This is my story and I'm so thankful you are here.
I have chronic Lyme disease or Lyme-MSIDS (multiple system infectious disease syndrome). This means I am immune compromised by many infections including borrelia burgdorferi (lyme bacteria) and many others (babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, rickettsia, mycoplasma, EBV, staph, and coxsackie virus).
2017 was a year I will never forget: life as I knew it rapidly shifted.
March to May brought on excruciating trigeminal neuralgia, the discovery of multiple dental issues, and a slew of infections, flus, that I couldn't seem to recover from. July to September threw me into a tornado so intense, I thought I was dying and clung to my center for dear life as an onslaught of pain and overwhelming symptoms became my reality. There was no rest from relentless panic attacks, insomnia, joint pain, chronic migraines, tinnitus, extreme visual changes, heart palpitations and tightness in my chest, vascular inflammation, hypersensitivity to light, noise, smells, food, chemicals, people, environments outside of home. I experienced the symptoms of meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis, subacute thyroiditis, hyperadrenal syndrome, colitis, vasculitis, and the list just kept growing. My cognitive functions plummeted, I couldn't remember words, short term memory was impaired, dizziness and vertigo became a constant companion. The pain and pressure in my head felt like it would split me open. The fatigue and lightheadedness was so debilitating, the thought of showering or attempting to dress was excruciating and anxiety-inducing.
When I could no longer work, my car was sold to help manage bills and my journey towards diagnosis began with weekly doctor visits, endless tests, visits to hospitals, specialists, and natural therapists. I was so desperate to know what was happening. It took almost a year to finally achieve a diagnosis, confirmed by private doctors and expensive out of country labs. To date, I have spent over 20,000 in an attempt to manage my symptoms and find answers.
As is often the case, I had no awareness of being bitten, and the Canadian medical system refused to acknowledge I had the condition at all. The OHIP covered Lyme test was negative (I later discovered it is only 15-30% accurate). I was told by Infectious Disease doctors that I likely had post-lyme syndrome: a psychosomatic medically unexplainable condition. In other words, it was in my head. MRIs, thorough cardiac tests, endless blood tests, all sorts of "experts" couldn't confirm what was wrong with me. Just that something was.
My story is all too common. Chronic Lyme Disease is known as the great imitator and can be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all for the majority of its sufferers.
It is currently at pandemic levels all over the world. Unfortunately, as a Canadian, it is very hard to receive proper diagnosis or any care for chronic Lyme disease. The only CDC allowable treatment for Lyme infection is one month of doxycycline antibiotic. Beyond that, no clinical help is offered. This leaves patients with systemic infection and persistent physical damage from these infections unable to receive the appropriate treatment and support from our medical community. Or worse, being misdiagnosed with conditions like MS, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psychiatric disorders, and not getting any better. Most will spend tens of thousands of dollars, visit endless lists of doctors and specialists, and suffer years of illness before finding the correct diagnosis to their history of symptoms.
There is huge political debate over everything related to lyme.
Because of the CDC stance, no treatment is covered by OHIP and most treatment protocols require 2+ years for remission. Complicating matters even more, Lyme sufferers typically have multiple infections with various tick borne bacteria, parasites and opportunistic viruses, leading to toxic overload, immune system impairment and chronic inflammation that need skillful natural and medical therapy to overcome.
What I do know is that I was likely infected more than a decade ago in Tennessee, and the sepsis effect of MSIDS was activated by unrelenting stress.
I am now on this journey and it has changed my life in every way.
As a single self employed woman, it has been the most challenging experience I have ever faced. The ongoing financial stress of living costs and debts from school, personal fear revolving around my health, and the responsibilities to my own patients is what I attempt to balance everyday. I simplified my life as much as possible, working from home part-time, minimizing any toxicity in my environment, relationships. I am in the process of healing, and working to be the best healer I can be, simultaneously. I need your help and support to make that happen. There are no quick or easy fixes, Lyme requires you to be completely committed to your own well being and self preservation above anything else. With very limited resources, I have made great strides in my understanding but I need your help to physically overcome this battle!
With support, I will continue treatment protocols with a lyme-literate MD and ND in Canada. The funds raised will be used for anti-microbial and IV therapies, manual therapies, detox treatments, psychotherapy and reiki, testing, laboratory, and consultation fees. I anticipate I will need at minimum 1000 each month for ongoing treatments. Unfortunately, I have no resources to afford this right now. What I do have is a warrior spirit and a faith in my own ability to heal.
For whatever you can offer, your love and kindness, I am extremely grateful. As I heal, I will do my part to raise awareness about Lyme disease and use the pain of this process to bring even more compassion and love to my work. I dream of celebrating the women who are also transmuting their pain into power, using illness as a tool for awakening. I would love your support to make this happen. Please help me rebuild my life so I can pay it forward.
Thank you for reading!
Love to you all,
Sofia
Links to information about Lyme:
https://rawlsmd.com/health-conditions/lyme-disease
http://underourskin.com Documentary on lyme disease epidemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTeaSzQr_Iw&t=312s Dr. Bransfield on dysfunctions in medical system surrounding diagnosis/treatment of lyme
https://canlyme.com/ Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
www.lymehope.ca Canadian non-profit dedicated to education & outreach
www.gmagnottafoundation.com Foundation of lyme research lab: University of Guelph
https://www.ilads.org/patient-care/provider-search/ International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society - practitioner search
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfDUck-4F48 The spectrum & feeling of lyme symptoms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZu0wEOFVM8 Dr Horowitz discussing the complexity of Lyme-MSIDS
https://badlymeattitude.com/2016/08/26/lyme-cryme-how-it-all-went-down/ Videos/education re: history of vaccinations, suppressed research, CDC stance
https://canlyme.com/tag/lawsuit/ Just the beginning: current lawsuits being filed for negligence and fraud
https://www.facebook.com/groups/109641565741740/?ref=br_rs OHOH CANADA: online education/support group for Lyme patients and their advocates
If you know ANYONE who suspects they have LYME: encourage them to take the HOROWITZ QUESTIONNAIRE, connect to the OHOH CANADA Facebook group, and look for lyme literate practitioners. I'm happy to connect with anyone starting this journey (contact me on FB: Sofia Jambor):
http://lymeontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Horowitz-Questionnaire.pdf
I have chronic Lyme disease or Lyme-MSIDS (multiple system infectious disease syndrome). This means I am immune compromised by many infections including borrelia burgdorferi (lyme bacteria) and many others (babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, rickettsia, mycoplasma, EBV, staph, and coxsackie virus).
2017 was a year I will never forget: life as I knew it rapidly shifted.
March to May brought on excruciating trigeminal neuralgia, the discovery of multiple dental issues, and a slew of infections, flus, that I couldn't seem to recover from. July to September threw me into a tornado so intense, I thought I was dying and clung to my center for dear life as an onslaught of pain and overwhelming symptoms became my reality. There was no rest from relentless panic attacks, insomnia, joint pain, chronic migraines, tinnitus, extreme visual changes, heart palpitations and tightness in my chest, vascular inflammation, hypersensitivity to light, noise, smells, food, chemicals, people, environments outside of home. I experienced the symptoms of meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis, subacute thyroiditis, hyperadrenal syndrome, colitis, vasculitis, and the list just kept growing. My cognitive functions plummeted, I couldn't remember words, short term memory was impaired, dizziness and vertigo became a constant companion. The pain and pressure in my head felt like it would split me open. The fatigue and lightheadedness was so debilitating, the thought of showering or attempting to dress was excruciating and anxiety-inducing.
When I could no longer work, my car was sold to help manage bills and my journey towards diagnosis began with weekly doctor visits, endless tests, visits to hospitals, specialists, and natural therapists. I was so desperate to know what was happening. It took almost a year to finally achieve a diagnosis, confirmed by private doctors and expensive out of country labs. To date, I have spent over 20,000 in an attempt to manage my symptoms and find answers.
As is often the case, I had no awareness of being bitten, and the Canadian medical system refused to acknowledge I had the condition at all. The OHIP covered Lyme test was negative (I later discovered it is only 15-30% accurate). I was told by Infectious Disease doctors that I likely had post-lyme syndrome: a psychosomatic medically unexplainable condition. In other words, it was in my head. MRIs, thorough cardiac tests, endless blood tests, all sorts of "experts" couldn't confirm what was wrong with me. Just that something was.
My story is all too common. Chronic Lyme Disease is known as the great imitator and can be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all for the majority of its sufferers.
It is currently at pandemic levels all over the world. Unfortunately, as a Canadian, it is very hard to receive proper diagnosis or any care for chronic Lyme disease. The only CDC allowable treatment for Lyme infection is one month of doxycycline antibiotic. Beyond that, no clinical help is offered. This leaves patients with systemic infection and persistent physical damage from these infections unable to receive the appropriate treatment and support from our medical community. Or worse, being misdiagnosed with conditions like MS, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psychiatric disorders, and not getting any better. Most will spend tens of thousands of dollars, visit endless lists of doctors and specialists, and suffer years of illness before finding the correct diagnosis to their history of symptoms.
There is huge political debate over everything related to lyme.
Because of the CDC stance, no treatment is covered by OHIP and most treatment protocols require 2+ years for remission. Complicating matters even more, Lyme sufferers typically have multiple infections with various tick borne bacteria, parasites and opportunistic viruses, leading to toxic overload, immune system impairment and chronic inflammation that need skillful natural and medical therapy to overcome.
What I do know is that I was likely infected more than a decade ago in Tennessee, and the sepsis effect of MSIDS was activated by unrelenting stress.
I am now on this journey and it has changed my life in every way.
As a single self employed woman, it has been the most challenging experience I have ever faced. The ongoing financial stress of living costs and debts from school, personal fear revolving around my health, and the responsibilities to my own patients is what I attempt to balance everyday. I simplified my life as much as possible, working from home part-time, minimizing any toxicity in my environment, relationships. I am in the process of healing, and working to be the best healer I can be, simultaneously. I need your help and support to make that happen. There are no quick or easy fixes, Lyme requires you to be completely committed to your own well being and self preservation above anything else. With very limited resources, I have made great strides in my understanding but I need your help to physically overcome this battle!
With support, I will continue treatment protocols with a lyme-literate MD and ND in Canada. The funds raised will be used for anti-microbial and IV therapies, manual therapies, detox treatments, psychotherapy and reiki, testing, laboratory, and consultation fees. I anticipate I will need at minimum 1000 each month for ongoing treatments. Unfortunately, I have no resources to afford this right now. What I do have is a warrior spirit and a faith in my own ability to heal.
For whatever you can offer, your love and kindness, I am extremely grateful. As I heal, I will do my part to raise awareness about Lyme disease and use the pain of this process to bring even more compassion and love to my work. I dream of celebrating the women who are also transmuting their pain into power, using illness as a tool for awakening. I would love your support to make this happen. Please help me rebuild my life so I can pay it forward.
Thank you for reading!
Love to you all,
Sofia
Links to information about Lyme:
https://rawlsmd.com/health-conditions/lyme-disease
http://underourskin.com Documentary on lyme disease epidemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTeaSzQr_Iw&t=312s Dr. Bransfield on dysfunctions in medical system surrounding diagnosis/treatment of lyme
https://canlyme.com/ Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
www.lymehope.ca Canadian non-profit dedicated to education & outreach
www.gmagnottafoundation.com Foundation of lyme research lab: University of Guelph
https://www.ilads.org/patient-care/provider-search/ International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society - practitioner search
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfDUck-4F48 The spectrum & feeling of lyme symptoms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZu0wEOFVM8 Dr Horowitz discussing the complexity of Lyme-MSIDS
https://badlymeattitude.com/2016/08/26/lyme-cryme-how-it-all-went-down/ Videos/education re: history of vaccinations, suppressed research, CDC stance
https://canlyme.com/tag/lawsuit/ Just the beginning: current lawsuits being filed for negligence and fraud
https://www.facebook.com/groups/109641565741740/?ref=br_rs OHOH CANADA: online education/support group for Lyme patients and their advocates
If you know ANYONE who suspects they have LYME: encourage them to take the HOROWITZ QUESTIONNAIRE, connect to the OHOH CANADA Facebook group, and look for lyme literate practitioners. I'm happy to connect with anyone starting this journey (contact me on FB: Sofia Jambor):
http://lymeontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Horowitz-Questionnaire.pdf
Organizer
Sofia Jambor
Organizer