I have talked about it on here before, of how the good Lord literally led me to take a Lyme's assessment I saw on Facebook. At first I poo-pooed it like many of you probably have or will. Then suddenly the brain fog I had been living with for years was lifted and replaced by hope! I wasn't losing my ever-loving mind, and I wasn't aging quicker than I should be. I discovered I do have a debilitating condition...yet it is also a treatable one! If you are interested in taking it or even curious about the symptoms, it is worth the time invested. Click the link and scroll down to download the assessment. A detailed list of symptoms is also below:
By now some of you are yanking on the anchor, wanting to stop this ship in mid-sail. What do I mean..."self-diagnosis?" After I took this positively conclusive assessment I immediately started looking for a local Lyme-literate doctor. Everything I was reading prepared me that a typical, allopathic doctor will not treat for the dis-ease. I go to a naturopath anyway, so it was my instinct to head that direction. I found a clinic in Chapel Hill that looked promising! This is how my conversation went with the overly enthusiastic office manager:
Him: She is THE BEST Lyme's doctor in the country, patients just flock here!
Me: Great! So how does she diagnose? Does she do blood tests or what?
Him: No, blood tests are inconclusive at the chronic stage so she will diagnose based on symptoms. But she still draws blood anyway. You'll LOVE her!
Me: I had read that about the blood tests, and I have already done an extensive questionnaire. So, what does it cost and how long can I expect to be there for my first appointment?
Him: She charges $375/hour and you will be here around 3 hours. That price does not include your bloodwork. We have an opening 6 weeks from now, aren't you excited?
Me: Hmm. So, let me get this straight. I am to suffer for 6 more weeks without relief or answers. Then, I will be paying over a thousand bucks to get blood drawn for unnecessary labwork as well as fill out a detailed assessment I have already done myself for free?
Him: But she's so good!
I hung up with Mr. Jolly and immediately called my naturopath, sent her my assessment results, booked an appointment to see her the following week. She made calls to doctors in her network and sent me a few things to do to get me by before my appointment. I ordered my infrared sauna and ionic detox footbath from Amazon, had them the next day.
Today at the one-year mark I took the assessment again, and there have been many improvements! My hair is no longer falling out, my daily migraine is now weekly, brain fog has diminished, memory is improving, fewer muscle twitches, night sweats are reduced, not as dizzy upon standing. Energy level is greatly improved. Many other changes and improvements yet I still have quite a ways to go for a complete reversal of symptoms. At least I am starting to have more good days than bad!
Lyme's is a whole-body condition that can affect every system and every organ of your body, that is precisely why it is notoriously mis-diagnosed and under-diagnosed. I helped one of my college friends self-diagnose this week after many years of her doctors not listening to her. It is a tricky condition, certainly frustrating at best and debilitating at worst. But it is one that IS treatable and I am determined to be a success story on the other end of my diagnosis. And with that, I am off to kill some spirochetes in my sauna ;-)
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