‘Oh, so you have Lyme’s disease? How did you get diagnosed with that? Is it even a thing? But it’s not recognised in Australia? Does it even exist? Are you making this up?
The many questions that continue to roll on in when people start to ask me where my health is at. For so long I was too scared to admit I had Lyme’s Disease. I felt because it did not show up in a typical blood test that it didn’t mean I had it. I felt in order to have this title (trust me- it’s not a title you should desire) you needed to be traditionally diagnosed through Western Medicine otherwise it did not exist. You were a gimmick. An attention seeker. A waste of time.
But how wrong I was.
Lyme’s is an interesting disease. I am no expert on it – quite far from it, but I am continuing to learn about the many effects it has on our bodies and how it can impact everyone in a different way. Whether this is through your nervous system, your brain, even your motor movements. It is one disease that when untreated can start to manifest into horrible things. Numbness in various areas, constant brain fog where you cannot think nor remember, stand up seizures, chronic fatigue, dizziness- the list goes on…
It can be more complexed then just taking a dose of antibiotics to rid your body of this unwelcomed disease. It can lay dormant for years upon years, until one day the party starts, the lights start flashing, the DJ starts spinning, the music is pumping, and the bugs decide to throw their home coming aka- causing significant pain. It’s like you can feel them dancing within your body, causing your insides to be inflamed, the random jolts of pain you experience when one is hitting that dance floor and the tiredness you feel when they refuse to cut off the party and continue till all hours of the night. The numbness and tingling sensations you experience when they have drunk too much and will result in a hefty hangover for them the next day- which ultimately affects you being bed ridden for a few days in constant pain with your stomach feeling like it is spasming. This analogy is one way to describe how Lyme’s started to affect me….
The problem with Lyme’s disease is that there are so many conflicting and opposing views as to how one gets Lyme’s. Does it need to be directly from a tick bite? Can one get it from an insect bite or from another bug? How exactly does one get it? If you cannot recall getting bitten from a tick does this mean you do not have it? Unfortunately no. Speaking with my doctor who is a guru on Lyme’s himself, he informed me that you can indeed get Lyme’s from another insect if they had been in contact with one of those ticks beforehand. Unlucky indeed but grateful for what this journey is teaching me.
So, once you are exposed to this bite or the disease has decided to arise from the dead, it can be a long and tedious disease to try and rid. To try and cure. Australia unfortunately will not invest money and time into Lyme’s disease and therefore does not recognise it as an actual disease- due to the ticks not being here in Australia. But how can this be? People travel, yes? People are exposed to various insects when they are overseas, yes? So, if they leave Australia and come back into the country does it mean that they will not be infected by this disease simply because they are Australian and back on home soil? How incorrect that is and how perplexing it seems.
The beauty of travel is that you are exposed to a world of various cultures and different environments but that means you are also exposed to the unwanted diseases that can be present in those countries or infect their insects/animals. That is just reality. There is risk with everything we do. You need to weigh up your options to see if it is worth the risk to experience the culture and see new surroundings and environments- and for me, I wouldn’t take back any of my travel experiences, despite the pain I now endure and the constant battles of trying to cure myself from this righteous disease.
So how do you cure it if antibiotics do not work on your body? Well this is the fun part – this is where I am now at. After trying to heal and reseal my gut with a functional doctor, I had no luck as the Lyme’s was getting worse. The numbness in my leg was more prominent and the tiredness would result in me being bed ridden for days upon days. I had no energy and my body was constantly inflamed and sore. The pain within my stomach was increasing and I was unable to eliminate anything (if you get my jist).
Another way of curing this disease is working with a naturopath and kinesiologist- which is the path I am about to take. Giving the bugs natural substances they do not like will result in aggravation but ultimately work on killing off the bacteria within and ridding yourself of this disease. This process is a long and slow one- as depending on how your body reacts with these herbs will depend on how quickly you can hit them and how intense the treatment will be. You need to work with a practitioner who understands these bugs and can help you with the right treatment plan.
Lyme’s is a disease that so many Australians in particular do not understand. Awareness is not there and there is so many conflicting views and opinions about what it is and whether it actually exists. I am hoping by going on this journey I can figure out ways that work and can share information with my community on how to cure this dreaded disease. Lyme’s you will not beat me.
The party is over.
Love from the Italian who loves to speak,
Lauren xo