My Lyme Disease Story

Hi my name is Dee. I have a wonderful husband named Daniel and an amazing son named Jadon. We live in Ohio as youth and kids pastors. Our vision is to reach out to the lost and broken hearted and share faith, hope and love with them. That is exactly what Christ has done with me. He has given me so much hope and something to live for despite the obstacles I have faced. I'll give you a quick history.

The reason why I am here blogging is not to let everyone know about my life. I'm not one of those people who changes my facebook status update every minute or even every day. I really have a heart for those fellow Lyme Disease victims who feel alone and don't know where to turn. I have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and have struggled with is since the fall of 2004.

I also want to reach out to those who are moms struggling to give your husband and kids all your energy while battling Lyme. We need you take care of ourselves in order to serve them.

Here is my timeline:

Fall 2004- got sick all the time and was treated for bronchitis, mono, pnemonia...you name it

Winter 2004- still going to the doctor and symptoms getting worse (fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, achey joints and actually swelling, dizziness, back pain, loss of concentration, etc)

Spring 2005- Diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis after seeing A LOT of doctors and getting A LOT of blood tests (my Lyme test was negative-- this is why you cannot go alone on Lyme disease tests because many people who have Lyme had a negative test). I was then treated with two weeks of doxycycline. Doxycycline actually is the medicine to treat lyme if you catch it within the first month and it also treats Ehrlichiosis but it does NOT cure chronic Lyme Disease. Many medications along with natural methods are needed to treat Lyme if it's been in your system for more than a few months. 

Summer 2005- also treated by a homeopathic doctor. This improved my joints and also confirmed I had Lyme Disease. The test he gave me came back positive. 

May 2008-graduated college

September 2008- got married

best day of my life!

our wedding day

May 2010- My symptoms surfaced again. (fatigue, ear and jaw pain, back pain, brain fog, memory loss...the joints were not as bad this time with no swelling)

May-August 2010- I called all the doctors I could and no one was taking new patients. I finally found one that was 2 1/2 hours away but I had to wait until January to get in. I did just that while trying to locate another doctor.

January 2011- Went to see the doctor and was thoroughly pleased with the results. He treated me, understood me and gave me hope that we could get rid of this. I was on lots of antibiotics, herbs and getting IV treatments. 

February-May 2011-We saw much improvement. In May, I found out that I was pregnant so we had to stop all treatments. He wanted to retest me. I got my test results back and had only gone up 10 points. In the CD-57 test (a very great test to determine where you are with treatments for Lyme), I had started at 21. The normal person should be 200 or above but a chronic patient should be 60 or above to be healthy. http://www.healthcentersofamerica.com/information.cfm?id=144 (this website describes the CD 57 test)

When we got the test results back in May, I had only gone up 10 points and we thought I had improved much more than that. He told me after I was done nursing to come back for more treatments.

SO HERE I AM.

It is one year after my son was born and I have moved to Ohio because of a youth and kids pastor position. I have been searching for a doctor with little success. It feels like I'm starting over again but I know there is a reason why I am going through this. This is where I start my blogging. If you struggle or have struggled with this disease and feel frustrated, I have been there with you and still am. I also can tell you that I choose to see the positive through my entire journey because through it, God has allowed me to help many people find a doctor, understand proper treatment and realize they are not alone. If I have to suffer with them, than so be it. I'm so excited that I have been able to help others. I figured it was about time I expand who I share my experience with. I am currently writing a book about my journey in detail and also am interviewing others who have shared in the pain. Stay tuned for that.

my dad was diagnosed in 2011 with Lyme Disease as well.

This is my amazing family. I have an incredible family! They have supported me and helped me through every single obstacle I have faced. Thank you so much for everything! Our dog was also diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2011.

My husband and me 2010