Laken's Lyme Treatment

The Best Life
The Life before Lyme wasn’t one word less than amazing. I ran every day, I chased my baby through the back yard, we went on walks and collected flowers along our paths.,  The adventures with Al were endless day in and day out. My day always started with making breakfast together and ended with bed time stories and nightly prayers. At that point my life revolved around being the best mom, girlfriend, and christian that I could be.


The Mystery Months
Becoming ill has been the biggest, scariest challenge I have had to face in my life. In May I lost my voice. In June, I could barely stay awake during the day and began having horrible migraines. By June 19th, reality that my health was taking a turn really hit. As I had just laid Allie to bed, I hopped in bed exhausted from the day. I noticed as I tried to sleep I couldn’t, because I couldn’t close my eye. I looked in the mirror to realize half of my face was paralyzed!


The Misdiagnosis
The misdiagnosis came later that  night. The ER doctor assured me after several tests, I “just had Bell’s Palsy” and it should go away within the next few weeks to months. I, at this point had several people asking me how was I going to leave the house looking like that, but I did! Being different was okay! After the initial onset and panic, I carried on life as normal. Dinner, church, work, grocery stores, and even running. Well while being treated for Bell’s a few other funky things started happening. I went to another doctor for muscular twitching, specifically in my right bicep. He(and several other doctor’s)  dismayed that there could be anything else wrong, other than Bell’s.


The Truth
The underlying cause was found in July. July14th after my follow up visit from the that first ER trip the doctor tested me for Lyme. BINGO. I had Lyme this whole time. I found an Lyme Doctor who several people had referred me to. I went to her for 7 months and we had tried a wide variety of different treatments. Some aggressive some not so aggressive- nevertheless we were seeing little improvement. The symptoms kept coming, like a merry-go-round they would come and go. I would have vertigo, bone pain, reading difficulties, speaking difficulties, muscle twitching, days were I couldn’t do the simplest of tasks like wash the dishes, electrical zaps in the head and stomach, an intense fear that I would miss raising my baby, anxiety and depression oozed in as I kept having more and more bizarre symptoms... and then the heart problems started.


The Day I thought I was Meeting Jesus
I can remember telling everyone my chest just feels like it has butterflies, or that it just wasn’t beating right. Well in November, after work I was grocery shopping and my trip turned into my worst nightmare. My heart had went completely out of rhythm. My Baby girl with me, I feel to my knees as the room went black. I was rushed to the emergency room. By the time we made it there, my body had completely drawn up and I couldn’t feel my face or move my hands. I thought the worst had happened. That life was over for me. I thought Patrick would have to take on both the mom and dad role. I thought my worst fear was coming true, that I did have to miss out on raising my baby.

The whole way to the hospital as barely a functional person, I can only remember praying “LORD have mercy on me, I need to raise my baby she is only 2”repeatedly. There the doctors were able to see that I was having PVC’s and heart arrhythmia. Quickly following that I went on IV antibiotics, not covered by insurance. My lyme doctor described it as lyme manifestation of the heart.


How YOU can Help.

First of all Pray. Pray for me and others like me. Pray that soon there is an easily accessible treatment that WORKS for this disease.

Pray for a miracle of healing for  those who suffer this disease and others like it!

Pray that the CDC will open their eyes to this epidemic spreading America and see it is a CHRONIC ILLNESS


Secondly, Donate! I have found a very intelligent doctor that has proven time and time again that his approach works and remission can be reached. The new doctor I have started to see has written out a health plan for me. The most aggressive part is the first 8 month sof IV’s. 5 Different antibiotics. The antibiotics alone will amount to $43,000.They do not have payment plans or financing options, so I need YOUR help getting this treatment. Insurance companies generally follow CDC guidelines, and will not cover the cost of medicine for lyme after a 28 day treatment. I appreciate any amount given, small or big. Whatever you feel lead to give to help me achieve remission and get off of this rollercoaster!


Thirdly, whether you do or do not donate, please take time to do a little research on the complexity of Lyme disease. There are 300,000 new cases per year just in the US, and some of those also turn Chronic.  Lyme mimics other diseases such as Fibromyalgia, MS, ALS, and Alzheimer's.  The information you find may be beneficial or help someone close to you!