posted
I'm new to this site and was diagnosed with Lyme in July. I've been sick for 7 years. I was told by an MD up at Johns-Hopkins (a year into my illness) that I suffered from 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'. He actually encouraged my husband and I to get pregnant. I got pregnant a year later and had a healthy baby girl. I was terribly sick the entire pregnancy with nausea and passing out...but the baby was fine. During my pregnancy, my Lyme symptoms seemed to go away. I had a second child 2 years later...same story- healthy baby boy but a rough pregnancy. I did not breastfeed my daughter (b/c they thought I had epilepsy), but I did breastfeed my son for 3 months. I was not diagnosed with Lyme until my son was 6 months old. Sorry to ramble on with my story. I just did a search on 'lyme and pregnancy' and was devastated to read the stories of children contracting Lyme in utero. Now, my kids are 3 and 1. They have been perfectly healthy, and I had no clue they could have it. I guess I'm just praying that some of you out there have similar stories. Do you think my children are still at risk? If so, can someone give me some information on the LLMD who specializes in children. We would like to have our kids tested ASAP. Hopeful, BlueRoo
Posts: 6 | From Virginia | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
Hi BlueRoo, I have been nervously thinking the same thing about my son who is healthy at 1yr. 3 mo.
I was diagnosed last year and I am afraid I passed it along to my wife who passed it along to my son. She feels this isn't the case because she nor my son have any symptoms. She is now pregnant with our next.
I recently went to a well known LLMD from MO. and he said in the 4000 or so patients he has seen he hasn't had any issues with children or couples getting infected. In fact, he also gone on to tell me to feel free to have unprotected sex.
My wife was sitting there and that is exactly what she wanted to hear so they both agreed neither she nor my son need tested because niether exhibited signs.
My LLMD's explanation was that it is very warm inside the uterus that there would be no way for the Lyme to survive. In reading what other doctors have had to say like Dr. B and Dr. J I am not sure what to believe.
I guess all you can really do is what you feel is best in your heart. I do know my son is always happy and seems very healthy.
He's very smart and babbles all the time and is growing like a weed. My wife seems completely fine as well. So I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Also, what would happen if your children did test positive yet they have absolutely no symptoms?
Like always, just more questions about this disease.
Sorry for rambling. Kind of just wanted you to know you are not alone and try not to stress yourself. It will only fuel your lyme. Think of it as NO SYMPTOMS..GREAT NEWS!! And feel blessed.
Posts: 11 | From Woodstock,IL. | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
LymeBuddy, Thanks so much for your response. A big congrats to you and your wife on the 2nd pregnancy. It seems like the more I have, the more I want....assuming the Lyme is dealt with. I have gone back into the archives and found a good post with some more positive stories. It definitely helps to know that there are others in the same boat. I did read one post where the woman (dx'd with lyme after she delivered)contacted a pediatric LLMD about having her son tested. He told her that as long as the child had no symptoms to not worry about it. All very similar to your post. Again, thanks for your encouragement.
Posts: 6 | From Virginia | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I know what you mean about the more you have the more you want. When I am feeling down or hurting, all I have to do is look at my son playing with his football or giraffe and that is some of the best medicine right there.
Thanks for the congrats.
Taker easy.
Posts: 11 | From Woodstock,IL. | Registered: Oct 2006
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
I would pursue with a Lyme doctor. The odds are very much there that it was transmitted to one or both children. The sooner you investigate and address, the better. Hopefully, you will find that they do not test positive for Lyme, but I would suggest you pursue to rule out the very real possibility.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
According to my llmd, they found lyme in sperm, but not vaginal fluid so there might be a chance of passing the disease. Also, there were many children at the protest yesterday who were born infected and I even spoke to a women who had two children and she gave them lyme while pregnant. Please have your kids checked. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
that is my fear, if this is indeed chronic lyme, even if i get better enough soon enough to get married and have children, what would be the risk of passing it through pregnancy. i would not want to bring a life into this world to suffer so much pain.
Posts: 98 | From San Francisco | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
the pregnancy thing scares me. if you were a young woman pre-child bearing, even if you appeared to be cured after some years, would you consider not having children to make sure you don't bring a child into the world to suffer?
Posts: 98 | From San Francisco | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
hi Your story sounds like mine, only we have five children ranging from 4 to 14, All positive.
This includes one child who could not have possibly had her "own" tick bite, as we were already living abroad in a country where there is no lyme when she was born.
Our children have varying symptoms, but seemed healthy for the most part early on. (with the exception of persistant ear fluid, and lazy eye muscles). I also had difficult pregnancies and was on bedrest for premature contractions and debilitating fatigue.
Now we are dealing with many issues, including a child who is becoming progressively learning disabled, with behavior/depression issues. This child was the top student in her class until 9 years old.
We did not catch this early on, as I was misdiagnosed for 16 years. Hopefully there is more you can do for non-symptomatic children.
feel free to pm me. The anxiety is overwhelming sometimes. The way I see it, I already had my family, did my thing. My kids are just starting out. Very intense. Trying to keep as positive and constructive as possible.
Posts: 169 | From former Philadelphian | Registered: Jun 2006
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Beverly
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 1271
posted
Hi BlueRoo,
I had one child born with and one child who was not. My daughter who is 22, was fine, she hardy ever got sick.
My son however, was autistic, he had developmental delay, speech probelms, sleep problems, bed-wetting, fevers etc. He also became reinfected at four with a tick bite, and then end up with heart murmur.
That was the worst he ever was... right after the tick bite. I also thank God for the tick bite because he was put on abx (antiboitics)and I could see how the abx effected him.
He sees a wonderful pediatric LLMD who treated him for Lyme/Babesia and today no one would ever know he was at one time autistic.
It has been a long difficult journey, and my son still has some bad days here and there, but he smiles and wants to go bowling. He is now 10.
So..if your children do end up showing symptoms, lyme is treatable, my son is living proof that children can get well.
Posts: 6638 | From Michigan | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
i remember seeing some sort of a lyme and pregnancy database on one of the lyme organization web sites recently, but i can't remember where and can't find it. i think it was supposed to be one of the first attempts to track lyme and pregnancies. does anyone know what i'm talking about?? thanks
Posts: 98 | From San Francisco | Registered: Oct 2006
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clairenotes
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10392
posted
I think it would be important to get the children tested for LD. If the tests come back negative, however, please still remain observant.
I became pregnant with my daughter not long after a diagnosis of CFS. I was told that whatever was causing my illness would not harm the baby (not sure why they spoke with such certainty about this).
My daughter had fairly severe colic after birth and later, asthma and food sensitivities. We were told that wheat contributes to asthma by a naturopath and an acupuncturist. We took her off wheat and dairy and she never even had a cold after that for years. She was never absent from school.
We eventually realized that she had some hyperactivity mistaken earlier for exuberance. That was the only other sign. She did well in school and had a lot of friends. Teachers liked her. We were always very proud of her.
At 12, with the onset of puberty we saw some very abrupt changes as she became extremely hypereactive to, not just us, but friends at school, etc.
I had developed a fairly good understanding about how microbes play a larger role in our health than one normally would think, and knew that this could be playing a part. I had used anti-microbial remedies with some success against CFS and used them with her with varying success. I believed in 'mind germs' back then. Still didn't know about lyme.
Finally, learning about LD brought all of the pieces together. I think estrogen really has some role in all of this, because the problem took a turn for the worse at puberty. She is doing extremely well mentally, now, though we are still working at reducing the infection.
I don't want to worry you too much with this story because your children will hopefully be just fine. But just make sure to pay attention to food sensitivities, behavior, etc., even acne may be a result of lyme.
Claire
Posts: 1111 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2006
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