Help Lorie + Stella, LateStage Lyme
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Help with Treatment for Late-Stage Lyme Disease
I never dreamed that Lyme disease would be what ended my life as I had known it. Nothing is the same anymore. I’m trying to stay optimistic and remain hopeful that with enough treatment my child and I will get better. On a daily basis I have to weigh the consequences of simple things such as walking, bathing, getting to work or even making a meal.
My daughter, Stella (age 14), and I have late-stage Lyme disease. I most likely contracted Lyme when I was a teenager (around age 15) growing up in Columbia, MD. Stella was unfortunately born with it. It is hard not to get caught up in the guilt of transmitting this to my child even though it “isn’t my fault.”
Current Status
I have been suffering with crippling pain with little-to-no relief for 19 months now and my daughter, most of her life. Since Stella was about 18 months old I knew something wasn’t right. She cried far too frequently from pain even before she could describe it in words. She rarely slept for more than a couple hours at a time and writhed in her bed from pain for as long as I can remember. When she was about 5 or 6, her symptoms changed and so did her reactions to her pain. She was starting to grow tolerant.
It is extremely difficult to treat let alone cure late-stage Lyme, but it is possible. A major problem is that the cost of the treatments are not covered by most insurance companies. I suppose that insurance companies don’t recognize the treatments as “approved” and beneficial to the masses so they don’t cover the treatments. Another problem with late-stage Lyme disease is that there is no formula to follow that cures every person. Ridding oneself of Lyme is very particular to each person who contracts it. Everyone has a unique Lyme fingerprint.
This last 24 month “episode” of my Lyme disease has been the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve been plagued most of my life with odd illnesses and autoimmune issues that were likely a reflection of the Lyme within me. Unfortunately, my issues layered on top of each other, staying undiagnosed, until my body finally broke 19 months ago. I’m grateful that this last bout led to my diagnosis and because of that my child was then diagnosed. Ultimately, if my child gets back to good health again, I’m a lucky woman. I can’t stand the thought of what her life might become if she doesn’t get rid of this insidious, life-crushing disease.
Some of our symptoms:
Excruciating joint and muscle pain, making walking very difficult
Zinging nerve pain
Tremors
Numbness in arms and legs
Headaches
Horrible brain fog and memory loss
Very bad tinnitus
Sensitivity to light and noise
Inability to regulate body temperature
Stomach issues, Celiac disease
Autoimmune disorders
Heart palpitations/irregularities
Lung issues with coughing
Exhaustion
Anxiety
Dizziness
Depression
Treatments
Treatments for late-stage Lyme range widely. There are many who recommend stem cell treatments or hyperthermia to cure Lyme, but there really isn’t a magic bullet that cures late-stage Lyme quickly. The issue with stem cell therapy and hyperthermia is the cost—about $50,000 for the two of us. They are VERY expensive and there are no guarantees that the treatments will work. The road that Stella and I believe is the most logical way to get better is through integrative medicine that employs the use of a lot of tinctures and herbs (basically following the Buhner protocol) along with assistance from antibiotics and cleansing treatments. Although my proposed regime amounts to quite a bit too, these methods consistently produce results whereas the stem cell and hyperthermia treatments may need a regime like this as a follow up and would then double my costs.
Treatment expenses for 2 months for both of us = $10,900
$1,300 for herbs and tinctures from Lyme doctor in Denver
$3,600 for ozone chamber treatments (every other day)
$200 for additional prescriptions
$2,000 for 8 ozone IV treatments
$1,200 for 8 Vitamin C IV treatments
$1,800 for laser light therapy to stimulate stem cell creation
$400 for more organic foods
$400 for travel to doctor in Denver
Doctor’s advice
After conferencing with my doctor, we agreed that staying true to this regime for 6 months would be good start. Then, if we respond well to those 6 months, we might be able to tapper off the treatments over the following 6 – 12 months.
Timing
We need contributions as soon as possible so we can get on our road to recovery. It would be ideal to start with therapies in the next couple weeks. Your support would change our lives. It would certainly save my life as it is a daily struggle to hang on. While I am married, I don’t live with my husband and am a single mother with a high-volume, fast-paced, full-time job. I need to keep this job. If I don’t start these therapies, I will not physically be able to keep working full-time, then I don’t know where we’ll be. I simply can’t entertain the possibility of not working.
Please—anything you can contribute would help emmensly. I am desperate to get back to a life where I can take care of my child well and take joy in getting up in the mornings.
My sincerest thanks,
Lorie
I never dreamed that Lyme disease would be what ended my life as I had known it. Nothing is the same anymore. I’m trying to stay optimistic and remain hopeful that with enough treatment my child and I will get better. On a daily basis I have to weigh the consequences of simple things such as walking, bathing, getting to work or even making a meal.
My daughter, Stella (age 14), and I have late-stage Lyme disease. I most likely contracted Lyme when I was a teenager (around age 15) growing up in Columbia, MD. Stella was unfortunately born with it. It is hard not to get caught up in the guilt of transmitting this to my child even though it “isn’t my fault.”
Current Status
I have been suffering with crippling pain with little-to-no relief for 19 months now and my daughter, most of her life. Since Stella was about 18 months old I knew something wasn’t right. She cried far too frequently from pain even before she could describe it in words. She rarely slept for more than a couple hours at a time and writhed in her bed from pain for as long as I can remember. When she was about 5 or 6, her symptoms changed and so did her reactions to her pain. She was starting to grow tolerant.
It is extremely difficult to treat let alone cure late-stage Lyme, but it is possible. A major problem is that the cost of the treatments are not covered by most insurance companies. I suppose that insurance companies don’t recognize the treatments as “approved” and beneficial to the masses so they don’t cover the treatments. Another problem with late-stage Lyme disease is that there is no formula to follow that cures every person. Ridding oneself of Lyme is very particular to each person who contracts it. Everyone has a unique Lyme fingerprint.
This last 24 month “episode” of my Lyme disease has been the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve been plagued most of my life with odd illnesses and autoimmune issues that were likely a reflection of the Lyme within me. Unfortunately, my issues layered on top of each other, staying undiagnosed, until my body finally broke 19 months ago. I’m grateful that this last bout led to my diagnosis and because of that my child was then diagnosed. Ultimately, if my child gets back to good health again, I’m a lucky woman. I can’t stand the thought of what her life might become if she doesn’t get rid of this insidious, life-crushing disease.
Some of our symptoms:
Excruciating joint and muscle pain, making walking very difficult
Zinging nerve pain
Tremors
Numbness in arms and legs
Headaches
Horrible brain fog and memory loss
Very bad tinnitus
Sensitivity to light and noise
Inability to regulate body temperature
Stomach issues, Celiac disease
Autoimmune disorders
Heart palpitations/irregularities
Lung issues with coughing
Exhaustion
Anxiety
Dizziness
Depression
Treatments
Treatments for late-stage Lyme range widely. There are many who recommend stem cell treatments or hyperthermia to cure Lyme, but there really isn’t a magic bullet that cures late-stage Lyme quickly. The issue with stem cell therapy and hyperthermia is the cost—about $50,000 for the two of us. They are VERY expensive and there are no guarantees that the treatments will work. The road that Stella and I believe is the most logical way to get better is through integrative medicine that employs the use of a lot of tinctures and herbs (basically following the Buhner protocol) along with assistance from antibiotics and cleansing treatments. Although my proposed regime amounts to quite a bit too, these methods consistently produce results whereas the stem cell and hyperthermia treatments may need a regime like this as a follow up and would then double my costs.
Treatment expenses for 2 months for both of us = $10,900
$1,300 for herbs and tinctures from Lyme doctor in Denver
$3,600 for ozone chamber treatments (every other day)
$200 for additional prescriptions
$2,000 for 8 ozone IV treatments
$1,200 for 8 Vitamin C IV treatments
$1,800 for laser light therapy to stimulate stem cell creation
$400 for more organic foods
$400 for travel to doctor in Denver
Doctor’s advice
After conferencing with my doctor, we agreed that staying true to this regime for 6 months would be good start. Then, if we respond well to those 6 months, we might be able to tapper off the treatments over the following 6 – 12 months.
Timing
We need contributions as soon as possible so we can get on our road to recovery. It would be ideal to start with therapies in the next couple weeks. Your support would change our lives. It would certainly save my life as it is a daily struggle to hang on. While I am married, I don’t live with my husband and am a single mother with a high-volume, fast-paced, full-time job. I need to keep this job. If I don’t start these therapies, I will not physically be able to keep working full-time, then I don’t know where we’ll be. I simply can’t entertain the possibility of not working.
Please—anything you can contribute would help emmensly. I am desperate to get back to a life where I can take care of my child well and take joy in getting up in the mornings.
My sincerest thanks,
Lorie
Organizer
Lorie D'Alessio
Organizer
Carbondale, CO
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