Today it was decided that my Mom, my sister Mickey, and my brothers Dakota and Holden have Lyme Disease. This Disease is something that for my family is a blessing and a curse. It is the answer we have been waiting for all theses years to my family's medical problems. Since they have have been sick all these years with different symptoms and no real cure, especially my mom, this all adds up to this disease. It is treatable disease, but highly expensive. It can be contracted from a tick. I have some information from the Iowa Lyme Disease Association.
First off I would like to list the symptoms they have that I am familiar with. I know there is more that they have, that I have no listed. Also as it states on the site for Iowa Lyme Disease Association, having the following symptoms does not ensure you have Lyme Disease, and there is no one test to find if you do think you have it. The exact type of Lyme Disease my family has, has not been decided yet.
Early Symptoms Include:
Fatigue(My mom always wears out so easily and the older the kids get the easier they do)
Muscle and Joint pain(We thought my mom had Fibro myalgia, which was caused by this)
Headache(My mom has had migraines forever)
Fever, chills(constant colds, and flu's for the next few symptoms)
Swollen glands
Migratory pain
Sore throat
Stiff neck
Rash - bulls eye, or other shape, or multiple rashes
Then Later on Symptoms:
BodyMigratory pain
Continual flu-like symptoms'
Low-grade temperatures
Muscle weakness and pain(My mom was told by her doctor she can only work 3 hours a day)
Numbness
Stiff, crunchy neck
Sore throat, swollen glands
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Anorexia
Unexplained, weight gain
or weight loss
Neurological
Migraines
Balance problems(my mom has fallen several times and broken bones and dislocated parts because of this)
Dizziness
Poor coordination
Paralysis
Meningitis
Loss of reflexes
Tingling in the extremities
Seizures
Motor dysfunction
Bell's Palsy
Tremors
Tourettes(thank god none of this YET)
Neuropsychiatric:
Mood swings(Sorry mom, your very moody)
Irritability
Poor concentration(my brother can read to you for an hour straight, but you have him doing an activity with you and he will walk away in the middle because he will forget what he is doing)
Cognitive/Memory Loss
Mental deterioration
Depression(my mom and my brother Dakota, both have had to deal with this a lot)
Difficulty making decisions
Difficulty organizing(umm the kids rooms are a mess, and they can't seem to get in a system)
Heart
Irregular Heart Beat
Myocarditis
Pericarditis
Palpitations
Heart Block
Enlarged Heart
Chest Pain
Pregnancy
Miscarriage
Premature birth
Birth defects
(My mom lost both my sisters before birth, Dakota was born deaf, and the kids have all had various birth defects)
Treatments
When to comes to treatment, it can get pretty technical. To keep it short and simple, my family will be on medication for the rest of their life, and have to go to the doctor for treatment for the rest of their lives. These treatments are extremely expensive and are not covered by insurance. The medication will be, but the treatments won't. Many people and families go into extreme debt because of this disease. If it goes untreated, it will eventually kill you.
My family has decided to start a Phoneraiser to raise money to help pay for medical expenses. Basically all I am asking is for your old cell phones, and old ink cartridges. We mail them to a company that recycles them and then they pay us, which will be put toward medical bills. Mickey is only seven and Holden is only ten, and they have been sick most of their childhood. I hope this has been informational and as I learn more I will be putting more up.
