May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and it’s my 7th May healing my body from this horrible chronic illness. I started having symptoms slowly 🐌 weird pain and fatigue would creep up over the years… Then when I got pregnant with my daughter the shift in hormones brought on symptoms in full force!
I had a very uncomfortable pregnancy but I chalked it up as “normal.” I was so happy to be pregnant but felt like my body was fighting against me. I had no idea at the time, and even with a newborn at home, I thought I was just an exhausted mom.
When I was 15, I recall getting a weird bug bite. But it was the mid 90s in California, and nobody was talking about tick bites, let alone Lyme Disease. And it wasn’t until years later in my late 30s that I learned my good friend from high school in California was also battling Chronic Lyme. I got that weird bite in her backyard.
After my maternity leave I was back to work full-time and struggling to keep up. The pain, fatigue, headaches, brain fog, anxiety, stress and a baby at home was a lot. I would sleep all weekend just to have enough energy to go back to work during the week. I started seeing doctors and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The initial blood tests for Lyme came back negative. But of course they would. This disease had been dormant in my system for half my life! It wasn’t until an Igenex test (not covered by insurance) and a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) read the results that I got the confirmation I knew was coming…
It’s been a long road trying to get some quality of life back. I still have flare-ups. I still need days of rest in between “good days.” But I stay hopeful 😌
Lyme looks different on everyone. Not everyone suffers from Chronic Lyme, just like not everyone will have long haul covid. But it’s real and it’s no joke!
The key things I’ve learned during my healing journey are this:
It’s ok to ask for help.
Doctors don’t know what they don’t know.
Keep advocating for your health and the health of your loved ones.
Sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, processed foods and chemicals do us NO favors.
Lymphatic drainage, self-care and rest are essential.
You are not alone 💚
Lyme Stats:
Who do you know that suffers from Lyme Disease?
treschicstaci 