I feel helpless.

Hi JMF19,

Welcome to the forum!

You've come to the right place. The members here can share their knowledge and experiences and get you on your way to regaining your health.

The first thing you need to do is to look at our "New to Lyme?" thread. It has a lot of resources and information that you will find very useful.

After reading that you will realize that Lyme isn't completely treated until at least two months beyond when all symptoms have gone. This is very important. You will need to find a Lyme Literate Doctor (these are different from Primary Care or Infectious Disease Doctors who sometimes treat Lyme). LLMD's specialize in treating Lyme and the infections that sometimes come along with it and they follow the guidelines set out by the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society.

I know this is a lot to take on now, when you are feeling so powerless. This disease does call on us to really pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps!

For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, please email our long time member, Dan's Mother at:
[email protected]
If you'd like more doctor suggestions, you can email stephanie at: [email protected] You can also go to: www.turnthecorner.org/bod.htm if you want to learn a little bit more about Lyme Disease.

You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link: www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74

You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) doctor. The ILADS site is a great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey.
www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines_clearing_ilads.html

Also, you can start a new post entitled, "Looking for LLMD near (name your nearest big city)" Our members will come back with some suggestions.

And to answer your question, "How long will this go on?" I can't lie, it is a marathon, not a sprint. But the faster you get to a knowledgeable doctor, the faster you will start to get better.

Take heart!

Hi JMF and welcome!

I'm an old timer that comes back to help since lyme also changed my life so I feel for you...  You are young and we have lots of young people on the forum so you are not alone.. 

I can only talk about myself and what worked for me.. I personally do not believe in antibiotics as they don't make sense to me.  I have been well for over 6 years now and I used alternative medicine and lots of detoxing.

I think it's important to start educating yourself and learning as much as you can about this disease.  It actually made me a healthier person in the long run as I never heard of detoxing, dry skin brushing, foot baths, sauna's, eating healthy, taking supplements, and the list goes on...

I don't understand (again, this is only my personal opinion and everyone has their opinions) why people take conventional antibiotics which only make them sicker when they are already sick to begin with!  Anyway, I don't want to give any speeches... LOL!  I simply want to let you know that there are other options out there..

I suggest reading 2 books to start with:

Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner (can be bought at Amazon) and;

Beating Lyme Disease by Dr. David Jernigan (that is the book that I read and then I followed his "healing at home" protocol many years ago).   I don't think his book is available on Amazon but I know it's available on his website: 

www.hansacenter.com   Click on E-Store (I'm not affiliated with Dr. Jernigan in any way).

Please have hope as you can and will get better! 

Denise