, now we all were able to move forward in our journey. (I will share the story of our journey that lead to our discovery of Lyme on another blog.) Abbey, Paul, nor I didn’t want to hear that we had spirochetes in our brain, organs, tissues and joints. Good grief….it sounded like a horror movie. That was hard to take in. Next we had to learn how to begin trying to kill them off……hopefully kill them off that is. Then, you supposedly cannot ever be sure you are cured or over Lyme Disease completely, but trusting in your symptoms and testing throughout the years, and of course the mighty power of God’s healing and intervention. I am speaking for Abbey and myself when I say that we had to work through the initial shock of being told we had Lyme Disease and several other co-infections that tag along with Lyme Disease for some and most Lyme patients. But, with a little time, we began to replace those feelings of fear with faith and hope that we knew only Jesus could give us. HE has always been there for us and will never leave us or forsake us. It has taken more though than just saying we trust in the Lord to overcome Lyme Disease. It has taken a lot of work and change on our part. It has taken more discipline and order than normal. It takes putting up boundaries and saying no to things when we feel our body being pushed to the extreme. It takes not comparing yourself with others or what other’s strength’s are. All the time people ask us “How are You Doing”? Or they comment….you and Abbey look great!!! I thank people for the compliment and usually tell them we are doing good, because we know that we are in good hands with our Savior. Truthfully though, not many understand all what goes into having and treating Lyme. Lyme is one of the most complicated bacterias with many unknowns. There are a lot of answer I don’t know but I do know who truly does have all the answers and know that I need to keep it simple and trust in HIM.
Although we have all three forms of Lyme, we won’t give up. If we would of discovered earlier we had simple Lyme we could of been treated with a short round of antibiotics more than likely and it probably wouldn’t have gotten into the cell wall or cyst form as well as the spirochetes. Neither of us ever saw any bulls-eye rash or tick. SO, to all who are reading this, please practice prevention from being bitten by ticks, educate yourself on the new research that is saying Lyme can be sexually transmitted as well as passed to your unborn through utero, and seek answers. Lyme Bacteria is very similar to syphilis, and we all know that can be passed on, so why wouldn’t you believe Lyme can be passed on? If you get gripped in fear you will never get out of the boat and get help or treatment. It can be overwhelming, but our family, especially my husband, and our faith in the Lord have kept us going.
So, for those of you who are asking how we are or what we are going through or have always wanted to understand and know a little more about Lyme Disease, I have put together some information for you.
WHAT IS LYME:
Lyme bacteria (called Borrelia burgdorferi – Bb) is similar to syphilis bacteria in appearance. It is corkscrew shaped and enters the body immediately after a tick bite and has been found in the CNS (central nervous system) within 24 hours of being bitten. It can also be transmitted via mosquitos, sand fly’s and possibly by sexual contact. There have been cases that have shown that the mother has passed it to her child in utero. I believe that I contacted my Lyme from my mother, and passed it to some of my children. Because of its shape, it prefers to quickly move into the tissue, where it travels better and can invade organs and every bodily system. It grows in cycles, usually every 4-6 weeks and that is why long term antibiotic treatment is necessary. You cannot kill this Bb in 2 weeks of antibiotics, it will grow again in a few weeks. It is a smart bacteria and can hide from the immune system invading healthy cells, going unnoticed, therefore is not attacked by our immune system. It can form cysts when it senses a hostile environment (antibiotics) and hide from many antibiotics.
B. burgdorferi is genetically one of the most sophisticated bacteria ever studied. The Borrelia bacteria is able to change into three different forms to evade the immune system and antibiotics and to allow it to survive for long periods of time. (I can only laugh when I think about this in terms of a star wars battle) Abbey and I are planning on kicking butt to these creepy things and besides. Besides antibiotics, we are using lots of supplements, herbals and now doTerra Essential Oils, that will especially help break through the slimy biofilm, where research has shown can be hard to break through with antibiotics alone.
If you get bit by a tick or infected by another vector born insect, and can seek help soon after, you probably will eradicate all of the infection very easily by a round of antibiotics for about 28 days. But, like Abbey and myself, as well as many others who go undiagnosed for years, it turns into Chronic Lyme Disease. Below explains a little about Chronic Lyme Disease.
Chronic Lyme disease patients may face a long hard fight to wellness. People with chronic Lyme can have many debilitating symptoms, including severe fatigue, anxiety, headaches, and joint pain. Without proper treatment, chronic Lyme patients have a poorer quality of life than patients with diabetes or a heart condition.
The fact is Lyme is a complex disease that can be highly difficult to diagnose. Reliable diagnostic tests are not yet available which leaves many—patients and physicians alike—relying on the so called “telltale signs” of Lyme disease: discovery of a tick on the skin, a bull’s eye rash, and possibly joint pain. However, ILADS research indicates that only 50%-60% of patients recall a tick bite; the rash is reported in only 35% to 60% of patients; and joint swelling typically occurs in only 20% to 30% of patients. Given the prevalent use of over the counter anti-inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen, joint inflammation is often masked.
Based on these statistics, a significant number people who contract Lyme disease are misdiagnosed during the early stages, leading to a chronic form of the disease which can prove even more difficult to diagnose and treat. Lyme disease is often referred to as the “great imitator” because it mimics other conditions, often causing patients to suffer a complicated maze of doctors in search of appropriate treatment.
The Three Forms of Lyme are and that Abbey and I are Being Treated For:
Spirochete– Spiral shape allows penetration into tissue and bone. Capable of intracellular infection. It leads to most of the signs of Lyme disease. It can then convert to cell wall deficient and cyst form when threatened by the immune system or antibiotics.
Cell-Wall Deficient (CWD)– In this form, a lack of cell wall makes targeting by immune system and antibiotics more difficult. It is also capable of intracellular infection and can clumps together in colonies making it very resistant to any treatment. The colonies are protected by biofilms, which make them even more resistant to antibiotics and immune system. Borrelia can shift from the spirochete form into a cell-wall-deficient (CWD) and spheroblast (cyst) L-form. Its intracellular forms infect human endothelial cells and they also infect immune system cells ( i.e, lymphocytes ) corrupting their intracellular molecular structure, disabling parts/modes of the immune system and enhancing the virulence of other co-infections.
Cyst- In this dormant form the Lyme bacteria are not mobile and do not cause symptoms. They can however survive harsh conditions (including antibiotics, temperature changes, and most other adverse conditions) and are able to convert back to spirochete form when conditions are more favorable to their survival. Changing into the cyst form allows the spirochete to hide undetected in the host for months or even years, until a weak immune system in the host paves the way for the cysts to open and the spirochetes come out & multiply in great numbers: this leads to many of the symptoms of Lyme disease.
General Information and Facts:
It does not take long for the Borrelia bacteria to spread within a person’s body after being infected. In fact in less than a week after contracting a Borrelia infection, the Lyme spirochete is able to penetrate deep within the body, and to dig its way into tissues such as tendons, muscles, heart, liver, and even the brain.
Borrelia burgdorferi symptoms are numerous and can mimic a wide range of diseases including: multiple sclerosis, arthritis, ALS, auto-immune diseases, neurological diseases, depression, anxiety ADD, ADHD, Thyroid Issues, Bi-Polar, Alzheimers and many others.
Lyme disease treatment is difficult due to all of the above factors. It requires a comprehensive program that is aimed towards removing all of the forms of the Borrelia bacteria from the body, not just the spirochete form.
Borreliosis, or Chronic Lyme infection, usually requires a long-term treatment approach due to the very long life cycle of borrelia.
Lyme is a “political” disease that has doctor’s butting heads regarding treatment.
CDC reports: Lyme disease infects 300,000 people a year. 10 times more Americans than previously reported. –
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, LYME DISEASE IS THE FASTEST GROWING VECTOR-BORNE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES.
The IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America) simply will not even consider that Lyme is easy to get, needs prolonged antibiotic treatment until symptom free and that the infection is hard to kill. They do not consider the co-infections (other bacteria ticks carry) that make Lyme even more virulent. Their claims of short term antibiotics “curing” Lyme Disease is highly unlikely. They believe that if you still are symptomatic after a short course of antibiotics that you have what they call, “Post Lyme Syndrome”, they will not call it Chronic Lyme Disease, nor will they treat it any further. Their theories have been proven untrue by Lyme patients themselves. Many patients have gotten well after many months and some after many years of treatment with antibiotics. Please, if you have Lyme Disease you will want to check out the http://www.ilads.com website.
Seek help from ILADS Organization:
ILADS (International Lyme and Associate Disease Society) are a group of Lyme literate Md’s that recognize Lyme can be a long battle . They have mountains of evidence that long term antibiotic treatment works! The IDSA seems not to consider the evidence, nor consider that there are millions sick with Lyme Disease, many misdiagnosed with MS, Fibro, Parkinsons and a multitude of other diseases. ILADS is committed to the prevention of chronic Lyme disease.
The following tips are designed to offer guidance and minimize the risk of contracting chronic Lyme disease.
1. Know that Lyme disease is a nationwide problem
2. Check your tick facts
3. Show your doctor every rash
4. Don’t assume that you can’t have Lyme disease if you don’t have a rash
5. Do not rely on test results
6. Be aware of similar conditions
7. “Wait and See” approach to treatment may be risky
8. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion
9. Know your treatment options
10. Expect success
– See more at: http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-tips.php#sthash.xpw5mrsR.dpuf
As I persevere in this journey, I can only pray that my children will also. I will never know for sure how I got Lyme. I am not positive on how my two children got Lyme. How I think I got Lyme, was passed down from my mother, and I think I passed it down to my children. There is research showing this has happened and is possible. There is still more to learn and I am a sponge. I just have to keep praying for wisdom in learning and not giving up on this journey. The things we are learning and doing I can only trust will benefit me and my family. There are some things we want to pass down to our next generation and there are some things we don’t, if we can help it.
I remind myself that I am on a journey of healing and wholeness. That journey takes time. There are some of you that are on a journey of healing and wholeness from Lyme or another problem that seems overwhelming to you. Don’t give up. If you feel hopeless, there is a man named Jesus Christ who died on the cross just for you and loves you so very much. His plan is a good one and as you seek HIM and his direction for your illness or any problems, you will discover His incredible love and incredible strength and incredible plan for your life. Remember…”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them who are the called according to HIS purpose”. Romans 8:28
A Grace Filled Home 