Last year, a kid came back with lyme, and I
suffer from it dearly--mcs, breathing problems, autoimmune issues, pancreatitis,
seizure--in a nutshell. I just don't want
my kids going to places where there is known
tick infestation, namely CT or near the oceans.

Now I hear my daughter's greatest wish (this
coming from some DARE class) is to go. The
DARE rep, a cop, promised me he would keep
her out of the woods, let her call me every
day, etc.

I told him I couldn't even think about a decision like this now. Trip is next week,
and now I am a wreck. How can anyone tell me
that she won't get bit. I heard that there
are ticks in the cabins, and my daughter has
long hair down to her back. Who is conceivably going to check my kid's underwear
to see if anything is crawling there?

My husband's sister who is a nature lover,
and a teacher thinks it would be good for
my daughter to sleep away for a week. I don't
mind her sleeping away....I just want to make
sure she's not sleeping with ticks. I wanted
my husband to take her away for the week.

Now, husband says maybe she should go, and I
know I will be a wreck. I can't even relax
now.

Give her the deet. Tell the councellor she has to bath everyday to get the deet off and that will help with the ticks too. Get her the stuff to spray on her clothes and do that before she goes.

Just some ideas...
L

I spray all the shoes in my household with 0.5% permethrin spray, but keep that to myself. I do it when no one is home.

Call around to sporting goods stores, or check online.

I have the same struggle with my husband and daughter, they say -We can't live in a bubble.

I get so frustrated and worried.

she's got to live a normal life..lyme willl always be there, even when she's 21....I cover my kids everyday, and their off into the pond and hte woods etc...then they check themselves..

If I had known then that she already had lyme disease, she would not have gone..I am sure that no one can tell you what to do, it is your child and your choice and no matter what there will be consequences.

If she goes, she may risk re-contamination..With each bite, it is Russian Roulette..

No one can tell you that they will watch her every minute..My daughter had gotten lost on a trip to Gettysburg the year before and she was to be with one of the teachers at all times..Well that didn't happen..

If you do not let her go, she may be ostricized or teased forever by those that know the score..And she will harbour anger at you..It is a loose loose situation..

Have you tried to see if you can chaperone the trip?..Even if you pay full price..

Or could you take the trip as a family later this year and permit her to have some of the experiences..Just with less danger..

And I know we should not live in a bubble but having dealt with 9 suicide attempts, if I could go back and make things safer, I would give up body parts to have kept my daughter safer. And no one that does not walk the walk can understand this..

Good luck Di..Will continue to keep you in my prayers. lymemomtooo

ps No one ever mentioned the word tick or lyme disease when they sold parents on the idea of the whale watch..

Think about this. You could refuse your daughter this outing and next month she could get a tick bite in your back yard.

My grandson is an insect magnet like myself and every time we take him to our lake cabin he ends up being bit by some insect. I spray him and keep him out of the weeds and woods. He loves going with us and I can't take that away from him.

When I look at tall grass/weeds and woods, I see ticks. Others see beauty of nature. When I see deer I think lyme disease. When others see deer they think of Bambi.

We don't want anyone we love (or our worst enemy) to have to go through what we've been through. But we do have to have a life!

This is my opinion and some of what I've said will offend some. I apologize for that but I believe risking your health, education, sanity, future, etc, and possibly suffering horribly, for the reasons given is foolish beyond measure.

b

Are we not going to go outdoors any longer?

As terrible as Lyme is, we MUST live our lives. That is why I eat carbs, that is why I drink wine...I will live my life despite Lyme disease.

Ticks bite people. Ticks carry diseases. But it also a fact that you dont have to be outside to get a TBI.

i was REALLY sick last year. the first tick i saw this year made me so angry and SO upset. i cried, grieved, then decided i am going to live my life how i want to and not let the dang bug take that too. BUT i take precautions!

i don't know how old your daughter is, that makes a big difference as far as i am concerned. is she old enough to REALLY take the care she needs to? and mature enough to DO it no matter what? this can be a golden oportunity to teach her how to protect herself...

i am such a nature child (ok, i'm 43) that for ME, to stay out of the woods would be as bad as lyme itself really. i realize tho that not everyone is like me...

i also want to let you know that if you don't let her go it is not the end of the world, and she will get over it. my dad didn't 'believe in' field trips. i never got to go to any of them. i survived. i stayed at the school with the librarian and my sisters... of course i was upset. i now understand my dad's point of view - he just loved me.

those people should not be undermining your efforts as a mother by calling and pleading her case. they should simply have said to her something like "sorry kiddo, that is between you and your mother, and i am sure she has very good reasons! it is because she loves you so very much and she doesn't want you to go through what SHE does."

IMO.

good luck, being a good parent is hard. one quote i think of from time to time is "when we KNOW better we DO better." whatever that means

Loribelle

quote:

---

Originally posted by brainless:
I disagree with 99% of everything that's been said here. This is not the common cold we're talking about. This is a disease that can, and does on a very regular basis, ruin lives in a very big way.

---

What does your gut tell you?

I have read all of the replies, and I did not feel I could post to this because it is something that I have had to deal with myself, with both my sons, and I get pretty het up with the whole situation, but I read OptiMistic's reply, Brainless's reply and Loribelles reply and finally had to chime in.

Forgive my typos, I am trying to type as fast as I can get the thoughts out.

My kids have attended private schools all of their lives-they are now 7th and 10th graders.

Both boys have had these nature/outdoor ed. field trips-first in 7th and 8th, and then again 9th and 10th (high school retreat trips into the mountains in northern CA).

I never felt right about letting them go, so I said "no". I had to first defend my reasonings as to why, and then I had to deal with my son(s) disappointments, and their situations at school, as the other kids found out why they were not allowed to go on these stupid trips.

I handled it as well as I think I could have, having Lyme (brain) myself at the time.

I believe you should repost your query regarding this issue, and title it for parents only.

Your responses here from others who have said that you have to "live your life", etc. meaning not to keep your daughter from going, or even going out where the ticks are, is not going to weigh as much as replies from parents who have kids that have Lyme. Or, even parents who have Lyme, and have kids who have Lyme.

It's just not possible to be objective about this issue. It's not, it's not ever gonna be, and it will not solve itself.

You will not get the magic answer for this dilemma. It will have to be one you tailor to yourself, your family, your situation, and what possible future you will have when you make the decision to either let your daughter go on this trip, or keep her home.

I agree with OptiMisTic, in that you can and have the entire no questions asked, right, to have an alternate assignment given to your daughter, if you choose to keep her home. I did that, and both my boys have had to do the assignment.

What I will now post, is something that I am not sorry I do, or did, and if my son's teachers EVER read this message board, will find out, and I just don't give a damn now.

I DO THE ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT MYSELF. Yep, that's right. You read this right. I told my sons that it is punishment enough to have this @#$% disease. That I do not know if I gave the Lyme to them via pregnancy/breastfeeding, or by hiking with them out in the stupid open space/woods when they were babies/children, so they are not responsible for doing the assignment when it is not "their fault" for not being able to go on the @#$% nature trips that the schools feel the need to pressure them and their parents, to go on.

I feel these nature trips are just excuses to get the teachers out of a week's of teaching. I have found in the 4 yrs of having to deal with this issue (starting with oldest son, and now finishing up with youngest son) that in questioning my son's peers, that NONE OF THEM even remember what the crap is that they were supposed to be "learning". So, since I know that essentially nothing is learned, it is more of a "fun" trip, my son is not missing out on anything more than a possible tick bite and relapse of this very stinkin', incredibly life altering, horrific disease called Lyme.

I cannot type fast enough to get my thoughts out, so if this sounds disjointed, and with no point to it, well, so be it. I get so worked up when I read other people (even those who have Lyme for God's sake) say "oh, well, we can't let it win, we can't let it keep us from living out lives" I say hog wash. I let it keep me from living my life when I let my mind float on the fence on whether I should go out into the tall grass again, or walk in the open space again, etc. and I waffled this way and that.

I found peace, not only for myself, but for my children when I made the decision to just "stay out of it", meaning the places where I KNEW that ticks were likely to be, and in our case, likely to hop on and suck the rest of our lives out of us!

You will find peace when you have made your choice, and stuck to it. Not wishy-washing back and forth.

Take a firm, calm measure with the teachers, make your request known, and then let them deal with whatever fears they may have as a result of the choice you make for your daughter.

Only YOU will know when it's right.

One last point: put yourself (God, for just a brief minute, no longer) in the position of having your daughter come home from this nature trip, and then come running to you, saying (screaming more like it) "mom, MOM!!! THERE'S A TICK IN MY BELLYBUTTON!!!. Picture this. Now, picture, if you will, your reaction. I can't say how the rest of the scenario would go for you, but personally, for me? I would lose it, and I just probably would never come back.

It would just leave me completely undone. Almost like when I found out that not only did I myself have Lyme, but both my kids did too.

The undescribable madness that this has caused in our lives this past 5 years is beyond a single post here on this board, but suffice it to say, no one can relate to this issue, the one you have posted here, unless they have a child with Lyme, and they themselves, as mothers, have Lyme too.

Then, let them give you advice.

As I have, a mother who has Lyme, and who has 2 kids with Lyme.

There has been more hype over the years about school based nature adventures. We have a similar situation with my younger son. His school has had a nature trip for over thirty years! The kids go away for 4-5 days and commune. All the teachers incorporate the experience into their curriculum.

Personally, not being a real nature goddess myself, I've thought the whole thing a bit silly and not necessarily a do or die experience. There are others that share my sentiment, but we don't make a big deal about it because parents have to decide what they want for their kids...Most in my area, as well as the school are totally ignorant about tick borne diseases...

I think when you have experienced what Lyme Disease can do to you one some level, you naturally are going to be more cautious. If nature is a passion for someone and they are sick with Lyme, they will do what they can to still enjoy nature to the best of their ability and that's fine. They won't let the illness stop what they like to do because they believe you can get bit just as easily in your backyard in some areas. I agree that we can't live life surrounded by bubble wrap, but I don't see erring on the side of caution and not having a child participate in such a program as creating undue fear.

I think you have to decide for yourself what comfort level you have. I would look at how critical the experience is to your child's education - do you feel that this experience will benefit her academics? Will it help her move to the next grade? Will it get her into the college of her choice? Will it make her a better person? Can she sleep away under different circumstances?

In our own experience, my son has Lyme and he is being treated for it and coming along great. Do I want to run the risk of him being reinfected? Not a chance and life regardless of how much we try to protect, has been changed. My son loves being outdoors but knows that there are things that must be done to reduce risks. And there are some things he just is not allowed to do right now.

I don't care how much DEET is sprayed on a child, there is no guarantee a grownup will follow up on it, unless a child's parent actually goes along and chaperones. And even then there are no guarantees.

My son is not going on the school nature adventure. He's naturally disappointed because it is the 'thing' to do in his grade. For the kids it's more about sleeping away and not really the academic relevance. But he understands. Am I overprotective? At this point in his life, I don't think so.

As a former [FORMER because of Lyme] teacher, I know the liability a school or teacher could be faced with if anything went wrong. I would think the school could even be sued if a child became ill from a tick bite???

I agree that no amount of DEET is going to protect you....and there's no guarantee it will be used, as cootiegirl said.

Di, how are you doing?

Academically there is 'school' everyday. The kids are expected to go on hikes, do experiments, journal, etc. The kids in our area typically go in June (the height of tick season), altho a few classes years ago went in the dead of winter. It reduces the risk a bit...

I would have to agree with you tho as far as liability. I am sure there is some paperwork that parents must sign absolving the schools from problems at some level, but again I don't think vector borne illnesses even cross people's minds in my part of the state, so they are oblivious to that risk factor.

My daughter is 12 years old and won't even
sleep over a friend's house down the street.
This trip is a 5 day trip in CT, and I made
my objections last fall in public at a forum about this trip. I spoke against it, and that it was time to figure out another trip.
Yeah, everyone said OK, you figure it out.
I just didn't have the energy or resources
enough to pull a whole trip together.(I tried calling, emailing places, presenting
brochures, but it was vitoed.) Also,
other folks who don't have lyme, don't know
this horror.

I have been extremely ill for almost five years, and last year, so ill in the summer
that I made out my will....couldn't walk,
was basically bed-ridden and very weak. I
can't just let my child go because I personally don't agree with these trips.

She is only 12, and her Dad is willing to
take her and the other kid in her class (who
has active lyme) on a trip to Boston to the
museums. They can stay with my sister-in-law. My daughter was wearing me down, but
thankfully my husband stood firm, and said
he knew I would get sick with worrying about
her. He doesn't want her to feel she can
pull rank after this decision was made in
Sept. '04.

I can't do it; the thought of it makes me
literally want to get sick to my stomach.
I love her dearly and yet, I can't let her
do this because last year a kid came home
with lyme. At first doctors here didn't
recognize the rash because it was "abnormal,"
and luckily for these folks, the bull's-eye
appeared. My friends' kids have gotten bit,
and I know that there were ticks in the cabins.

I made this decision a long time ago, and now, all of it is being rehashed with hard
feelings between my daughter and me. Do I
understand how she feels...I do...I don't blame her for being angry, but I also know
that if she came home with a tick bite, I
would be devastated, mentally and physically,
because I would forever blame myself for
knowing better. I couldn't watch her live
the life that I barely live.

I don't say she has to stay home--not my intent, but lyme is not a 10-day Doxy cure
as many intimate.

If I tried to do that my kids would never go outside, we live in the woods, on a pond....they check themselves and each other every night...but they live nad have fun.

this trip is a social event with friends..part of their growing up with thier friends..something they're all doing togehter..I remember field trips like that back to fourth grade going to alton jones to camp out!

I know you 've made up your mind already..I just wanted to add, that at some point you have to let them enj0y life as it comes, and that does include bumps adn bruises and LYME! Have them learn how to check themselvs as well as cover themselves in DEET;..my kids do it every day adnhave been fine now for 2 years...it can be done and they can go on to enjoy the outdoors and not develop phobia of it, which is where thye're leading to...

I love you di, you know that, but I htink this is a mistake.

Just my two cents.

Giving advice is easy but, if that advice is wrong, few, if any, of us will be at your child's bedside or be as devastated as you will be if she loses her quality of life. You've made my week.

No one is implying our children should be afraid of life -- just Lyme disease.

Personally I think this "Nature's Classroom" is a load of crap. How's about we take the kids on the New York or Boston subway system instead? I'll bet there are lots of parents who wouldn't permit that.

Somehow some of us have the mistaken idea that nature is benevolent. Well, it's not. And those of us with tick borne infections are the proof that it is not.

Stick to your guns.

i did not realize that it was a 5 day thing, and she was only 12! i would have said no way, lyme or no lyme, myself... unless MAYBE i was going as chaparone. a day trip is one thing... a week long deal is another. IMO.

too bad the school, and especially the 'cop' who called you, put you in that position of questioning your decision.

Di, i think it is terrific that your husband is taking the girls on a trip of their own! i hope they will appreciate that! also glad that it will not be a miserable week of worry for you. don't look back.

But MADDOG and Loribelle said things that were in my mind, but I didn't express.

I think it would make a big difference if this was only for a DAY and not MANY days, and IF you were there to do the tick checks yourself.

I might venture out into the woods with the kids myself, but I would be reluctant to let someone else be in charge of that and also in charge of doing the tick check.

[and who wants a camp couselor or teacher doing the checking....and what kid would WANT them to!!?? YIKES!] [and if you put the kids in charge of that, how well would it be done??]

Plans changed again...other kid is making
different plans, and my daughter is very
excited because Dad is taking time off from
work and taking her on a train to Canada--
Montreal. Now her Nature's Classroom friends
are jealous.

He is going to take her to science-based
museums, etc., and the school agreed to reimburse. My daughter will have a wonderful
vacation in a new country and she will be
safer in my eyes with her Dad. Also, we are
having her keep a photo journal.

My husband was incredibly sensitive about
this...he said if she came home with lyme,
he couldn't live with "me." He said I would
feel guilty and get sicker, and he has had
a long, rough ride with me.

My daughter only has one really good friend
in her class (and she is the only minority in her class and one of 4 in the whole school system)...another issue. She wants to
transfer to another school next year because
of the cat fights she had with her "friends."
She also wants to meet students who are more
like her--creative--and expand her cultural base. That is why my husband and I didn't think the "bonding" aspect would be that meaningful to her.

We resolved it, but it was like World War III
in our home after the DARE officer called. He made the mistake of telling my daughter he
would talk to me, and it put too much pressure on me again. (My husband said my
daughter also had to learn the meaning of "no," and since the teenage years are coming, we had to stand firm.) I made this decision in September and signed papers waiving this trip, so my daugher knew way back when that this was the decision.

Right or wrong, I am making this decision, because honestly, I would crumble if she came home with lyme. I would have felt like I could have prevented it, and I know I can't protect her from everything, but this is evil. Our family unit has almost been destroyed at times because of it.

We are at peace now....all of us.

The school will reimburse you? for the trip?? How did THAT happen?

Boy, I taught in the wrong place! Or maybe the RIGHT place? The trip would never float in Texas, believe me.

Can I go along on the trip?? Please??!!

At any rate, the principal was terrific at
my daughter's school. Unfortunately, we
are losing her this year.

I encourage parents to always ask for funding, especially if they participated in
the fund-raising. We did the Halloween
Festival, breakfasts, and I donated artwork
for auction,....so I feel my daughter is
entitled to her share of the money collected.

As a side note, did you know that you needed
a birth certificate or passport to get into
Canada now? My friend, a French teacher at
another school (and originally from Canada)
said I would also need to have a letter
notarized stating that I am giving permission
to my husband to take my daughter to Canada. She said by 2008 all people will
need passports.

Since my daugher is adopted (Korean), we are
also bringing her Naturalization papers. Wow, it gets complex, but the trip is still
a "go." They are leaving tomorrow.

i still am mad at the dare officer though! they should get a 'talking to' for interfering. IMO. a police officer, especially in the dare program (!) should know better than to interfere (undermine) in matters of authority (and respect...) of a parent!

His answer was "don't send them"

Sorry Lymetoo if I offended YOU, as you made it out to sound with your post later in this thread.

Undermining parents authority seems to rule the day in school land-public and private. You can't seem to get ahead one way or the other without some parent or kid making you (the parent) feel like you're some paranoid anxious fearful parent shielding your child from THE WORLD simply because you made the choice not to go out into tick infested areas any more.

Why is that? What is so wrong with that? Once your life has been so radically altered by having to fight this shi**ty disease, what the hell is wrong with finding *other* things to do in this life, and in this world that will not put you at risk for reinfection.

HMMMM?

Any why, pray tell, does that seem to honk everyone's horn when you make it known to them that you are choosing NOT to put yourself, and your family, at risk to go along with the crowd/herd mentality (MOOOOOO-OOOOOO)and throwing your child (yes, they are still children, folks, in grade school)into the wilds of tick-land, thinking, hoping and trying to believe that some other adult will be as vigilant in tick checks, spraying of DEET, etc, as you.

HEWKWWWWSDDSSSS. Sorry, just coughing up a hairball at the tone of Steve's post.

[This message has been edited by ArtistDi (edited 25 May 2005).]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArtistDi:
Decided to delete and not get drawn into
a debate that is pointless for me. I said
my piece and I have no regrets about my decision. My husband and child are in Montreal, my child having a train experience
seeing country she had never seen. Better
than going over the border to CT to be in
woods that are literally in our back yard.

Anger did not motivate me...safety and larger
life experiences. We're happy.

[This message has been edited by ArtistDi (edited 25 May 2005).]

[This message has been edited by ArtistDi (edited 25 May 2005).]

---

A fear/anger accusation is out of line.

Statistically kids have a higher chance of being in a serious car accident than contracting Lyme (when appropriate preventative measures are taken). Does this mean that you don't allow your kids to ride in cars? No, you teach them how to manage their risks, such as wearing seat belts, riding in the back seat, driving safely and so on.

But because Lyme sufferers have a unique acute awareness of Lyme Disease, it seems that the world is viewed through a Lyme-tinted filter.

As a parent you have the absolute right to make whatever decisions you feel are appropriate in raising your children--just face the reality that not everyone will always support you.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR "STATISTICS" Steve???

Does this mean that you don't allow your kids to ride in cars? No, you teach them how to manage their risks, such as wearing seat belts, riding in the back seat, driving safely and so on.

Again Steve, I do not think that everytime I drive with my kids in the car, or as I am about to watch my almost 16 y.o. son begin driving, that I think they will become road kill when they park their butts into a car seat. I know they COULD statistically, but also, if they were to be in a car accident, there is not the head knowledge that they will become disabled EACH AND EVERY TIME THEY ARE IN AN ACCIDENT, as I do believe a tick bite seems to indicate-becoming disabled, who knows statistically, each and every time they get a tick bite.

But because Lyme sufferers have a unique acute awareness of Lyme Disease, it seems that the world is viewed through a Lyme-tinted filter.

That's right, my kids are in a Lyme-tinted (yes it's green to go along with the Lime theme) bubble. They are free to break the damn bubble when they turn 18.

As a parent you have the absolute right to make whatever decisions you feel are appropriate in raising your children--just face the reality that not everyone will always support you.

My reality, Steve, is that as a mom with Lyme, with 2 kids with Lyme, I have chosen to prevent (as much as is in my power, because "I'm the mom, that's why") further tick bites.

See, if I let them go off on these #$%^ ignorant *** nature trips, and they come home with a tick in their navel, or under their arm in their pit, will it be because the parent/chaperone in charge of "tick checks" (ha, what a joke-here little johnny, let me look for ticks on you, now pull down your underwear and let me do a complete one) did not do a complete body tick check, or they took off on the nature hike in the heavily wooded brush area, and oh dang, forgot the DEET spray, oh well, lets hurry we don't want to fall behind the group, you'll be FINE this time, we won't forget on the next hike, yeah right.

Reality is that when you know better and you choose to do it anyway, you deserve what you get.

Reality whopped me upside the head in May 2000, and I haven't had the same mindset since. It came on slowly (thank God) but after a few minor "oops" moments, I "got it" and determinedly changed our lifestyle.

Remember, most of us Lyme people got this
#$%^ disease because we were "nature" people. Now, because of our nature loving natures, so to speak, we have this crappy future ahead of us and we have to implement the changes for our families too. It sucks, and I wish I could still go out there and be Joe Nature girl, but in my maturity, and putting my children and family ahead of my own selfish personal desires, I gave up that longing to be one with the earth, and now am choosing to make concrete be our friend.

We only get one life, and baby, this is it.

I wasn't gonna post, really I wasn't, but it's attitudes like yours that I got from my sons schools that got my back up, and damn it, I wish I could swear like a sailor, or like DR Wiseass does, but I'd probably get butted off this site forever.

I'm betting my post will be the last one on this thread.

[/B][/QUOTE]

It seems to be human nature that we don't have empathy until we've been through the same exact hell.

BTW, my daughter just called me from Montreal
and she has had the BEST time there. Loved
the Biodome...nature under glass! Ecosystem,
penguins, which she had never seen, etc., etc.

I would rather lay down my life and die, then
see my kids get as sick as I became. It is
difficult not to have fear teach a lesson.

I think of 9/11 and all that fearsome event
produced--many govt. enactments for safety,
etc. Fear does govern at times to prevent
more mishaps. But good compromises can be
made without instilling more fears and keeping people safe. In our neck of the woods, a newspaper article just came out
stating how lyme has gotten out of control.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Just Julie:

Sorry Lymetoo if I offended YOU, as you made it out to sound with your post later in this thread.

---

You have to do what you gut instincts tell you to do... you are the mom!

But I do have to say I am surprised by some of the post here.. everyone was just trying to help by giving you advice and sharing their own experiences and opinions...

which is what this board is all about..

Personally, I would have said...

go with your gut, but in my opinion, if your daughter really wanted to go on this trip and was willing to go under your terms...

meaning she gets checked morning and night for ticks...by a school nurse or adult chaperone you trust.. ( also if you are unable to go on the trip and don't trust another to this task, another relative or friend could chaperone..just a thought)

using deet, wearing appropriate clothing..etc..

Then I would have voted or given my opinion that if I were in your shoes, I would let her go. But that's all it is, my opinion...

Someone said somethign about having children and opinions on this topic.......Just because one doesn't have children, doesn't mean they don't have a voice on this board.. IMHO.

I have Lyme, and my 8 year old son and my 6 year old daughter have both been very sick from lyme...

And 12 days ago my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes... so now she has lyme and diabetes.

But in my case, I feel that I can't let this disease control my life. I gave up hiking and camping with my family for a year..somethign we all loved very much.

We live in the woods of NH and are surrounded by woods, wildlife and have deer in our yard all the time...

So one day, i was sitting in the house and said no more! I wasn't going to let this disease control my life, if I did, in my opinion,.... the disease would have won..

And I won't have it!

So my family and I are all back to camping, and hiking and enjoying our lives. Some of our best memories are the times we have hiked to the waterfalls, and rivers in the White Mountains...

( and for the record, I didn't get lyme while hiking, on a nature trip, or camping.. I was gardening in my own back yard.. and it seems as if I passed it to both of my kids.. so lyme can get you anywhere..unfortunately)

For me, I wouldn't let this disease take those memories away.

Now, I have to worry about taking a child with diabetes on a hike...will her sugar levels get low from the hike, will I give her a snack in time before she passes out?

What if somethign happens to the insulin and her levels go to high...

Now I have a whole new illness to prepare for and try to understand. She will always have to test her blood sugars daily and have insulin shots everyday for the rest of her life...

So while diabetes does require constant monitoring and care, I am determined to not let it rob my daughter of her childhood.

I will do whatever I have to do , to make sure she can continue to do the things she loves...safely!

Sorry if I got a little long winded..I was just trying to say that this is a personal decision..one only you can make..

And that just because I and others offered our opinions that we would let our child go, doesn't mean we are crazy or wrong..it just means that we all make choices that are best for us and our families...

I hope that made sense..I haven't slept more than 3 hours a night since Mikayla was diagnosed with the diabetes...so I'm a little wacky right now

Best wishes and I hope your daughter has a wonderful time!!!!! And always trust your instincts!

~Lymebrat

[This message has been edited by lymebrat (edited 25 May 2005).]

Always go with your motherly instincts...if not and she becomes ill...you would be TOO hard on yourself.

I certainly did not intend to make anyone feel worse than they already do. However, I do think Lymebrat's comment about not letting this disease control our lives is an important point. It seems that so many comments on this board are pre-soaked in fear and anger related to this disease.

One of my kids also has diabetes, and the school didn't provide adequate staffing for her to go on a 3 day hiking trip anyway.I was sick with Lyme and couldn't go. The school had intended to base the curriculum on this trip for one month, but agreed not to do this after we had a meeting to ask them not to.

Also, someone from the Federal office of Education, Office of Civil Rights came down and spoke with the school about such trips, at my suggestion. The OCR had a lot of good ideas for alternative trips.

None of this was done in anger and all meetings were pleasant and the school thanked me for raising these issues.

Both my daughters have Lyme as well as me and it isn't easy to treat. I think, like ArtistDi, that some of us have special considerations with Lyme. By that I mean genetic tendencies to autoimmune illness with Lyme (shown by blood tests of genetic markers as well as autoantibody tests). These tendencies make the Lyme much harder to treat and a much more serious proposition to consider.

Getting reinfected is also more serious that getting bitten for the first time.

The way we live is not seriously impacted by fears of Lyme, but we don't live int he woods as some of you do. Honestly, failure to paticipate in these trips has not affected my kids' emotional or social life in any serious way.

My kids have learned to be strong individuals. They do not cave in to peer pressure in other ways because the experiences of being "different" through this illness have made them stand strong. Other kids respect them for it.

Interesting that a DAR officer has pressured you, since the sort of strength to stand on your own that I just described, is the goal of their program.

If you are already dealing with Lyme, and a trip in the woods poses an increased risk of Lyme, and your family genes show a tendency towards big problems with both the illness and the treatment (speaking to ArtistDi and also referring to my own family) then avoiding that risk seems more than prudent.

Next week, my 7th grader is skipping a one-day "bonding" trip in the woods. She is taking an extra dance class, we will go out for lunch, and go to the mall (her choice).

It's not that big a deal. Just risk reduction concerning a horrible illness. Think about other serious illnesses. If a one-time exposure to an insect bite could cause cancer, wouldn't we all do anything possible to avoid the bite? Lyme is not an illness to downplay, at least not in our house.

My oldest daughter has missed months of school due to Lyme, and is certainly "different." I would rather she miss a short
trip and be able to stay in school, as she is now able to do.

Lyme hits everyone differently, and maybe
there are many different choices that can be made that are all valid. ArtistDI, I am so glad that your choice worked out well.

You described everything I wanted to say, and feel, so nicely, without sounding strident, and angry, and fearful, as I guess I made my post sound.

thank you for posting such a nicely worded response. As it is already past the fact for Di and her daughter, I still appreciate that you've taken the time to post a very thoughtful and mature position to this subject.

Years later, like 4 maybe? I still can find myself getting very defensive on this topic, even though it is not an issue for my youngest son, now in 7th grade, because I settled this within myself 4 yrs ago when it first came up for my oldest son. Then, it was highly emotional, and very upsetting to find that their private Christian jr. high school teachers were NOT willing to hear me about the Lyme and my concerns, and were NOT going to give us any special considerations.

In fact, their "alternate assignment" was very stressful and did not give me or my son anything to enjoy while the rest of the jr. high were out tromping in the forest "learning" the outdoor ed. curriculum.