Derek and Mikayla went to see Dr.Jones on February 24th..

The good news is that both kids are improving.. slowly but they are improving.

Mikayla, is 6 years old

She is doing much better..her cognitive skills have improved greatly, her attention span is incredible and perhaps the best news is that she has only had 1 vomiting spell since starting treatment 16 months ago!!! ( she use to vomit monthly... for hours)

When she started 1st grade in September, I was advised to put her back into readiness or Kindergarten as they felt she wasn't ready for 1st grade.

I convinced them that as she was homeschooled for Kindergarten, I thought she just needed some time to adjust. Also I thought it was important for her self esteem to remain in the class with her friends.

They continued to be concerned as she was unable to retain information very well.

She wasn't even registering on their reading level. But they took my advice into consideration and gave her some extra help.

Today 5 months later, she is reading above grade level and simply loves learning. I just got her report card and she did wonderful in all areas.

It's a miracle how a child can flourish, once they begin to rid their body of an illness.

She continues to have stomach aches and headaches. Dr.Jones wants her tested by her pedi for Acid Reflux and low blood sugar..

We are so thrilled with her progress and are hoping that she will go off meds completely at her next follow up in June.

Derek, is 8 years old,

Derek is doing better as well...but continues to suffer from very bad joint pains and other minor symptoms.

When Dr.J checked him for joint pain and swelling, Derek jumped right up off the table several times as the pain is so bad.

Dr.Jones is testing him for arthritis... it is getting so bad that it hurts him to write. Also his neck and back are hurting now as well.

We did see some improvements in this area with Derek before October, but lately he has been slipping back to how he was before he began treatment.

This and the fact that Derek continues to have some minor neuro issues, Dr.Jones ordered several more tests, including co-infection tests.

He switched him from Zithro and AMox..to Zithro and Omnicef. I am hoping to see some improvements soon.

Derek being 8, is having a hard time understanding why he has been on treatment for a year longer than his sister, yet he continues to be so sick and she seems to be almost cured.

I have tried to explain that as the lyme is in his joints and neuro system, that it will take longer for him to feel better.

I also discovered that Derek had been saying he was taking his meds and was hiding them for about 2 weeks ( about a month ago). He figured they weren't helping him, so he stopped taking them..he pretty much gave up on feeling good again.

So I convinced him that it was important to take his meds and he agreed that he would take them.. and so far he has. I try to put myself in his shoes and must admit for an 8 year old this disease must be very confusing....I am 37 and have a hard time understanding it myslef.

I asked Derek to talk to Dr.Jones about his concerns, and he said that he was glad his sister is feeling better, but he is afraid he will never be healthy again...

Then he started to cry. So Dr.Jones, being the wonderful man he is, gave Derek a hug and a kiss on the head and told him that he would get better!

Derek talked to Dr.Jones about how important is was for him to be healthy enough to play baseball this May... Derek truly loves baseball.

And he told him all about how I bought him tickets to go see the Boston Red Sox this July. (It's his first time going to a "real" baseball game...)

So Dr.Jones told Derek that he had played in the Farm League of the Boston Red Sox when he was younger and he instantly had Derek's attention.

So Dr.Jones went on to tell Derek that he needed to take all of his meds and that if he did everything we asked him to do in order to get better, that he should be up for playing baseball this spring. This made Derek feel better...

So all the way home...(4&1/2 hours!), we heard all about how Dr.Jones played for the Farm League of the Red Sox and that Dr.Jones was going to get him well enough to play baseball this spring...

I must say it was very nice to see the excitement in Derek's eyes again!

It appears that his love for baseball is going to be his driving force in trying to get him well. Boys and baseball!

We did get very encouraging news as well, Derek is now doing very well with his learning issues. He is reading above grade level, his writing is now up to grade level, despite the joint pain in his fingers and his teacher said that he very seldom mixes up his letters or numbers anymore.

Also, he hasn't had a chest pain in over a year..his headaches are better, his energy level is now exhausting me and he is doing so well in many aspects..

So he really is doing better other than these few issues..but the joint pain is a biggie.

So we have to keep praying and hoping that this too will get better as well.

So that in a nutshell, is the update about Derek and Mikayla..... Nothing miraculous but they are both getting better, and I couldn't ask for anything more than that.

Thank you all for all your support, prayers and advice these past 2 years...it's been a long 2 years...we appreciate it.

Best Wishes,
~LymeBrat

Keeping you all in my prayers, and I hope Derek improves even more..sorry he is in pain.

Not saying ya don't do that now. Just trying to help.

Derek is taking his new meds and so far so good.. Still waiting for the test results from Dr.J on the co-infections

and he also tested him for some type of arthritis..

I have 6 boys and two girls and they all but one have lyme. He is to young to understand what is happening and can't grasp the concept of later on he will be well.

They have two time frames now and later and later is NOT now.

Dr. jones gave him a concrete grasp of a future that he can see and understand and believe he will get better.

I will pray for him and your daughter as well.

Hi Kat,

Thank you for such a nice post..it brought me to tears...

I never thought of it like that, but you are right..kids do have 2 time frames. And like most kids, my son wants to feel better today...

And God Bless Dr.Jones for thinking of a way to get through to my son the importance of taking his meds. Derek is so excited to play ball in May that he hasn't missed one dose!!

Thanks again for the post! I will be keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers,