LIFE WITH LYME DISEASE
By Lorraine Bosse'-Smith

Seven years ago, I began to have strange symptoms.  I had horrible joint pain and swelling.  After about nine months, I could barely hold a glass of water.  I had fatigue, muscle weakness and started getting a chronic cough. Little did I know that it would be a frustrating and long journey to not only find out what I had but curing it.  In March 2006, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

What is Lyme Disease and How is It Transmitted?

I didn’t know much about Lyme Disease, as it isn’t given much attention in the health community. I was shocked to actually see something recently in a local newspaper, and it was what inspired me to share my story.  I’ve discovered that I am not alone as most doctors have only a basic understanding of the disease and are not really equipped (unless they do additional research on their own) to diagnose or treat the disease.  They just have too much to learn about too many things, so they just scrape the surface of bizarre diseases like Lyme’s.  In a nutshell, a bacterium called Borrelia Burgdorferi that lives in mice, squirrels and other small animals gets transmitted through ticks to humans when they bite.  This bacterium then lives in the human body, often hiding in your cells, and they work hard to make the environment (your body) comfortable for them, which can mean lowering your body temperature.  When they do die, they release a toxin, and humans get sick.  Symptoms vary person to person.

Originally, experts thought that it could only be transmitted through deer ticks in certain areas; however, some health professionals are now seeing it through fleas and blood transfusions (www.drdavisdcnmd.com) Although the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicates approximately 47,000 cases over the last few years, 36 million people will suffer from the disease this year alone, according to health professionals across the country specializing in this disease (www.wrongdiagnosis.com and look under statistics).  And the worst part is that many folks will never truly be diagnosed; therefore, they will never get better (and they aren’t counted for statistical purposes).

Misdiagnosing Lyme Disease

People who are not properly diagnosed will be treated for Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS or a slew of other false diagnoses that will lead to more pain and suffering.  Lyme’s is indeed the great imitator (see www.library.lymenet.or/dominofile and click on manifestations)!  In my case, it looked somewhat like Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Yet, when I eventually ended up at The Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, specializing in Rheumatoid Arthritis, after seeing every specialist on the planet, I learned I only had two of the seven critical criteria.  The verdict:  I didn’t have it, and they couldn’t tell me what I did have.  In nine months (with my pain intensifying each month), all I learned was what I didn’t have!  I also found the health care industry to be extremely frustrating.  At times, I would have to wait months for appointments.  One time, I called in June to learn that I could see the doctor in April…the following year!  I asked, “Well, what if this is an emergency?”  The receptionist proceeded to tell me that I could then see the doctor in December.  Good grief!!  All the while, of course, I had to continue to work and try to function like a normal human being even though I was getting worse.

What Lyme Disease Can Look Like and How to Diagnose It

Every year since my first episode, I would have a horrible outbreak of pain and swelling.  It would jump from joint to joint.  Primarily, it would affect my fingers and wrists, but it started hitting my shoulders and feet.  Nothing would help.  And trust me, I tried everything:  chiropractic care, acupuncture, energy balancings, massage, heat therapy, cold treatments, natural herbs, cleanses, juice fasts, exercise, rest, etc.  If man knows it, I tried it!  My husband still laughs at the day when I was at my wit’s end and thought, “I’ll try some wine”.  You have to know that I’ve never drank my entire life.  We purchased the airplane size and poured some into a glass for me.  It was too strong, so I had to mix 70% Sprite with it.  After having several sips, I got red in the face and loopy!  I’m a lightweight indeed, and it didn’t do anything other than make it difficult for me to balance as I walked out of the restaurant. 

In December of 2005, I began to have another outbreak. Each year, the pain got more intense, and the episodes would last longer.  Instead of weeks it would be months.  I also began to have mental fog.  That was it for me; my discouragement was at an all-time high.  Doctors would look at the individual problems but not the whole.  No one was able to connect the dots. I was told time and time again, “You are healthy and there is nothing wrong with you.”  I finally took matters into my own hands and began researching on the Internet.  Lyme’s was the disease that matched my symptoms most closely, and I had been on a hike seven years ago up on the Central Coast, where we lived for four years, that was infested with ticks.  I took an on-line quiz with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation and matched many of the symptoms (www.canlyme.com).  I took this to my local doctor and said, “I think I should have tests run.”  She agreed.  She warned me, as did everything I read, that Lyme can test negatively even if you have it. Lyme Disease is very difficult to detect because it affects a number of systems such as brain, central nervous, autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, muscular-skeletal, etc.  But, I wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all! 

Testing for Lyme Disease…Could You Have It?

My first antibody blood test was negative.  As I shared my situation with my chiropractor one day, he informed me that he just heard a man speak on the subject. He provided me with his number, and I called Dr. Steven C. Davis in Redding, CA (www.drdavisdcnmd.com).  Dr. Davis has cured over 75,000 people of Lyme Disease in his career.  He also has a specific test for Lyme called the QRiBb , so I took it.  It wasn’t cheap…about $250, but at this point, I didn’t care.  I needed help!  The pain was growing and spreading.  It hurt to move, walk, exercise, and I wasn’t sleeping.  My results showed that I was off the chart with pathogens (bugs).  And the blood work confirmed that I had Borrelia burgdorferi in my system. I had Lyme Disease.

How to Fight Lyme Disease

It took seven years to figure out what was wrong with me. I had an array of emotions:  anger, relief, frustration, disappointment and fear.  “Now what?”  Treating Lyme’s is just as difficult as discovering you have it.  Old school thoughts are that it can’t be cured, but please, if you get anything out of this, know that recent research shows that it can be cured; it just takes time.  A gentleman in Colorado I heard about had it for 12 years and ended up in a wheelchair from the pain.  Once he was finally diagnosed and treated, he returned to normal health in four short months. Everyone’s case is different.  Dr. Davis has shared with me cases that took years to deal with.  In my case, it has been since March, and we have killed the bacteria off as of August.  I don’t have them in my system any more.  I do, however, have their residual toxins in my system. Remember, when Borrelia dies off, they release toxins into your body.  Now I’m fighting that and still have pain, but my energy is increasing.  By the end of the year, Lord willing, I should be back to normal.

Living with Lyme’s

Living with something that can’t be seen or touched has its pros and cons.  The good news is that no one has to know you have it.  The bad news is that no one will know you have it unless you tell him or her, and that means very little support.  Even when I have shared with people my news, they go, “Oh, that’s too bad.”  Friends and family haven’t really comprehended the pain and suffering I’ve been dealing with day in and day out.  No one calls to check in and see how you are doing; no one sends cards.  Their lives go on. Yet, Lyme’s can be dangerous and life threatening if untreated.  In fact, the process of killing off the bacteria can put you in the hospital, and even when you do beat it, you may have consequences that linger.
I’m a fighter (inherited that from my Mother) and have kept pressing on despite how I have felt.  I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor here in Murrieta.  I’ve had days when I could barely get out of bed, but I went to work anyway.  It has taken incredible amounts of energy to focus beyond my ailment.  I’ve often felt like crawling into a black hole and giving up.  But I haven’t, and I hope anyone out there with it will hang in there.  We must beat it and live on in victory!

What Should You Do?

If you related to any of my story, I encourage you to demand a Lyme’s test from your doctor.  You need to know for sure whether or not you have Lyme’s or something else.  Check the sites I have listed and do your own research to see all the different mis-diagnoses that occur.  It is scary.  Then, I highly recommend Dr. Davis for help.  Although he is located in Northern California, he can handle everything over the phone and through the mail.  His treatments are all natural.  I opted to also take an antibiotic (Doxycycline) along with the minerals he offers.  Decide with your doctor the course you prefer to take.  Just know this:  you WILL get worse before you get better. That’s the really tough pill to swallow, but it is what it is.  As the bacteria die off, your body will get poisoned.  Then you have to recover from that.  Take it from me, exercise and eating right will keep you alive and moving.  I can’t imagine how much worse I would have been if I didn’t take excellent care of myself.  I also take a whole-food supplement with a ton of antioxidants in it.  See my website www.yournutrition.biz if you are interested in that.  Get plenty of rest and try to keep the things in life that you enjoy so that you have hope.  On really bad days, be gentle on yourself.  On better days, praise God and don’t over do it.  Keep well hydrated, which is paramount to your cleansing process.

Life After Lyme's