How has Lyme Disease affected your life?
For those of you who do not know me and my story… My name is Lisa and I am batting late stage chronic and neurological Lyme Disease and several co-infections. I was misdiagnosed for over 3 decades. I was told over the years that I have Fibro, RA, Chronic Fatigue, Asthma, etc… Little did I or anyone know that I contracted Lyme when I was a teenager and it has been the cause of most of my symptoms, unnecessary tests, MRI’s, scans and surgeries. Now in my late 40’s, I was scared yet relieved to finally have a diagnosis. I was scared yet happy to finally have a path to follow. My healthcare team and family have been amazing and I quickly learned who would be there for me during this difficult time. <3
Having an invisible illness makes it even more difficult and frustrating during this battle. People always say… you don’t look sick… yesterday you were fine… you look great… etc… What they don’t know is that some days it is a struggle to get out of bed, or do simple tasks like take a shower, cook, or go for a walk. Other days (better days) it feels so good to feel happy, to have energy to get a few things done, to visit with friends and have fun with my family.
It’s so frustrating that Lyme and other Invisible Illnesses are not recognized the way they should be! We may not show physical signs of an illness like losing our hair, wearing a cast, or anything obvious to the eye, but these invisible illnesses are destroying lives – attacking their bodies one organ at a time, destroying marriages and relationships and/or losing hope because they are not being heard, they are not being diagnosed and they are not being treated properly.
What inspires you?
I keep reminding myself to stay strong… to stay positive… to look at the positive in every situation. It is challenging at times… especially as I am going through 9 months of intense IV treatment. This is my 4th month of treatment. One minute, I think I can’t believe that I have 5 more months to go… how am I going to deal with the pain, the herx reactions, the debilitating fatigue, the nausea, etc… but then I try to remind myself… heck yeah… I am half way through… I can do this! I have had a lot of ups and downs. Some days I feel like total crap and other days, I feel somewhat human and it feels so good to get out of the house and to feel the sun on my face. It is the little things that make me happy… that help me push through… that gives me the strength to battle this horrible disease. I truly appreciate my family and friends (old and new) who have been so incredibly supportive, who have been there no matter what and of course my new fellow warriors! We can do this!! We deserve to be healthy & happy!! Let’s support one another and battle our invisible illnesses together!! <3