But first, a little background on where things all started.
My long road to a Lyme diagnosis.
I could write a freakin' book about my pre-diagnosis Lyme experience.
Not to sound dramatic, but it was basically a nightmare playing out in slow motion.
For your own sanity, I’ll give you the condensed version.
Sometimes it would feel like electric currents were running through my toes when I stood up.
Not long after that, my symptoms became all-consuming.
I ended up quitting my job in NYC and moving back in with my parents.
Eventually, though, a physical therapist I was seeing recommended I explore the possibility of Lyme further.
After relaying my lengthy medical history to my new doc, he suspected I was dealing withchronic Lyme disease.
This certainly isn’t the case for everyone.
Treatment Round #1: antibiotics (and lots of them).
And this was fine with me.
Given the severity of my symptoms, I was willing to try anything.
Plus, at the time, I didn’t really know I had any other options.
But soon, there was no question the drugs were working.
And I felt pretty great for about a year.
My Lyme was re-emerging even after lengthy antibiotic treatmentand apparently, that’s not uncommon.
My initial reaction: Oh shit, I better get myself back on some antibiotics STAT.
So I paid my doctor another visit and he wrote me up some prescriptions.
Unfortunately, my body didn’t react as planned.
This time around, I developed more severe gastrointestinal symptoms than before (despite takingallthe probiotics).
I wasn’t about to jeopardize another aspect of my health (especially my vision!).
So I stopped antibiotics and got to Googling my next doctor.
Treatment Round #2: A more holistic approach to managing my Lyme symptoms.
that people swore by.
So I found a local, highly recommended holistic M.D.
with extensive experience treating patients with Lyme and other difficult-to-treat chronic diseases.
Meaning, things were most likely working.
I can’t credit my supplement regimen alone, however.
At the same time, I also started working on my diet.
(It’sallconnected, folks!)
How I’m feeling now (and how I plan to keep things under control).
But all that said, I actually don’t regret my initial antibiotic treatment.
TheLymeDisease.org physician referral toolcan be a useful resource for finding a qualified doc in your area.
And no matter how hard things get, know that once-hopeless people like me have gotten better.
