posted
I am a teenager living with Lyme for the past 4 years. I was recently diagnosed this summer. I mentioned in another post that I was worrying about college next year.
I constantly see the future as I want it to be. At any given point I never picture myself sick "in a month". Yet when that month rolls around, here I am, even sicker. Dealing with the illness was easier when I could still function. Life was better when I could still go to school, play sports, work out, and have a social life.
At times I feel I am in this complete downward spiral, literally. The symptoms like dizziness, brain fog, always feeling like I am going to pass out, etc. are what bother me the most. If it was just the pain, I could handle it.
I want to know if I am being realistic. I have my hopes set high on attending a traditional college next year, and from a medical standpoint, is 11 months enough time to get better?
I have been on a couple different antibiotics for the past 3 months and none seem to be working. Is it time to consider IV or other treatment?
What else is left other than Lyme? After learning about the whole Lyme Epidemic, I wonder how I considered those Yale doctors the best in the world!
I honestly woke up one day and could not swallow. Everything seemed to get worse from there.
How does your life turn over like that in ONE DAY?! What conditions or other diseases act like this? Can anyone comment on this? I understand Lyme normally starts with flu like symptoms." All of this" did not start from flu like symptoms.
Around the time I started getting sick I tested positive for strep two times in two months. But always got better after treatment.
Sorry if this kind of long, needed to rant a bit. I am posting this in the med. questions section because I would like some medical info on beating Lyme. How long can it take? When is it time to reconsider? When is it time to switch treatments?
Thanks...
Posts: 4 | From USA | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
Everyone is different, it's best to make sure you don't have any coinfections or found out which ones you have, because if you have any you must treat those in order to beat the lyme.
I think IV beats the oral meds any day so I'd get onto IV but still you have to take the right doses and the right meds. So make sure your doctor is an ILADS doctor.
Those IDSA doctors should be in prison no doubt. Too bad jiggsaw isn't real, he'd get ahold of them.
Posts: 499 | From Indiana | Registered: Oct 2007
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sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
I treated the Lyme for 5 months with no change. Then we started to treat for Babesia and in 1 month I am seeing improvement. So yes, I think it is realistic to get well enough in 11 months to carry on with your life. Many times it is a co infection that needs to be treated in order to see improvement.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
my last two kids-25 and 26 years had lyme most of their lives. it is true that everyone is different. they were siblings born 6 months apart but both ended up getting different treatment. my son was treated 7 times for 3-6 months between the ages of 3 and 18. my daughter was treated for 2 years and then one year of detoxing.
they both went to college-had some physical problems-but with support (housing that was not moldy, extra time for asignments) and hard work they both graduated with good gpa. one went right into a doctoral program...the other worked for two years and is now in a grad program
you can do it-but it helps to have someone advocate for you when necessary.
treatment is usually much longer than 3 months-but again, everyone is different.
some llmds believe you should treat slow and steady so you can still function and not wear your body down with herxing.
be positive. get help. and keep educating yourself about lyme. things change.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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