Dear friends,
Hi, I have not visited the HW board in a long time. I contracted LD in May 2006. I came here looking for help and hope. I received both. I recovered and have not been in treatment since August 2007.
Thanks to the people on this board I was able to find a doctor and receive treatment almost immediately. I consider myself lucky.
This post is not about me though. It's about an acquaintance of mine who I met through our local support group last year; a beautiful, vibrant young woman who was once an artist. She has suffered horribly from Lyme disease with co-infections for over 10 years. She was not diagnosed for a long time after first getting sick. She has been through many ups and downs with the illness; has seen doctor after doctor; has taken antibiotics, both oral and IV; has tried all kinds of natural cures.
Last year she began seeing my own lyme-literate doctor C. in MO. Since I became well under Dr. C's care, I assumed the same would happen for her. Instead at this point her illness is worse than ever. This morning I received a long, desperate e-mail from her that was cc'd to all of her friends. It is almost a 'goodbye' letter. I don't know that she means to harm herself ... rather that she believes that she will die soon .... or that she wants to die soon. She has an infection in her arm that is not responding to treatment and she thinks she may lose it.
I don't know how to help this person. I cannot suggest a doctor she has already tried that she no longer trusts, even though he is one of the most respected lyme docs in the country. She is out of money, her family has all but abandoned her. It is difficult for me to help her physically or financially as I am nine months pregnant right now and having a hard time getting out and about myself! Every now and again I receive these desperate e-mails and texts from her. She has been through so much. I understand her pain, her fear, her desperation. I have been there (although to a lesser extent) myself. I know that she wants to live. I know that she is making a desperate plea for someone out there to help her ... but how?
I have always found help and hope here. If any of you have any suggestions or any thoughts about this situation, I would really appreciate it. It is just so hard to stand by and watch someone suffer and feel that there is nothing to be done about it ... thanks to all of you who took the time to read this.