Posted 7/19/2016 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
I recently joined the board but have been using this community as a resource for a few months now. I can't help but notice horror story after horror story. And a lot of people that appear to be losing hope. So, I wanted to make this post with the intentions of giving hope to some people in that things can get better.
I have always been a very healthy person and never went to the doctor up until 2015. I contracted Lyme a little over a year ago and the following 6 months was the most difficult time period I've ever experienced. In fact, 2015 was the worst year for me. There were so many times I felt like giving up, but could just never allow myself to quit. To help paint a picture, here is a summary of 2015.
Left my job of 5 years, where I had it made to pursue a high risk, high reward job with an oil & gas company. Terrible idea, boss was a complete nut job; I had probably 5 "come to Jesus" meetings in the few weeks. Then the oil market crashes, so I had to get out of there. Luckily I found another job. Only stayed with the oil company for 3 months. A month after being at my 3rd job in 5 months, I contracted Lyme. The following 6 months were hell. The same week I found out about Lyme, my wife and I our first ultrasound scheduled. During the ultrasound is when we learned that we lost the pregnancy. A month after this, the meds didn't work so my wife had to have a D&C. Two weeks after that, I got the news that I lost 30,000 on a software development investment.
Over the next 6 months, I was battling every symptom under the sun but the worst part to me was the neurological. I went into a heavy depression. Also tried with my wife to get pregnant again and month after month it was the same news. I tore my meniscus in December which required immediate surgery (still curious if Lyme caused or aided this). I had terrible sinus trouble and ended up have sinuplasty surgery in December too. It was actually back to back, knee surgery on Thurs, Sinus surgery on Fri.
I had some very very low points last year. It felt like every other day I was on the brink of god knows what. BUT, I never gave up. As long as I had a pulse, I wasn't going to give up. I was so down at one point, that my doctor actually prescribed me Prozak for the depression. I knew deep down I wasn't depressed and that it was the Lyme talking, so I told myself I would try to snap out of the funk on my own before starting any prescription. I didn't want to become dependent on any new prescription. There were many tough days, where on my drive home I said I'm going straight to the Prozak and starting it because I can't handle the depression. And every time I got home, I said to myself, give it just a little longer.
During those 6 months, I kept telling myself that it would get better and this is all temporary. Yeah I knew I would have Lyme forever, but I told myself the symptoms were temporary, or that the symptoms aren't really that bad. And over time, when the same symptoms popped up again, they didn't seem as bad as before. By Jan & Feb of this year, I started to feel more normal. By March, I felt better than I could remember; April, I believe I was virtually symptom free.
Since contracting Lyme; I haven't started any new prescriptions, I haven't taken any herbals, I didn't take antibiotics for consecutive months, I've never detoxed, I didn't change my diet (I avoid fried stuff though), I don't use anything for my skin except extra bug spray. I didn't change my life around Lyme, I made Lyme coexists with me. I know it can be extremely tough sometimes, but you can't let Lyme defeat you. Turn those bad months into bad weeks; turn the bad weeks into bad days. Just hold your head up and keep yourself mentally tough so that you can push through the tough times and enjoy the better times.
-Atlas