Well, it's Tuesday and once again I had to miss work yesterday and today. Thankfully, I have the time in my absence bank for work, but just got word that my company is changing that policy and we will have a lot fewer days. However, I only have to make it until July 14th then I will be going under FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and will be covered legally for a intermittant or continuous leave of absence for a period of months.
Illness-wise, I have not been feeling good starting Sunday and with my run-down immune system, these days I catch about everything. So, it was off to the doctor after not improving by today and she said I have a raised white-cell count showing up in my lab work (I will spare ya the details). Not surprising since I have that Lyme bacteria causing a steady infection. We have not told her about my diagnosis of Lyme yet because we do not know how she will react. We are going to meet w/ her before my appointment in July but it's just difficult to know what side she will be on in the medical community. We don't want her to blow us off yet, as we need her help in getting me feeling good until my appointment. My guess is she will favor the side that chronic Lyme Disease does not exist (that is what most practitioners say, mostly out of fear of what will happen if they initiate the long-term treatment (you can see my previous blogs for info. on that)) and that a short dose of antibiotics will be the cure, which is the main reason we haven't told her up until this point. We are praying that she would be willing to work w/ us because I have to have a local physician over-seeing my treatment. That would be a major prayer request for us. That God would guide us to someone locally who will agree to work w/ Dr. J during my treatment. So right now, she is going to be putting me on an antibiotic again which is going to make my Lyme symptoms go off the charts like what happened to us in February. We have no choice. but to go on it to cure the current infection, but it is going to be a rough road the next seven days. We would appreciate your prayers as I really need to be able to work. The symptoms last time were horrendous.
Let's see...Brian is wrapping up all of his projects and tests for the semester. He has two major final exams he needs to really study for to pull his 4.0 for another semester. I know he will be able to do it. He is so smart and a wonderful test taker!! He will be glad when this semester is over. He never was able to find a internship w/ the current economy and such, however he is going to try to shadow the accountant at his part-time job to gain some experience. At this point, since it is our plan to travel to SC, it actually works out better that he didn't get an internship because he will be able to come w/ me on that trip. Our big prayer request for the fall would be that God will give Brian a full-time accounting job as he will graduate in December.
The last thing I was going to mention is our current big decision. We kind of came about it in a round-about way. As my previous blogs have mentioned, we have been faced w/ the decision on how to pay for both my treatment (which is horribly expensive) and also at the same time pay for my lost wages in the beginning during my leave of absence (we have heard the first 4 or 5 months are really tough). We have tossed around so many scenarios trying to find one that will work and not leave us owing huge amounts of debt. We are quickly figuring out though, ending up w/ debt is really not an option if we want to start on treatment right away. It's just how we come up w/ the loan money that is tricky. We had thought about waiting to start treatment, but I have been so sick for so long that is a huge risk of the disease getting worse and causing further permanent damage. We don't really want to take that route and have therefore pretty much decided that is not an option. Taking out just a regular loan is not an option for us either as Brian is in school and on my income (especially how un-stable I always am), we would never qualify. So, that is where we came up w/ maybe me going back to school to start my master's. It's crazy, but one day a couple of weeks ago that thought just came to me and then I did a google search for online master's schools and guess what came up? UNK, the school I graduated from. I know a lot of the professors too! This is how it would work if we decide to take this road. I would go on FMLA for about 5 months starting mid-July. Hopefully, that would get me through the rough part of the treatment. During that time, I would go back to school and we would use that loan money to help supplement my lost wages during my leave of absence. It's a lot easier to have a flexible study schedule (studying when I feel good) then trying to work a 10-hour set shift at work. By December or January, hopefully, I would be well enough to go back to work part-time and then Brian would be hopefully working full-time for an accounting firm. This would also enable me to do something w/ education which I love, and at the same time help my teaching certificate to stay active and help the educational gaps on my resume to not be so large.
However, every time we use the word "hopefully" above, that characterizes a huge risk. With the economy right now, there is always a chance Brian would not get a full-time accounting job. Also, w/ my unsteady job security w/ either not meeting my difficult metrics or being too sick to work, that is also a risk. Also, obviously by the end we would come out w/ higher school loan payments (not too terrible, but definitely an increase). On the other side though, if we try wait to start treatment, there won't really be a time where we could afford for me not to work at least part-time without having some kind of supplemental income in replacment to help w/ medical and living expenses until Brian gets enough promotions at an accounting job where he is making quite a bit a year.
So, we kind of feel stuck choosing to go this way. I did apply to Grad school and submitted my admission project last week in case we do decide to go this way. We would appreciate your prayers!!!! This is a HUGE decision for us that takes a lot of faith on our part. We are basically assuming or believing that my treatment will work enough for me to go back to teaching in a brick and mortar setting or even in an online web-based school, once I am done w/ my masters. Of course I could always probably go back to full-time at my company, but it would be tight on that income having to pay for higher loan payments. So, you can see our quandary. We would really appreciate your prayers and also any advice that any of you would have. Maybe one of you will get an idea about another way we could do this...we would take any of your thoughts right now as we are desperate for some counsel!!
Well, once again, I have managed to blab on forever. I really promise you that one of these days, it will be short. Ha!!
May God shower his spring blessings upon each one of you!
In Christ,
Brian and Dawn
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Who to see?
Happy Easter! We hope that you have a wonderful time celebrating our risen Savior Jesus Christ w/ your friends and family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with all of you and we hope that God will be glorified and your heart will be touched in a new way.
As you can see, I (Dawn) got a little creative a day or so ago w/ our blog. Not sure if Brian likes all the pink, but I did make sure that the design had some blue somewhere on the page. :)
Brian is wrapping down his spring classes, 4 weeks to go to be exact. He has done so well at his studies at the University of Arizona. He received a scholarship of $1000 for this semester and currently has a 4.0. He finds accounting interesting and is excited to graduate in Dec. 09 and begin his career. Brian has interviewed for summer internships, but the opportunities are far and few between because of the economy. He is waiting to hear back about one more opportunity, but both of us have mentioned that maybe it's the Lord's will for him not to have an internship so that we can attend all these doctor appointments (not a super fun way to spend the summer, lol). He will definitely be interviewing like crazy in the fall for January employment.
Well, this week has been filled w/ a lot of decisions, going back and forth w/ the pros and cons of each physician (who we should see), where we are willing to travel and what treatment protocol we feel comfortable with etc. Lyme Disease is such a tricky illness to treat. LLMD's (Lyme Literate Medical Doctors) have such a variety of protocols that they use to treat their patients. Some use the more holistic/naturalistic approach and some go more the western medicine route w/ supplements.
Our first decision was to decide which path we wanted to take. As a result of Lyme, I am already extremely allergic to almost everything, but seem to have a worse time when things are in their natural form. So, we decided to go w/ a physician that treats more along the western medicine philosophy. I will still have to use supplements, but hopefully they will be well tolerated. So, by making that decision, that did eliminate the physician that diagnosed me w/ Lyme Disease in Phoenix. As we prayed about doing his treatment, we just did not feel a sense of peace. His treatment protocol is extremely different than the guidelines posted by the leading Lyme physician, Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. (link is on the left side). I will spare all the details, but some of the drugs/herbs that he uses through IV are just a little too controversial for our taste.
So, now we were back to looking for other physicians. About a month ago, I made an appointment w/ Dr. Jemsek who is based out of SC. He is the BEST physician and people travel all over the world to see him. I called mid-March and was not able to get an appointment until July 14th. Although I made the appointment, we still have been searching for anyone closer (CA, NV, NM, AZ, TX etc.). It's been a crazy week and I have spent hours every day researching. I would find a doctor and then do extensive research and come up w/ mixed referrals. I belong to a great Lyme support website called Lyme Friends and can get a lot of feedback on physicians and the success of their treatments by patients actual experiences. I found a couple physicians in CA, however the reviews were mixed and some of them are choosing to switch to Dr. J after years of unsuccessful treatment.
After praying about this decision and tapping all our resources, we are really considering making the jump and choosing Dr. J. He is extremely expensive (if I actually posted his costs (insurance will not cover any of it), you would probably fall off your chair :0) ), but his success stories and positive referrals are wonderful. My case is so extreme when it comes to how Lyme Disease has damaged my immune system, that we are going to need someone who is very attentive, patient, and aggressive w/ treatment. That is a small taste of the feedback we get about Dr. J. There are just a lot of factors at play. Treating long distance is tricky w/ trying to see the doctor for follow-up appointments and since I can't fly yet and it will be hard for Brian to take off work to travel to appointments w/ us, so that is why we have been exhausting all other options for closer physicians. Maybe the way that Brian and I might have to look at this is that we basically have one shot to have a treatment work. We cannot afford the treatment in general, but to go w/ a physician, pay for treatment and still end up being very ill, would be an impossibility for us. So, even though travel will be difficult (I am so allergic that it makes staying in hotels very difficult) and very long, we feel like it will be worth it all in the end if I get my health back. However, like I said, we are still trying to look at all options available.
Here are some current prayer requests:
1. That God will do His will on whether or not Brian is given a summer internship.
2. Brian will finish out the semester successfully w/ his busy schedule.
3. That Dawn's health will remain stable for me to be able to work steadily.
4. We would find the exact physician that God wants us to go to for treatment and that if it is Dr. J, He will give us a peace about all the details.
5. That God would provide for us financially as we pay for appointments and treatments.
6. For Dawn to be able to take supplements to build-up her immune system to prepare her for treatment.
So that is where we are. It's tough and scary to make all these decisions not knowing what will be on the other side, however we feel like God has led us every step of this journey and we will continue to trust that he will take care of our every need. We will kind of be on a stall pattern for awhile, so I don't think many blogs will be coming out. Once July hits, we will certainly post more regularly. Well, it is getting close to bedtime and I have managed once again to write a book, lol.
May the Lord bless you and your family!
As you can see, I (Dawn) got a little creative a day or so ago w/ our blog. Not sure if Brian likes all the pink, but I did make sure that the design had some blue somewhere on the page. :)
Brian is wrapping down his spring classes, 4 weeks to go to be exact. He has done so well at his studies at the University of Arizona. He received a scholarship of $1000 for this semester and currently has a 4.0. He finds accounting interesting and is excited to graduate in Dec. 09 and begin his career. Brian has interviewed for summer internships, but the opportunities are far and few between because of the economy. He is waiting to hear back about one more opportunity, but both of us have mentioned that maybe it's the Lord's will for him not to have an internship so that we can attend all these doctor appointments (not a super fun way to spend the summer, lol). He will definitely be interviewing like crazy in the fall for January employment.
Well, this week has been filled w/ a lot of decisions, going back and forth w/ the pros and cons of each physician (who we should see), where we are willing to travel and what treatment protocol we feel comfortable with etc. Lyme Disease is such a tricky illness to treat. LLMD's (Lyme Literate Medical Doctors) have such a variety of protocols that they use to treat their patients. Some use the more holistic/naturalistic approach and some go more the western medicine route w/ supplements.
Our first decision was to decide which path we wanted to take. As a result of Lyme, I am already extremely allergic to almost everything, but seem to have a worse time when things are in their natural form. So, we decided to go w/ a physician that treats more along the western medicine philosophy. I will still have to use supplements, but hopefully they will be well tolerated. So, by making that decision, that did eliminate the physician that diagnosed me w/ Lyme Disease in Phoenix. As we prayed about doing his treatment, we just did not feel a sense of peace. His treatment protocol is extremely different than the guidelines posted by the leading Lyme physician, Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. (link is on the left side). I will spare all the details, but some of the drugs/herbs that he uses through IV are just a little too controversial for our taste.
So, now we were back to looking for other physicians. About a month ago, I made an appointment w/ Dr. Jemsek who is based out of SC. He is the BEST physician and people travel all over the world to see him. I called mid-March and was not able to get an appointment until July 14th. Although I made the appointment, we still have been searching for anyone closer (CA, NV, NM, AZ, TX etc.). It's been a crazy week and I have spent hours every day researching. I would find a doctor and then do extensive research and come up w/ mixed referrals. I belong to a great Lyme support website called Lyme Friends and can get a lot of feedback on physicians and the success of their treatments by patients actual experiences. I found a couple physicians in CA, however the reviews were mixed and some of them are choosing to switch to Dr. J after years of unsuccessful treatment.
After praying about this decision and tapping all our resources, we are really considering making the jump and choosing Dr. J. He is extremely expensive (if I actually posted his costs (insurance will not cover any of it), you would probably fall off your chair :0) ), but his success stories and positive referrals are wonderful. My case is so extreme when it comes to how Lyme Disease has damaged my immune system, that we are going to need someone who is very attentive, patient, and aggressive w/ treatment. That is a small taste of the feedback we get about Dr. J. There are just a lot of factors at play. Treating long distance is tricky w/ trying to see the doctor for follow-up appointments and since I can't fly yet and it will be hard for Brian to take off work to travel to appointments w/ us, so that is why we have been exhausting all other options for closer physicians. Maybe the way that Brian and I might have to look at this is that we basically have one shot to have a treatment work. We cannot afford the treatment in general, but to go w/ a physician, pay for treatment and still end up being very ill, would be an impossibility for us. So, even though travel will be difficult (I am so allergic that it makes staying in hotels very difficult) and very long, we feel like it will be worth it all in the end if I get my health back. However, like I said, we are still trying to look at all options available.
Here are some current prayer requests:
1. That God will do His will on whether or not Brian is given a summer internship.
2. Brian will finish out the semester successfully w/ his busy schedule.
3. That Dawn's health will remain stable for me to be able to work steadily.
4. We would find the exact physician that God wants us to go to for treatment and that if it is Dr. J, He will give us a peace about all the details.
5. That God would provide for us financially as we pay for appointments and treatments.
6. For Dawn to be able to take supplements to build-up her immune system to prepare her for treatment.
So that is where we are. It's tough and scary to make all these decisions not knowing what will be on the other side, however we feel like God has led us every step of this journey and we will continue to trust that he will take care of our every need. We will kind of be on a stall pattern for awhile, so I don't think many blogs will be coming out. Once July hits, we will certainly post more regularly. Well, it is getting close to bedtime and I have managed once again to write a book, lol.
May the Lord bless you and your family!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Finally, Things Make Sense....A Diagnosis of Lyme Disease
Where to start....First off, I want to apologize for not keep up with this blog more. I think I started this when I was working part-time and now that I switched to full-time hours, being on the computed after a 10 hour day of using it for work, is not so appealing, lol.
Anyways, I wanted to write and let all of you know we finally have a diagnosis. I will try to sum up our journey up until this point. I promise, I will try to not make it too long, even though most of you know I am long-winded! Ha!
As most of you know, I became very sick in December of '05. I had unexplained severe allergic reactions to EVERYTHING and had horrible bone pain along with a whole load of other symptoms. We saw so many doctors including doctors at the Mayo Clinic and received really no answers as to what happened or why I became so ill. From that point on, life changed. I became extremely sensitive to chemicals, foods, perfumes/colognes etc. It has made life very limiting. I can no longer work outside of the home and have not felt good in a long time. I have to be careful who and what I come in contact with in order to keep my reactions down to a minimum. We have coasted like this for a long time. However, deep down, I refused to believe that "my allergies had just worsened" as we were told by so many doctors and that my other symptoms were just anxiety. So over the past years, I have done a lot research on my own of my symptoms and what possibly could be the cause.
In November of this past year, I was doing some research and I came across Lyme Disease. I looked at the lengthy list of symptoms and found that out of a list of 35, I had about 27. I asked Brian if we should pursue it, but knew testing would be expensive and also I did not remember being bit by a tick. I did remember not feeling well after getting back from the 2nd trip to Sonshine Christian Music Festival in MN, in fact I remember going to A LOT of doctors appointments, describing to them flu-like symptoms and getting shots of antibiotics because I had a high white count and they didn't know what it was from. After two months during that summer, my symptoms subsided and life returned to normal and I completely forgot about it.
I knew enough from what I read on this disease, that to be correctly diagnosed I needed to find a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) to do the testing. Chronic lyme disease is still a controversial condition, it is hard to locate them because those physicians often have to fly under the radar (I will explain more of this later). I finally did locate one in Phoenix, but put off making an appointment because I knew it would be expensive. So I kept up w/ the research but decided to not make an appointment at that time.
Late February this year, I was placed on an antibiotic for a regular infection by my primary physician. I did not react to the medication allergy-wise, but what I experienced as a result of taking it was a flare-up in all the lyme symptoms that i have had. Everything got worse. I would list all the symptoms here but it would take too long and you probably would be baffled at the craziness of all of them. It is quite a list. As a result of my reaction to the antibiotics and I myself knowing that was one of the signs as the antibiotic starts to fight the bacteria that has invaded your whole system, we made an appointment w/ the LLMD in Phoenix.
The appointment itself was a bit of a nightmare because I am so sensitive to cologne and I had an allergic reaction to what the doc was wearing (I am sure none of you are surprised, lol), however the doc was very knowledgeable, prayed w/ us (he is a christian) and for the first time he validated ALL of my symptoms. He said he could basically give me a clinical diagnosis by just listening to my list, however he wanted to have me tested to find out for sure.
Well, today we got our lab results and sure enough, I tested positive for Lyme Disease. Yay!!!!!!!!!!! Who would have thought I would have been so excited to get a diagnosis. lol It just means the world to us to finally have know why life changed so drastically 4 years ago.
Lyme Disease is a very devastating and destructive disease as the bacteria if left untreated can invade your heart, brain and nervous system. At it's worse, it can cause seizures, paralysis and permanent damage. Thankfully, in my case, it has not gone to that level. The doctor did say that the bacteria has destroyed my immune system causing me to be allergic to everything. He said my system is SO shot that it can't fight the lyme bacteria, which is why my symptoms have increased.
As far as treatment goes, this is where we really need your prayers. We have absolutely no idea which way to go. Normal protocol from LLMDs is to do long-term antibiotics, most successful being by IV. At the level of sensitivity I am at w/ drugs, this is quite dangerous. I would have a PORT or PICC line inserted as the way to infuse the drugs into my system. The recommendations that most LLMD's use is by the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). The doc in Phoenix has his own protocol that is very different. It goes more on the holistic/naturalistic approach and uses only IV methods infusing minerals, a cell biofilm destroyer (not sure what that totally means) and then an infusion of antibiotics. We are not totally comfortable going the non-western medicine route yet. The doctor that we have heard that is the best in doing successful treatments world-wide is in South Carolina. He does follow the ILADS protocol and has patients who have made complete recoveries. However, that is a 30 hour drive for us, would mean managing my treatment long distance and would require us to make trips back to SC to have follow-up appointments. We can't fly yet, because I am still too sensitive/ill. So that is what we are currently faced with.
Another big factor is the cost of treatment and when to start it. If you do any research on Lyme Disease it is currently a controversial diagnosis. The documentary "Under our Skin", the video I have posted below, gives you a taste of what is going on in our society. Insurances refuse to cover the long-term treatment because of the cost. Meanwhile, thousands of Lyme Disease patients are suffering and are not able to get treatment or having to pay close to 25,000 out of their own pocket to get well. The IDSA set-up a protocol on how to treat Lyme when diagnosed, which has been repeatedly study by Lyme physicians and has shown to be very ineffective, often leaving the lyme patient seriously ill. However, politics and money have invaded this disease and therefore insurances refuse to pay for treatment. Doctors are afraid to say they treat lyme disease for fear that insurances won't cover their claims and most physicians just plain refuse to treat long-term out of fear of losing their license. So that would be another prayer request, we have absolutely no idea how we will afford the treatment. We know I need it, as I tested positive and we also know the longer we wait the more ill/damage it will do, however financially it seems impossible. We are praying about when to start treatment and might have to delay for awhile until Brian finishes school in Dec. '09. The video below is a trailer for an incredible documentary done to bring Lyme awareness to the public. Fox News is actually in the middle of doing a story on one of their talk-shows as my friend has been interviewed.
This video below shows you the cost of misdiagnosis....
This video shows what effect it has on doctors who will fight to treat this disease correctly.
Well, I think I have written enough for now. I promise to keep our blog updates coming more frequently to let you know about our journey. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! We praise the Lord that He guided and directed us to this diagnosis and know that He will continue to do so as I start treatment.
Blessings!
Anyways, I wanted to write and let all of you know we finally have a diagnosis. I will try to sum up our journey up until this point. I promise, I will try to not make it too long, even though most of you know I am long-winded! Ha!
As most of you know, I became very sick in December of '05. I had unexplained severe allergic reactions to EVERYTHING and had horrible bone pain along with a whole load of other symptoms. We saw so many doctors including doctors at the Mayo Clinic and received really no answers as to what happened or why I became so ill. From that point on, life changed. I became extremely sensitive to chemicals, foods, perfumes/colognes etc. It has made life very limiting. I can no longer work outside of the home and have not felt good in a long time. I have to be careful who and what I come in contact with in order to keep my reactions down to a minimum. We have coasted like this for a long time. However, deep down, I refused to believe that "my allergies had just worsened" as we were told by so many doctors and that my other symptoms were just anxiety. So over the past years, I have done a lot research on my own of my symptoms and what possibly could be the cause.
In November of this past year, I was doing some research and I came across Lyme Disease. I looked at the lengthy list of symptoms and found that out of a list of 35, I had about 27. I asked Brian if we should pursue it, but knew testing would be expensive and also I did not remember being bit by a tick. I did remember not feeling well after getting back from the 2nd trip to Sonshine Christian Music Festival in MN, in fact I remember going to A LOT of doctors appointments, describing to them flu-like symptoms and getting shots of antibiotics because I had a high white count and they didn't know what it was from. After two months during that summer, my symptoms subsided and life returned to normal and I completely forgot about it.
I knew enough from what I read on this disease, that to be correctly diagnosed I needed to find a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) to do the testing. Chronic lyme disease is still a controversial condition, it is hard to locate them because those physicians often have to fly under the radar (I will explain more of this later). I finally did locate one in Phoenix, but put off making an appointment because I knew it would be expensive. So I kept up w/ the research but decided to not make an appointment at that time.
Late February this year, I was placed on an antibiotic for a regular infection by my primary physician. I did not react to the medication allergy-wise, but what I experienced as a result of taking it was a flare-up in all the lyme symptoms that i have had. Everything got worse. I would list all the symptoms here but it would take too long and you probably would be baffled at the craziness of all of them. It is quite a list. As a result of my reaction to the antibiotics and I myself knowing that was one of the signs as the antibiotic starts to fight the bacteria that has invaded your whole system, we made an appointment w/ the LLMD in Phoenix.
The appointment itself was a bit of a nightmare because I am so sensitive to cologne and I had an allergic reaction to what the doc was wearing (I am sure none of you are surprised, lol), however the doc was very knowledgeable, prayed w/ us (he is a christian) and for the first time he validated ALL of my symptoms. He said he could basically give me a clinical diagnosis by just listening to my list, however he wanted to have me tested to find out for sure.
Well, today we got our lab results and sure enough, I tested positive for Lyme Disease. Yay!!!!!!!!!!! Who would have thought I would have been so excited to get a diagnosis. lol It just means the world to us to finally have know why life changed so drastically 4 years ago.
Lyme Disease is a very devastating and destructive disease as the bacteria if left untreated can invade your heart, brain and nervous system. At it's worse, it can cause seizures, paralysis and permanent damage. Thankfully, in my case, it has not gone to that level. The doctor did say that the bacteria has destroyed my immune system causing me to be allergic to everything. He said my system is SO shot that it can't fight the lyme bacteria, which is why my symptoms have increased.
As far as treatment goes, this is where we really need your prayers. We have absolutely no idea which way to go. Normal protocol from LLMDs is to do long-term antibiotics, most successful being by IV. At the level of sensitivity I am at w/ drugs, this is quite dangerous. I would have a PORT or PICC line inserted as the way to infuse the drugs into my system. The recommendations that most LLMD's use is by the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). The doc in Phoenix has his own protocol that is very different. It goes more on the holistic/naturalistic approach and uses only IV methods infusing minerals, a cell biofilm destroyer (not sure what that totally means) and then an infusion of antibiotics. We are not totally comfortable going the non-western medicine route yet. The doctor that we have heard that is the best in doing successful treatments world-wide is in South Carolina. He does follow the ILADS protocol and has patients who have made complete recoveries. However, that is a 30 hour drive for us, would mean managing my treatment long distance and would require us to make trips back to SC to have follow-up appointments. We can't fly yet, because I am still too sensitive/ill. So that is what we are currently faced with.
Another big factor is the cost of treatment and when to start it. If you do any research on Lyme Disease it is currently a controversial diagnosis. The documentary "Under our Skin", the video I have posted below, gives you a taste of what is going on in our society. Insurances refuse to cover the long-term treatment because of the cost. Meanwhile, thousands of Lyme Disease patients are suffering and are not able to get treatment or having to pay close to 25,000 out of their own pocket to get well. The IDSA set-up a protocol on how to treat Lyme when diagnosed, which has been repeatedly study by Lyme physicians and has shown to be very ineffective, often leaving the lyme patient seriously ill. However, politics and money have invaded this disease and therefore insurances refuse to pay for treatment. Doctors are afraid to say they treat lyme disease for fear that insurances won't cover their claims and most physicians just plain refuse to treat long-term out of fear of losing their license. So that would be another prayer request, we have absolutely no idea how we will afford the treatment. We know I need it, as I tested positive and we also know the longer we wait the more ill/damage it will do, however financially it seems impossible. We are praying about when to start treatment and might have to delay for awhile until Brian finishes school in Dec. '09. The video below is a trailer for an incredible documentary done to bring Lyme awareness to the public. Fox News is actually in the middle of doing a story on one of their talk-shows as my friend has been interviewed.
This video below shows you the cost of misdiagnosis....
This video shows what effect it has on doctors who will fight to treat this disease correctly.
Well, I think I have written enough for now. I promise to keep our blog updates coming more frequently to let you know about our journey. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! We praise the Lord that He guided and directed us to this diagnosis and know that He will continue to do so as I start treatment.
Blessings!
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