Quick info about my situation...... I have had Lyme disease for probably 5-8 years and didn't know it. Well I had a baby almost 2 years ago and was on bedrest for 3 months of my pregnancy due to pre-term labor.

She was born 4 weeks early and has been very healthy. I didn't know I had lyme until she was about a year old. I was soooooooooo ill after I had her and went to a million doctors and finally I found the one that is treating me now.

After I tested positive I was started on treatment and have been on abx for 1 year now. ( I am improving slowly ). My doctor very quickly called a doc in Connecticut that treats children and then put my daughter on 6 weeks of antibiotics. Well my daughter is smart as a whip and a very active toddler.

Is there a possibility that I didn't pass this on to her. I wasn't aware that I had Lyme so of course I was not on abx while pregnant. I am so tired of worrying about her. She is having some blinking and eye rubbing for the last couple months and I am a reck!!! All I think is oh no!! she has it. I am bringing her to the eye doc Monday and I am so scared something is wrong. (maybe just allergies) My eyes were one of my first symptoms and she can't tell me how she feels.

I am going to have her tested through Igenex soon. I really can't afford it due to not working for 2 years, but I have to...I am too scared to know. I guess I really just want to know if it is possible to have had a healthy baby even though I was not being treated at the time. Or could the 6 weeks of abx helped when she was a year old...... Please anyone who had a baby unknowing they had lyme please tell me how to go about getting info on this. My doctor does not treat children. She did the antibiotics pretty much to ease my mind for my daughter a year ago. But I am still a wreck.

Somewhere, I saw research that said it was more likely to be a problem for the fetus/baby if the Lyme was acquired by the mother recently, and was still disseminating in her. This would make sense. Later on, it would hide in your tissues and not be in the bloodstream, so might not get to your baby at all. At least, that's a theory.

Since you are aware of the possibility, I think you are ahead of the game and better off than a lot of us who didn't even think of it!

My youngest had the feeling that something was in her eye all the time. This was the first sign for her,at age 9. Since I had Lyme, I considered it as a possible cause, at this point, but not earlier.

Then she started having sore throats, migrating pains, and respiratory stuff that did not repsond to asthma meds. As soon as she took antibiotics, all these problems went away, so I figured it must be Lyme, but I'll never know for sure. So the proof was really in teh response to meds.

When symptoms are mild and vague, it is hard to tell...it can cause us moms a lot of worry, "is it" or "isn't it?"

Testing at Igenex helped, it was very positive.

Based on that, she did about 5 months of abx. Each couple of months, we would take her off because she was symptom free on the meds, but then her symptoms would come back.

It didn't take that long for her to get completely well, however- under 6 months.

If you are watching for Lyme, or testing, at such a young age, I'll bet she'll be very resilient.

Our family doctor insisted that she had recently acquired the Lyme- he did not accept congenital Lyme as valid. So he only did the first month of abx. By that time, I found a LLMD to finish up her treatment.

I found out over Christmas that both my children (now ages 4 and 7) have LD.

There were moments on this board that I felt people wouldn't answer me because they could smell the fear, sense the absolute panic seaping out of my every pore in my body. I was walking around in mental hysterics while looking normal on the outside.

She probably has LD, you probably gave it to her. There is no need to waste your precious energy over something that is in the past and that you can't change.

When you worry about something that your can't change you are STEALING that energy from your precious little one. I know you don't want to do that. You have to move past this grief stage and to a place were you spend what energy you have on finding a solution.

I found out in Christmas and am still trying to get all the tests in and get help from Dr. J in Conn. Remember to keep her off antibiotics before the test--but recently I read the opposite here--so you need to research this.

Read, READ, READ!!

Talk to your doctor, I will send you a good report if you want to print it out and take it to your doctor. Ask your doc to give your little girl a dose of zith a month. Its not going to hurt anything--play the "Mommie needs this to feel o.k." card if that is what it takes. Do what ever you have to but at the very least start her on one dose abx a month. This is called the pulse methoid and sever docs in the south are doing it more. Dr. J thinks it just stirs up the keets--but it is what we have been doing while we are waiting and so far my children are no longer hallucinating or having "bacteria in their joints" as the duck told me my youngest had.

Honest to God--I know your fear and your worries and you have got to move forward--leave that behind and find a solution. Start learning everything you can. You didn't mean to give her LD, if you could change it you would--but there is no going back--this is the hand we were dealt and you are going to have to move forward.

Please forgive yourself, you didn't know, you would never hurt your baby--you are just perfect love for her. Please forgive yourself so you can move forward and help her. Mine tell me, "Your the best Mommie in the world, except for the Lyme thing and you didn't know about that." They have forgiven me and yours will forgive you. Because all she wants is for you to be happy. When you are happy--she is happy too!

Email me when ever you need to vent.

God bless,
L

Save your money for co-pays and medicine.

Heather

I am so scared to get my daughter tested!! I want to know but at the same time I don't!! Is the treatment on a 2 year old bad?? Could she do oral if she does have it? I really don't know how I will get her doctor to send a referal but I am going to have to figure that out.

Don't put yourself or your daughter through getting tested. I have 2 kids and they were both born with Lyme. Now I have 2 beautiful grandaughters that could very likely have Lyme.

Your daughter could have Lyme and it could remain dormant her whole life. But then again, it could raise it's ugly head anytime.

Read all you can and be aware of the signs to watch for. Don't live your whole life around Lyme. You may be able to stay ahead of the game because you know that there is a possibility of passing it on. My daughter knows know that she has to do all she can to keep her babies healthy so their immune system can stay on top of the Lyme, if in fact it is there.

Our Lyme doc told her when she was diagnosed last week, to start the girls off early in life with avoiding as much sugar as possible, Lyme and yeast seem to show up together often. Both of her daughtesr have already had thrush so we know it's there.

Your daughter seems healthy now and that is good. Now just work to keep her there. She was four weeks early and that shouldn't cause her to much of a problem. My last grandaughter was was born 3 entire months early. She also seems very healthy and doing fine.

It sounds like you are on the right track for yourself and your daughter; very sensible.

Dr. J has dealt with thousands of cases of pediatric and hundreds of cases of congenital lyme.

It is wonderful that your little girl is doing so well at this point! Ie; she is "clinically negative".

However, in the event that she is "lab" positive for Lyme, Dr. J has the experience to know the best way to approach treatment now.

In the event that she seems to be "lab" negative, he can also give you advice on the symptoms of which to be aware.

The path of late disseminated lyme progression is very individual. Some stay virtually asymptomatic while others become severely debilitated. Some respond quickly to treatment and others have a less robust response.

Unfortunately, our child falls into the latter category and we only wish we could have caught his illness early on.

Email me if you need Dr. J contact info.

Hope you are doing well with your treatment also.

Wishing you and your little one nothing but luck,

andie & JC & Julie

She does seem to be having a little trouble with her eyes right not so I am bringing her to get them checked. But I also keep wondering if it is Lyme related. Luckily I live a little over an hour away from Dr. Jones so I called his office today. The girl was very nice!! I made an appointment and they are sending the kit for her testing. I am so scared that my little one has it but I just can't sleep at night no knowing!!

The girl explained symptoms to look out for and problems that my daughter may have had already due to lyme. My daughter doesn't and never has really had any of them. Just some crankiness and some sleepless nights. (But all normal with any kid) She is turning into a little temper tantrum kid but she is nearing the terrible 2's and also has RED hair!! LOL..

I have been told red heads have tempers!! LOL!! Well I really wish I could go on with my life not testing my daughter. But right now I am very ill myself and just plain old scared for her. Thank God I live near Dr. Jones. That alone makes me feel better. I have read so much about him and really trust going to see him. My Husband tested positive but is not ill. So hopefully if my daughter tests positive she will follow in his foot steps. I just want to know if she is positive and when she gets old enough to have kids then she can make decisions based on information available to her then....OF COURSE THERE WILL BE A CURE BY THEN!!!! We can only hope.