07/02/2025
Letâs talk about Lyme Disease. WHY AM I SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS TOPIC? IT IS WIDELLY OVERLOOKED AND NOT DIAGNOSED CORRECTLY.
It is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted through ALL ticks, mosquitoes, gnats, mites, flies, ants, other biting insects, spiders, bees, wasps, hornets, lice, bed bugs, s*x, blood transfusions, biological fluids, urine, gestation, lactation, birds, rodents, wild and domestic animals, raw milk, and some chemtrail exposure are all means of transmission which have been proven with medical research.
It is incredibly sneaky and complex, and is about to become your most unwelcome, persistent companion. You might not even remember the tick bite that brought me into your lifeâmy tick friends are tiny, sometimes as small as a poppy seed, and they can bite you without you ever knowing.
You might have seen my calling cardâthat distinctive bull's-eye rash called erythema migrans. But here's my first trick: only about 70-80% of people infected with me get this rash, and it doesn't always look like a perfect bull's-eye. Sometimes it's just a red patch, sometimes it's nothing at all. So you might have me and not even know it yet.
If you caught me early and got the right antibiotics, you might have gotten rid of me quickly. But if you didn'tâif It was missed, misdiagnosed, or inadequately treatedâthen welcome to my world of chronic havoc, which most do not catch in time. It can hide in your tissues, your joints, your nervous system, and your heart. The master of disguise and persistence.
Lyme is called "The Great Imitator" because It can mimic so many other diseases. It can make you think you have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson's, or even psychiatric disorders. This is one of my greatest weaponsâconfusion. While doctors are trying to figure out what's wrong with you, It is spreading and establishing itself deeper in your system.
Let me tell you about the gift of symptoms Lyme can bring.
CRUSHING fatigue that makes you feel like you're moving through quicksand, joint pain that migrates from one place to anotherâyour knee one day, your shoulder the next, muscle aches and weakness that make you feel like you've run a marathon when you've barely gotten out of bed.
Your brain? That's one of lymeâs favorite playgrounds. It can cause what people call "brain fog," but it's so much more than that. It can make you forget words mid-sentence, lose your train of thought completely, or make you feel like you're thinking through cotton. It can affect your memory, your concentration, your ability to process information. Some people call it "Lyme brain," and it can be terrifying when you can't trust your own mind.
It can mess with your nervous system in countless ways. Numbness, tingling, burning sensations, shooting painsâIt can make you feel like your nerves are on fire or completely dead. It can cause facial paralysis (Bell's palsy), severe headaches, and even seizures. It can affect your vision, your hearing, your balance.
Sleep? It can make that a nightmare too. It can keep you awake with pain, anxiety, or night sweats, or It can make you so exhausted that you sleep for hours and still wake up feeling like you haven't slept at all.
It can affect your heart, causing irregular rhythms or chest pain that might land you in the emergency room thinking you're having a heart attack. It can cause breathing problems, digestive issues, and make you feel like you have the flu that never goes away.
Here's where It gets really cruel:
There's something called "chronic Lyme disease" that many mainstream doctors don't believe exists. They'll tell you that if you've been treated with antibiotics, It should be gone. But Lyme knows betterâIt knows how to hide, how to form biofilms, how to change into different forms that are harder to kill. It knows how to persist.
You'll find yourself in the middle of a medical debate that shouldn't involve your suffering body. Some doctors will dismiss your ongoing symptoms as something elseâdepression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, or just stress. They might make you feel like you're making it up or that it's "all in your head."
You'll go from doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist. You'll have blood test after blood test, and many of them will come back negative or inconclusive because It is so good at hiding and because the tests aren't perfect. You might be told you're a hypochondriac or that you need psychiatric help.
The financial burden It brings is crushing. Many insurance companies won't cover long-term treatment for me because of the controversy around chronic Lyme. You might spend thousands of dollars out of pocket seeing Lyme-literate doctors, getting specialized tests, trying different treatments. It can bankrupt you while destroying your health.
Your relationships will suffer. Family and friends will get tired of hearing about your symptoms, especially when you look fine on the outside. They'll suggest you just need to exercise more, eat better, think more positively. They won't understand that I've stolen your energy, your joy, your ability to participate in life the way you used to.
You might lose your job because you can't perform the way you used to. You might have to give up hobbies, activities, and dreams because I've made you too sick to pursue them. It can make you feel like a prisoner in your own body.
The isolation is profound. You'll feel alone in your illness, misunderstood by the medical community, and abandoned by a society that doesn't recognize the severity of what you're going through. You might even start to doubt yourselfâam I really this sick? Am I making this worse than it is?
But here's what I don't want you to know: There are doctors who understand me, who know how to fight me effectively. There are treatments beyond the standard antibiotic protocols that can help. There are other people fighting the same battle who can offer support and understanding when no one else can.
You are not crazy. Your symptoms are real. Your suffering is valid. You deserve to be heard, believed, and treated with respect and compassion. You deserve healthcare providers who will keep searching for answers and won't give up on you.
The journey with me is long and difficult, but you are stronger than you know. You will learn to advocate for yourself in ways you never thought possible. You will find your tribe of fellow warriors who understand this battle intimately.
Recovery is possible, even when it feels impossible. Don't give up hope, and don't give up fighting.
