My 12 yr old has just finished 2wks Mepron and Zith.
"I am watching TV bored all day with muscles aching and feeling like they are tearing apart."
8wks to go. I am having a hard time with it.
Char
[ 07. August 2006, 01:20 AM: Message edited by: char ]
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
Char, you've got to look now at the total picture; your son WILL GET WELL at the end of this! FINGERS CROSSED & PRAYING HE/YOU WILL.
Think of those less fortunate; that helps me always and I count my many blessings of what I STILL CAN DO! like pester all of you...lol Bettyg
Posted by char (Member # 8315) on :
Betty-
I do think of those less fortunate when I am not so grieved with my own kids. The babs has the people and kids in Africa with malaria on my mind. I hope to do something more for them when we are some better.
8 wks just feels long right now.
Char
Posted by snowflake (Member # 8950) on :
Hi Char,
Yep, babesia treatment can really be tough. I can empathise with you as a mother of a Lymie kid and as a Lymie who is trying to go through babs treatment.
I agree it is very difficult to watch our kids take medicine and suffer consequences of the medicine hoping to get well and rid them of this disease. I have prayed and wished a million times that my Lil lymie will be free of this ordeal soon, but we still have all the co-infections to treat yet!!!
Does your child normally have muscle pain with Lyme or is this since starting the mepron? Do warm bath soaks help the muscle pain or massage?
Hopefully the muscle pain will begin to lessen as treatment continues. You are a good mother to come here for support. I sometimes feel like I am torturing my child by making her take these medicines but I know that she will get better with them and the alternative is something I cannot deal with.
Last night when my daughter wasn't feeling well and she said she didn't feel like reading, I got out her book, found out where she had left off, and starting reading aloud to her. I haven't read aloud to her in a long time since she mostly reads herself and I am always reading to her younger sibling. It was nice that she could just lie there and listen without having to think too hard. It was a distraction to her headache and was nice quality time spent togehter.
Can you think of some other interests your child might have besides tv that you could distract them with? I don't know if your child is a girl or boy, but small craft items like building a jewelry box or model airplanes or paper projects can help to pass the time. Sitting still working on crafts shouldn't irritate the muscle pain too much and would be a good distraction from the pain. When the project is done they feel a sense of accomplishment.
The internet is full of ideas of simple science experiments. Perhaps if you post your child's interests here we could help you come up with some activities or things to help pass the time.
Posted by lymemomtooo (Member # 5396) on :
Char, I am sorry..I know how hard it is on you to see him in pain..Have you talked to the llmd about any alternative things? For pain, or for the babs..
Is something causing loss of vitamins and minerals? Try some gatarade, bananas, Mg and yougurt or others with calcium..Has Vit D level been checked..Think sunshine..My daughter is always sleeping during the day and not gettting natural D..
Good luck and hugs coming your way..lmt
Posted by Jill E. (Member # 9121) on :
Char,
I am so sorry. I do not have children so I cannot speak from experience. But my elderly father seems to have recently contracted Lyme, after caring for me for four years, so I'm suddenly in the role of parent.
One thing I do when I'm going through a really hard time with symptoms is write down all the things I'm going to do when I feel better. Mind you, it's not about waiting until I'm well, but little things that I can do during those times when I feel well enough to get out, like go have a cup of tea at a coffee house, or go to a shoe store and try on shoes.
Granted these aren't the things a youngster would do. But rather than get me depressed about what I am missing, it gives me a focus more on the future.
Maybe your youngster can write down a wish list of little rewards to look forward to when Babs treatment is over.
I don't know if it would help but it's all I can think of for now.
Hugs, Jill
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Hi Char
I don't have kids either but it must be difficult to watch him be so sick. I have two dogs that are like my babys and when they are sick it makes me so sad.
The treatement for babs was so hard but afterwards when I started to feel better it felt all worth it in the long run. I know this would be hard for a child to understand but as a parent I hope it brings you some comfort.
I think Jill has an excellent idea as this might give him something to look forward to.
What helped me some durning treatment was my subscription to net flix. I would look forward to the mail to get my next one. I know this sounds lame but it did help with the boardom, maybe not the mucle aches though.
A massager helped me with the mucscle ache the most. Warm baths where a close second but the relief didn't last as long as from the massager.
The massager is a cheap Dr. Scolls I got at walmart. It has an optional heat setting . It has a long handle and easy to use. Long handle was good for my leggs & arms.
Hang in there and I hope he can feel better soon Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
That's gotta be rough....let's pray 8 wks will do it for him!!! Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
I also don't have kids, and my heart goes out to all the mothers here!
Andie
Posted by concerned mother (Member # 8128) on :
Char I can relate! My son has been through so much and is often bored and tired of all the pain. We are slowly starting to see more good days then bad. There is a light at the end of this tunnel, kids are strong and fight well. I will keep your son in my prayers.
Amy
Posted by spiral (Member # 9217) on :
is this the second child with tick-borne diseases in your family?
mom-to-mom: it's never easy. i would hold my daughter during the IV days, and we would cry together, and i would say i was sorry. it seemed cathartic for both of us. i can be strong and push the tough love but i think the kids like to know how you really feel about the pain -- and what you are doing comes from that deep place inside where a mom's love lives.
Remember our pain for them is as deep as our love is -- and that can be very deep.
youll get thru it because you are so good at this Mommy stuff.
all good thoughts./
Posted by Carol B (Member # 9110) on :
I was going to start a new thread, but realized I could just come here to meet the other Moms responding to your post.
My 15 year old,Carolyn, was just tested and diagnosed with Lyme. She is starting treatment with oral minocycline. She is allergic to penicillan.
She has been very quiet and kind of sullen since thursday- I guess it takes a while to process such news. Fortunately for her school does not start until after Labor Day.
My LLMD seems to treat a lot of kids, and often refers to Dr. J in Connecticut.
Will be in touch. Carol
Posted by AZURE WISH (Member # 804) on :
I am sorry your son is going through so much. I don't have kids but I have been sick since I was a kid so I know what he's going through.
I have been disabled to the point of not being able to walk and if I hadto choose between me having this illness or having to watch someone I love have to go through all of this -
I much rather have it myself. I think its harder to watch someone you love go through things.
A heating pad (moist heat not the heating pad with rice or hard things in it) takes the edge off muscle pain
If he still has friends that are willing to hang out maybe you could rent a couple videos and order a pizza (if he can eat it) or make popcorn.
I know how boring it is to watch tv all day. Must be worse for a child. I think the craft/ hobby stuff is a good idea if he has any interests along those lines.
Also any kind of magazines or books if he is well enough to read. Comic books, truck magazines ect. Sorry I cant remember exactly how old your son is. Something is telling me he is a teen.
Maybe you could get music concerts on dvd at a video store or netflix.
does he like and is he well enough to play video games? he might be sick of them too at this point though. but if he isnt you cant rent video games - I think they have a video game thing simular to netflix I think its called gamefly but not possitive,
I know its really hard for him to go through but both of you have to have faith that it will get better.
just remember it always rains before the rainbow appears.
Best wishes
Posted by NP40 (Member # 6711) on :
Char, babs treatment is a rough one. My son eventually had to give up mepron and use plaquenil. It worked very well. Normally, if their not showing improvement or herxing through the roof on the second round, it may be the mepron itself that is causing problems. Malarone and plaquenil are good alternatives.
I'd strongly urge the use of artemisinin as well. It's excellent in fighting babs. Hang in there, once he's through the babs treatment just about every infected child makes dramatic improvement. In fact, now that I think about, I can't remember one child that didn't improve dramatically after babs treatment.
Posted by Michelle M (Member # 7200) on :
Hi Char.
I am so sorry. I can SO relate.
My daughter, thank goodness, did not have babs, but I hated watching her suffer with lyme. We wish to take it all ourselves.
Having babesia myself, I can offer that after a couple weeks of hellishness, it starts getting much more tolerable.
Hope the hump is over with soon and you're on the downslope side of things.
Michelle
Posted by char (Member # 8315) on :
Thanks everybody. It really means a lot.
Mike- When you said if he is herxing thru the roof on his second round of Mepron... How long a round are you talkin'?
Things are going better. Thankfully, the pain is down some.
Crafts are hard because of hand pain and weakness. My guy is a perfectionist and gets frustrated with results. I am inspired to get out his legos as he can get into building stuff from time to time.
We are netflick fans,too. He is asking for us to sign up for the program where they mail you videogames. I don't know what we would do without the tv and computer. Just have to trust that the brain will not turn into mush. He does read.
Yes, I do have a daughter who has lyme and all. She is away for a week visiting her best friend. Such a blessing for her to be up to this. She is getting along famously without us!
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