Life With Chronic Lyme Disease

If you think you know someone living with Lyme Disease and thriving just fine, then they aren't living with Chronic Lyme Disease. Chronic Lyme is dibilitating. Adriane, 35,  my best friend of over twenty years, my maid of honor, my children's "cool aunt" while serving others and helping us smile during our hard times has been struck down with an illness of her own. Unsure of when exactly she contracted the disease, her symptoms came on slowly but have now far progressed into Chronic Lyme Disease. Global Lyme Alliance has estimated that "30% of people will end up suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease. There are a number of long-term disabilities that can affect patients who suffer from severe or advanced cases of the disease and they may be faced with these conditions the rest of their lives. Most long-term effects and conditions are neurological or nervous system related and can not be cured at this time. This is where the primary focus for improving therapies for Lyme disease lies-we can help deal with it early on but after a certain point it becomes harder to address and the symptoms become harder to reverse".  Adriane found out she had Lyme disease because she developed neurological problems. Out of no where she began to have migraines, blurred vision, problems with peripheral vision where she began walking into things, clip corners with her shoulder and trip. She already had a neck injury and assumed it was related to a herniated disc in her neck and pinched nerve. Her Orthopedic doctor told her she needed to see a neurologist because he did not believe the symptoms were related. The neurologist tested Adriane for Lupus, MS and a whole host of autoimmune diseases. She was borderline positive for an autoimmune disease but they explained that Lyme acts like an autoimmune disease and triggers an autoimmune response. She had a brain MRI.  She had a CT scan showing Inflammation in her stomach lining so she had a colonoscopy and endoscopy. She then was sent to an Infectious Disease Specialist where they tested again for Lyme and Adriane was positive.
When treated promptly, in Stage 1, Lyme has a decent cure rate. There are 3 stages of Lyme. Adriane is currently in Stage 2 with symptoms of Stage 3 arising rapidly. Adriane has just completed a 28 day treatment of antibiotics intravenously through a PICC Line in her left arm. The next step in treatment would be oral antibiotics, but due to Adriane's allergic reactions to most of the "go-to" antibiotics used to treat Lyme, she has limited resources of antibiotics the doctor's can choose from. Because of the late diagnosis, failure to complete the full antibiotic regime required to treat Chronic Lyme, there are other co-infections she is being faced with due to all of the other tick borne diseases. Adriane is being tested for other co-infections currently. Her doctor can also do limited testing due to what Adriane's Health Insurance company is covering. They have denied claims of over $25,000 which Adriane is having to fight her insurance and get signatures from her doctors as proof that she has indeed needed everything that they are being billed for. Adriane's symptoms include: chills, fever, headaches, fatigue, pain weakness/numbness in legs and arms, vision changes, heart problems (palpitations, chest pain, waking up at night), rashes all over body. The Stage 3 symptoms she is experiencing already are: short term memory problems, arthritis in joints, sleep disturbances, and disturbances in heart rhythm. The fear of returning to work is upon her. She returns soon and is unsure of how much she will actually be able to handle. She has already taken 2 months off, one month for her neck surgery and then the next month for her 28 day cycle of antibiotics. She is a server at a very high end restaurant in Nashville TN with great healthcare benefits and is fearful that will all go away soon once she starts to try to work again.
Adriane's family lives half in California and half in Michigan. Her parents flew down to Nashville, where Adriane has made her home the past 11yrs, to take care of her as long as they could. She lives alone in her newly purchased home with her beloved dogs. I am her only "family" in Nashville and she is worried she can not financially sustain a life on her own anymore as long as her Lyme symptoms worsen. Her needs are forcing her to become more dependent on others whether it be, grocery shopping, doctor appointments or helping her carry heavy items into the home. Together, we have looked into alternatives to treating Lyme, as when Lyme reaches a certain point, antibiotics are no longer effective. It is due to "cystic encapsulation" or due to its "growth in the form of biofilms" which will not allow antibiotics to kill the bacteria anymore. She has already started trying to eat the proper diet to create an anti-inflammatory system inside of her so that the Lyme will not feel welcome. This is expensive and costly. We have also researched a few protocols that have led to cure's in other Chronic Lyme sufferers. There is no "one cure" that the medical doctors can say they have pin-pointed. One protocol we looked into is, "The Stemaid" Lyme Disease Protocol, which includes Enzymes, to break the borrelial cysts and biofilms. Specific Diet, to inhibit the quorum-sensing activity of the bacteria. Natural Anti-Pathogenic treatments such as: Ozone Therapy, Chelation Therapy and 20 Million Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment. There are other protocols in Nashville (For example: The Center for Restorative Medicine) that include specific diet and enzymes but just the first visit to one of these facilities is $400.00 just to be seen. We've looked at Envita Medical Center in Arizona which also has amazing protocols. But none of these facilities/doctors take insurance at this time. Health Insurance Companies usually only cover the treatment needed for the 1st Stage of Lyme and not beyond. With that said, all these other treatments for Stages 2 and 3 of Lyme would be out of pocket. Money Adriane does not have. 
Adriane is seeking financial help for wages lost, borrowed and needed going forward. She is hoping to start one of these protocols as soon as possible to gain relief and possibly stop her symptoms from continuing to get worse. Her most worrisome symptoms are, her neurological symptoms(short term memory loss), arthritis in joints (making it hard to stand for hours at work), severe depression (lyme related as well) and her heart problems she is now facing as the Lyme is in her heart. She is going to a cardiologist next to have an Ecco performed as soon as her insurance allows. 
Thank you for reading, please spread awareness of Lyme. We all are so busy in our lives that we doubt those aches and pains are more then they really are. If this was caught sooner, her chances of a cure would've been much higher. Now she is faced with co-infections and alternative medicines to help relieve her of her pains and struggles. I pray that my best friend can find some relief and continue following her dreams the way she dreamt them instead of worrying if she can carry in her dog food on her own at 35.