Speaking of Health…
So speaking of health…
In the past 6 months of my doom and gloom I have spent a fair amount of time in the doctor's office and giving blood samples. I knew something was wrong but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. “Human bodies are complicated, this must just be how they feel!” Boy was I wrong. My list of symptoms is long so I’ll spare you the details. But living in acute, constant pain and miserable physical discomfort for the last year and some change is the brief, PG version. I chalked this all up to heightened anxiety around a rushed graduation and jump into my career. Of course my anxiety would be higher! There were so many new and exciting (as well as intimidating) things happening, and anxiety around the unknown is natural and these were just my side effects. Surely they’d go away! Lol, they didn't. They only got worse and more visible to the ones I love.
So I went to my doctor, expecting her to tell me that everyone feels this way sometimes, but instead she looked at me with obvious concern. She said, “Have you ever been tested for Lyme disease?” and I said, “No...I’ve never been bit by a tick that I’m aware of.” Which then prompted her to run an entire Lyme disease blood panel on me. It came back inconclusive, which is a key sign for “highly positive in a certain area,” so I was tested again, but specifically for Bartonella Lyme Disease. And ding ding ding we have a winner! It lit up like a Christmas tree. I was not just positive for Bartonella, but very positive for Bartonella. For reference, a “normal range” for someone with exposure to Bartonella is 1:64. Mine was 1:128. Upon further discussion with my doctor, I could have been fighting this thing for close to 6 years, although it has become very apparent in the last year and a half. Who knew!
I’ll go ahead and answer your questions:
No, I don't know how I got it or when. Bartonella can be transmitted via tick, mite bite, flea bite, mosquitos, and spiders. Living in Florida and playing an outdoor sport, it could have been any one of these scenarios.
Yes, I'm pretty much uncomfortable and feel like sh*t all the time (to varying degrees depending on the day) and honestly assumed everyone else felt generally similar (thank god you don’t).
I’m on two hefty antibiotics, a medical grade probiotic, and two botanical supplements 2x a day for at least the next 2 months until I get retested to see if my numbers drop.
What I do know is that I’ll be okay! I know that I won’t be feeling any better for the foreseeable future because as I take the antibiotics, Bartonella will continue to fight back. But I’m not scared. One because I’d be shocked if I could feel worse, and two because I know it can be fixed. I’m honestly incredibly grateful my doctor decided to run a Lyme test because it could've gone undetected for longer. Lyme is commonly missed or looked over. I feel a sense of relief for finally having answers as to why I’ve been feeling so sh*tty for so long and am now on a path to feeling better.
The last thing I want is for my friends and family to feel bad for me. Please don't! Honestly I'm okay. Yes it sucks, but having never known would have sucked far more. I'm on a path to get better and I can't wait to experience “feeling normal.” I think about it like this: look at all I’ve done while my body has been fighting this Lyme disease! In the last 6 years I have done a lot of suffering in silence while doing a lot of really cool things. My body has finally just said enough is enough and it can't fight this on its own anymore, and it shouldn't have to. I’m so grateful to be able to have the resources I need to function properly. I’m also so grateful to have such supporting friends and family to fight with me on the hard days.
No matter how hard Bartonella fights me, I can promise I’ll fight back harder. Here’s to “better living through chemistry!” (Thanks, dad, for that quote).
P.S.— my picture is of my final blood draw & my concoction of meds :)