HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Let's all welcome Lyme_Fighter!! She has a 21 yr old w/ Lyme - please make her feel welcome!

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/5/2011 10:48 AM (GMT -5)
Hello and welcome Lyme_Fighter!!!
I moved you post to a new thread so that more of our member would see your post and hopefully you can get more responses!

-----------------------------------------------------
hello. brand new to this forum. SO GRATEFUL I FOUND YOU!

i am a mom of a 21-year-old who has lyme disease. she has had a very long road. starting with years of trying to figure out what was going on. was finally diagnosed what will be 4 years in december. she's on IV's daily, orals, numerous alternative supplements etc. she has lyme with bart and babisia (sp?), iron deficient anemia, celiac disease, among a myriad of complications.
i could go on and on, but my question/dilemma is, i'm a single mom. the costs of the disease has depleted any savings i had. a family member has stepped in, but she needs more care than i can give and she, herself, is doing too much to be able to really heal. i'm exhausted. redface my job is in jeopardy, my personal relationships have disappeared, and i'm at a loss. i'd love to start dating again, as i feel my window's closing in. i feel selfish even saying that.

i also have a 90-year-old mom who needs some assistance, not a lot, and i'm just empty. don't know what to do or how to handle all of this. ER visits, doctor appts, last minute situations are challenging, as i'm sure you all know.

are there any caretakers of a family member with lyme who can give me some advice/support?

thank you so much for any suggestions. :smile
Posted 8/5/2011 10:49 AM (GMT -5)
Teeners, I moved your post along with Lyme_Fighter's since you were responding to her post this morning!
--------------------------------------------------------

hi lyme_fighter,
im guessing my parents could very much relate to your situation. im a 21 year old with possible lymes, and have been suffering from primarily neuro symptoms for 7 months. ive seen so many specialists and still have no diagnosis. my parents are scared and worried, have lost sleep, taken off many days of work, and my mom confessed to me the other day that she burst into tears when she walked into work. its been a stressful time, not just for myself, but for them too. and now that we have exhausted many options covered by insurance, we are looking to do IGeneX testing and seeing an LLMD out of pocket. i've also started taking supplements. i cant even imagine what the future holds. but one perspective i can give you, is that the emotional support my parents give me is what has helped me most thus far. i dont know what i would do without them comforting me and assuring me everything will be ok. we havent reached the money challenges yet, but my parents have canceled trips, and changed their lives significantly to be here for me. and believe me, it doesnt feel good knowing how im affecting others lives. but at the same time, realize how very much you are appreciated! being on the other side of your story, the 21 year old with a serious illness, your selfless actions are truly heroic in my eyes! i seriously couldnt imagine fighting this without my mom and dad, and i know your daughter feels the same way about your support. hope that can make you feel a little better about your situation!
Posted 8/5/2011 11:34 AM (GMT -5)
Hi Lyme_Fighter!
Welcome to our forum! I am so sorry to hear of both your and your daughter's situations!! I know it has to be really rough on you! Hang in there! We can help you understand what your daughter is going through, and this is a great place to get and give advice, information, and support!!! smilewinkgrin

If you haven't already, it would be beneficial for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of relevant information and informative links that have been put together by our members here! We also have a pretty good search function on this forum to help you narrow down your search for information from past posts.

Some of the info that you will be able to find there includes links like these: www.pparx.org/

www.freemedicineprogram.org/

www.mhcr.com/?404=Y

www.needymeds.org/


Here is a link for help with heating/cooling for your home: www.nationalfuelfunds.org/

And although your daughter is no longer a teen, she might still enjoy and find support in this social network set up for teens with Lyme Disease: www.lymeteens.socialgo.com/

For more support for you, have you checked into any care givers support groups? Here is one I found that might be of some help for you with an eye more to the support of your Mom: www.caregiver.com/index.htm

Here are a couple of other site that offer care-giver support groups (we are still working on getting a care-givers support group going on Healing Well):

www.sageminder.com/

/www.thefamilycaregiver.org/connecting_caregivers/?gclid=CMODy5HHuKoCFQet7QodBTcP7Q

I discovered that there were many that were state specific, so I would recommend that you google "Support groups for care givers of young adults" for yourself so that you can choose a group that is located near you.

Of course that is not to say that you can't get lots of support right here! I would assume that most support sites won't be able to relate to any thing having to do with Lyme and other tick-borne infections and the frustrations of getting through those treatments, but we sure do!!! Like I said earlier, we can even give you some insight as to what your daughter is most likely going through, not to mention give you some advice to do with her treatment options.

As you can see by Teeners post, we have young people living with TBI's (tick-borne infections) here that your daughter could connect with as well!

We are so glad that you found us! We look forward to hearing more of your story and your daughter's story!! Maybe your daughter will even do some posting???
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply