These are different from the old one I gave you over the summer. That one was a bit putzy.

I did this random google for lyme survivor or something and I saw this story about a girl in upstate NY who has apparently gotten through it pretty nicely.
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/06/30/bshurdfo.htm

Yeah, it mentioned hearing about a "new jersey boy's recovery" or something and I thought, "Gee willikers. I'm a new jersey boy." and whatever. long story short, i felt like making a post here.

I dunno...what can I say...symptom free...it's wierd saying that, you know? Symptom-free. It's like, you always hear about that sort of thing inspiring people, but whenever people rub it in my face how healthy they are I want to smack them. I guess a lot is in the delivery. Yeah. So I dunno, if you're the type who feels good hearing about people who have recovered nicely, check out some of my old posts...oh wait, I just did a search and some of them are gone by now. That's ok. Ahrrr. If you are the type who likes to read about people who've gotten better, read on. If you're the type who would tear limb from limb any such arrogant loser, that's fine. But the rest of this is gonna be a brief rundown of my old memories.

Um...I dunno, to make a long story short, it was 2 years I missed from high school, I was between 15 and 16 when I was the sickest. Bounced around all the ducks and whatnot until about december of 1998. My biggest problems were neurological, I couldn't read, speak, walk, for a little while I couldn't feed myself, thankfully it went away with some time. Not speaking was really rough, and it varied in intensity, like sometimes I could do parts of words, sometimes it was choppy sentences and sometimes just certain phonemes. It was all neurological, I'm pretty sure, I learned a bit about speech pathology recently and i was like "oo oo do i have that?" to like every other disorder. it was kinda fun, but eh. i'm not the type to pursue it. hrmmm...back in 2000, the docs gave me a few good drugs, and i was able to sort of stagger back into the classroom for another go at sophomore year. i wasn't that much older, but it felt that way at the time. i finished high school, with lots of struggling. i've faced all the memories of when i was out of school, every last one, reconstructed them to suit my well-being and sucked them bone-dry, but i still can't drive by the school itself without feeling a chill. for now, that's what pittsburgh is for. keeping that chill packed neatly away, 700 miles to the east. rusted shut. i don't worry about it anymore.

the memories are there, in the school, they always will be. right now, they leave me alone as long as i don't drive by it. maybe that will change in the future, and I know that if that change is to happen, I have to make it happen. but the need is not pressing. i like pitt.

And Happy holidays to you!

Nice to have you checking in every now and then...and it is wonderful that you are still feeling symptom free- YIPPEE!

It IS interesting to know the empathy of the suffering by having gone through some of your own. There is a life-lesson to be gained here that is invaluable.

Hoping that school is going well for you?

My best,
melanie

It is soooo nice to see you are doing well! You went through such a rough time of things there for a while.

Glad you checked in

Great pics, by the way.

thanks for checking in and dropping a line, your empathy and spirit goes beyond your words and actions....

Yinz goin dawntawn to git some eggs n at?? Haw bot some O fries? nah,,,,Primanti's!!!

My husband and I are early '90's Pitt graduates . It was shortly after graduating that we both got lyme. So, my memories of Pitt were when I was last healthy, over a decade ago.

We are both symptom-free, too, and so glad to see your post. Glad you're feeling great. Being a teenager with lyme has got to be the roughest! Enjoy Pitt. Gotta go, the bowl game is on and we're losing. Gotta scrape hubby off the floor, he takes this thing hard...

Thanks for the pics (memories ) good to hear from ya!

Leslie