Lyme Disease : My Story and How I Found Out- Califf Life Creations

I have Lyme Disease. The positive result came in last week and I’ve been on antibiotics since. I thought of a million ways to start writing about this and none of them felt right. It just had to be said, and now that it has, I can tell you my story.

Last year, my family hiked Bash Bish Falls, MA for the first time. On the way back, I started developing hives. It resembled an allergic reaction, so I took a Benedryl and went to sleep. In the morning, the hives were gone and I was left feeling tired but better. Life continued.

I was training hard.

Running, rowing, yoga, hiking.

I was living a healthy life and yet I was tired a lot. My energy never seemed to pick up. Then there was the anxiety and anger that would take hold of me. As I was still recovering and dealing with postpartum depression, I just figured it was all from that. I’m tired because I have a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. Not the mention the world was shut down and everyone was on edge! It was a hard year for everyone, we all feel tired.

Everything had an explanation.

As mothers do, I learned to adjust and push forward.

I focused on my beautiful life and the love around me. That was enough for me. I knew the rest would come to an end. The pandemic was lifting, life would improve.

Then, the hives made a second appearance. This time, it was after my son’s tee ball game. Although there was a lot of time between the two allergy attacks, something didn’t feel right. There was nothing at the ball field that should have caused a reaction like that. It was time to see a doctor.

It was there that Lyme was first mentioned.

Was it possible? I figured anything was. I live in the woods, hike in the woods, and play in the woods. All in New York which is in the heart of Lyme country. I didn’t remember having a tick and knew I never had a bullseye rash.

Lyme Disease didn’t seem likely to me since I am always so diligent about ticks. We do daily tick checks even if we haven’t been in the woods and go through a massive amount of bug spray.

I must have forgotten myself one day.

I must have missed one.

I tested positive for Lyme Disease.

Then, I looked into the symptoms. Not everyone has that classic bullseye rash. Turns out, that the “hives” were likely a rash caused by Lyme, which also explains the fatigue I felt around that time. Lyme also loves to attack the nervous system as well as the digestive system. People have reported major changes in personality, including depression, anxiety, and rage. It causes brain fog and loss of focus.

I thought I knew about Lyme Disease.

Turns out, there was so much I didn’t know. I always thought that if I was careful with my tick checks, I’d be ok. No ticks will feed on me or my family for more than 24 hours a day if we are doing head to toe checks like that! Clearly, I was wrong. Some ticks are just so tiny that they can feed and fall off without you ever finding them.

I also thought that I would feel the symptoms. I’d get sick, feel tired, have achy joints, a bullseye rash, or something that would clue me in to go get tested. Never did I expect that it would be possible for Lyme Disease to discuss itself among the struggles of normal life and motherhood.

Suddenly, so much about the past year made sense. Things about myself that I didn’t even realize until I read more about Lyme Disease. So much about how I had been feeling was explained in one positive blood test.

The recovery is going to be hard. It’s not the antibiotics. While I did feel worse on them for the first week, I am starting to feel physically better. The hard part is figuring out what feelings were caused by Lyme Disease and what was normal.

I’m still the mom of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. That is a difficult and frustrating job. It’s exhausting.

As I fight off Lyme Disease, I am faced with finding my new normal.

How will I feel once I am no longer battling the fatigue that this disease causes?

Will I gain more patience again?

How much of what I was feeling really was my postpartum depression? Did Lyme Disease make it worse?

I’m not sure what the answers to any of these questions will be. The antibiotic is doing its job and hopefully, in another 2 weeks, I’ll be Lyme Disease free. I know that effects can last beyond that, but at least I have an answer. I’m getting the treatment I need to get better. The past year can be put behind me and I can move forward with better health.

Note on Lyme Disease (and tick) prevention:

I always use a ton of tick prevention but I’m even more aware of it now. Most importantly, we do daily tick checks. After hiking, take clothes off and put them in the dryer to kill ticks, and take a shower. For long hair, brush with a fine-tooth comb as those little suckers love to cling to the hair.

There are a lot of different opinions out there on which repellant to use. I’m sharing some of my favorites here. I use a combination of sprays, lotions, treatment for clothes and gear, and essential oils.

Click the pictures to see more.

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For Treating Clothing and Gear:

Lotions:

Spray:

Essential Oils:

Mix your own using oils like lavender, lemon eucalyptus, tee tree, rosemary, and more. I used a base of witch hazel and shake before using. If you don’t want to make your own, I like the brand Wondercide, pictured below.