Help Isabella Get Lyme Treatment
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Our daughter Isabella is a 4 year old, outgoing, dramatic, funny, and amazing little girl. She is one of the most caring and loving children I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She can be very loud and spunky, and at times a total handful, but none the less, she's a blessing in our lives.
In May of this year, 2017, she started getting a fever on and off. I thought nothing of it. I took her to her pediatrician to make sure nothing else was going on, and was told it may be a virus and she'd probably end up with other symptoms. Well, that never happened. The fever disappeared after a few days, and that was that. I didn't think about it again.
Then in June, she got bit by a tick. I took her to the pediatrician and was told it wasn't on her long enough to give her anything, and that I had nothing to worry about. Maybe a week later, there was a bite mark on her neck. I'll have the pictures posted above. It didn't look like a tick bite, but it was hot and red and was growing by the day. Again, I took her to the dr. I was once again told that she was fine and that it was probably a mosquito bite. I left feeling slightly annoyed because I had a gut feeling it had been tick bite. The next morning the bite was gone completely... but that night, she got another fever. This time, it was sudden and extremely high... over 104. She had been playing and acting like herself, and we came home from the playground where she went in her room and went to sleep on the floor.. if you know Bella.. this is NOT something she'd do. I tried to wake her for dinner with no real luck. The fever held at 104. She began complaining that she couldn't walk because her leg bones were hurting. She complained of a severe belly ache, was throwing up even in her sleep, and had a horrible headache. She became really lethargic, and quit eating and drinking until I ended up in the ER with her to get IV fluids because she was so dehydrated (that was the following night). That was Latrobe Hospital. The dr on call that night looked at myself and her step mom who was with me, smirked and said "kids get fevers". And that was the end of that. Sent us on our merry way with zofran and no answers.
The next day, she got even more sick. Her fever was still 104. With the meds it was only going down to 101. Bella's step mom and I had them do the test for Lyme the night before but no antibiotic had been given. So she laid on the floor in my living room all day that day and wouldn't eat a thing and barely drank anything. The next day I took her to her pediatrician and was told she had Lyme. Before her appt, her lymph nodes had swollen to the size of a golf ball in her neck, and from her scalp to below her shoulder was a massive bullseye rash. She was put on 28 days of doxycycline.
Fast forward 3 weeks. I thought the dr may be right, the treatment works. She seems alright, not eating a ton, but every day was getting better. Then one night, she had the fever again. And the same symptoms. This time the joint pain is also in her arms. She's not eating much, I'm forcing her to drink, and she's got another bullseye rash on her neck behind her ear that's hot and red, with two giant lymphnodes sticking out of her neck again.
We are at a loss right now. Her dr is a branch off of children's and they told me that beyond the antibiotic treatment, other options won't be covered by her insurance. We have found a few Lyme literate drs but each are a drive, and we are going to have to pay out of pocket. I've done a ton of research. Starting out for visits that are 1-1 & 1/2 hours plus treatments and testing that isn't covered by insurance, plus the gas and hotels wherever we take here, we're going to be into the thousands. First visits range from $170-$500 and most charge up to $300 an hour for following visits.
This is our baby. She is my life. She is her father's life, and also her step mom's. we are all very close and are hurting over this. I can't watch her get any sicker. I can't stand seeing her suffer any longer, knowing that her drs can't do anything else to help. We NEED to see one of these Lyme drs. It's a must. We are begging people to pitch in anything you can, even if all you can do is pray for us and our little Bella, so that we can try and get her the help she really needs! We all work and are going to do what we can, but we know what it's gonna take, and we're just praying God sends some help our way. We are grateful that the medicine had slowed it for the first 3 weeks. But with only a week left on this medicine, I'm scared of the illness she may face once it's gone.
Please share this with everyone you know. She is only 4 years old and does not deserve to suffer through this. We can get her the medical diagnosis and medications she will need to start her journey to recovery from Lyme, but we are financially unable to do it on our own. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! God bless.



In May of this year, 2017, she started getting a fever on and off. I thought nothing of it. I took her to her pediatrician to make sure nothing else was going on, and was told it may be a virus and she'd probably end up with other symptoms. Well, that never happened. The fever disappeared after a few days, and that was that. I didn't think about it again.
Then in June, she got bit by a tick. I took her to the pediatrician and was told it wasn't on her long enough to give her anything, and that I had nothing to worry about. Maybe a week later, there was a bite mark on her neck. I'll have the pictures posted above. It didn't look like a tick bite, but it was hot and red and was growing by the day. Again, I took her to the dr. I was once again told that she was fine and that it was probably a mosquito bite. I left feeling slightly annoyed because I had a gut feeling it had been tick bite. The next morning the bite was gone completely... but that night, she got another fever. This time, it was sudden and extremely high... over 104. She had been playing and acting like herself, and we came home from the playground where she went in her room and went to sleep on the floor.. if you know Bella.. this is NOT something she'd do. I tried to wake her for dinner with no real luck. The fever held at 104. She began complaining that she couldn't walk because her leg bones were hurting. She complained of a severe belly ache, was throwing up even in her sleep, and had a horrible headache. She became really lethargic, and quit eating and drinking until I ended up in the ER with her to get IV fluids because she was so dehydrated (that was the following night). That was Latrobe Hospital. The dr on call that night looked at myself and her step mom who was with me, smirked and said "kids get fevers". And that was the end of that. Sent us on our merry way with zofran and no answers.
The next day, she got even more sick. Her fever was still 104. With the meds it was only going down to 101. Bella's step mom and I had them do the test for Lyme the night before but no antibiotic had been given. So she laid on the floor in my living room all day that day and wouldn't eat a thing and barely drank anything. The next day I took her to her pediatrician and was told she had Lyme. Before her appt, her lymph nodes had swollen to the size of a golf ball in her neck, and from her scalp to below her shoulder was a massive bullseye rash. She was put on 28 days of doxycycline.
Fast forward 3 weeks. I thought the dr may be right, the treatment works. She seems alright, not eating a ton, but every day was getting better. Then one night, she had the fever again. And the same symptoms. This time the joint pain is also in her arms. She's not eating much, I'm forcing her to drink, and she's got another bullseye rash on her neck behind her ear that's hot and red, with two giant lymphnodes sticking out of her neck again.
We are at a loss right now. Her dr is a branch off of children's and they told me that beyond the antibiotic treatment, other options won't be covered by her insurance. We have found a few Lyme literate drs but each are a drive, and we are going to have to pay out of pocket. I've done a ton of research. Starting out for visits that are 1-1 & 1/2 hours plus treatments and testing that isn't covered by insurance, plus the gas and hotels wherever we take here, we're going to be into the thousands. First visits range from $170-$500 and most charge up to $300 an hour for following visits.
This is our baby. She is my life. She is her father's life, and also her step mom's. we are all very close and are hurting over this. I can't watch her get any sicker. I can't stand seeing her suffer any longer, knowing that her drs can't do anything else to help. We NEED to see one of these Lyme drs. It's a must. We are begging people to pitch in anything you can, even if all you can do is pray for us and our little Bella, so that we can try and get her the help she really needs! We all work and are going to do what we can, but we know what it's gonna take, and we're just praying God sends some help our way. We are grateful that the medicine had slowed it for the first 3 weeks. But with only a week left on this medicine, I'm scared of the illness she may face once it's gone.
Please share this with everyone you know. She is only 4 years old and does not deserve to suffer through this. We can get her the medical diagnosis and medications she will need to start her journey to recovery from Lyme, but we are financially unable to do it on our own. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! God bless.
Organizer
Hannah Taylor
Organizer
Latrobe, PA
