Before being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, I suffered from excruciatingly painful physical and mental trauma. This is my story of how one tiny tick the size of a poppy seed literally ruined my life. I was at the top of the world, I was happily married, with two incredible kids, a thriving business and had just published a book about helping people get healthy.

Matt asked me, his mom, to write his story because even though he lived it, his memories are sketchy. After a long hard struggle, Matt is now back to living and thriving after his battle with chronic Lyme Disease

On July 15, 2018, my 8-year-old daughter Dannika came down with what we thought was a virus. She had low-grade fevers, she could not eat, had a hard time sleeping and was very light sensitive. She had been sick for roughly a week, and then seemed to get better. Within a few short days, she again started having extreme body pains.

I was 9 years old when I was bit by a tick, but it wasn’t until I was 29 that I got the diagnosis of Lyme Disease. 

I had multiple health issues when I was child, ranging from mono to yeast overgrowth issues. I was gluten sensitive, and I struggled to hold down food until I eliminated gluten out of my diet.

One doctor tried to convince me it was just depression:

Doctor: You should consider that it could be depression. Depression can cause a range of symptoms in patients including fatigue.

Me: Ok, I mean I am open to anything, I just don’t really believe that I am depressed. I have this irrational positive mentality and honestly think everything in my life is excellent. No wait, perfect.

In June of 2014, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and Babesia, after a lot of coaxing by my sister-in-law. My daughter and son had already tested Igenex and CDC positive for Lyme in February, my husband came back Igenex positive in March. I figured that I did not have Lyme because I "didn't" have any symptoms.

My Lyme story began almost 2 decades ago when I woke up one morning with a swollen right knee that was painful to put weight on. It took several weeks back then for doctors to figure out what was wrong; after referrals to orthopedics, an MRI of my knee, and bloodwork, the final diagnosis was Lyme disease. I was given 3 weeks of Doxycycline and I was informed that this would cure my Lyme.

I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in July of 2017 after seeing over 30 doctors, specialists, and mental health professionals.  I was hospitalized many times over a period of two years and had acquired a long list of diagnoses and literally a garbage bag full of medications, mostly psychotropic, that were all tried to alleviate my symptoms.

Scientists consider that low body temperature may be the cause of many diseases, including cancer, and even a 1.8° increase of the body temperature may improve the immune function by 40% and can enhance production of enzymes and hormones by up to 50% and stimulate the metabolic processes up to 12% by increasing calories burn and fat loss.

When a child has any type of disability or health challenges, a 504 Plan or an Individualize Education Plan (IEP) may be of benefit to them in a school setting. We are here to help you determine the differences in the two options as well as what they entail.

We can get so caught up in treatments and pressing forward that the topic of Self-Grief, (the process of grieving your “former” self) is a rarely spoken about issue within the Lyme Disease, Chronic Pain and Illness communities. Many people frequently experience hardship over not feeling like their self that they used to be. They cannot do the same hobbies, have the same friends, etc. However, if you allow yourself to go on this journey of self-grieving; you often will end up learning your own goals and true self better than you ever could imagine.