Fighting For Truth - My Lyme Disease Story

Today I’m sharing my story of how I was finally diagnosed after years of misdiagnosis. This is not meant to be medical advice but is just my personal story. My hope is to encourage those struggling with chronic unexplained illness to pray for wisdom from the Lord. I also hope to raise awareness that. that tick borne illnesses are real and a bullseye rash is not always present to diagnosis them.

May 2024 was the beginning of one of the scariest times in my adult life. I began to feel overly exhausted a few weeks before the first emergency room visit happened. I work full time and have a busy young daughter, so I didn’t think much into it. I should also note that I never really feel great no matter what and hadn’t in years. It had been ongoing for years that I had begun having heart issues, blood pressure issues, POTS, panic attacks, anxiety, stomach problems and the occasional migraines or so that was my original diagnosis. Deep down I think I just had myself convinced this was normal for being in my early forties’ because in all of the years that I had struggled not one doctor seemed to question the why of any of my many health issues. Don’t believe that lie we are not all meant to feel terrible at forty if we have taken care of our bodies.

The beginning of my real struggle for truth

As I struggled more and more, I tried my best to catch as much extra sleep as I could and manage the constant stress I was under, and I continued to push myself. Until one day I just couldn’t handle it anymore and my body finally started warning me that something else was seriously wrong. At that time I couldn’t sleep it off or relax enough to allow my body to heal. It was simply telling me something is wrong and you have to fix it.

In late April and early May I began to have nose bleeds and blood pressure increases that were uncharacteristic for me. I assumed because I had always had blood pressure problems that it was just my blood pressure changing. I called my primary care doctor and instead of seeing me in the office they increased my blood pressure medication over the phone, and they were too busy to see me. This was a bit unsettling to me because the blood pressure medication they increased went from half a pill of my beta blocker to a full 2 pills. I had taken that much once in the past and it had been too much for my body to handle when I expressed concerns about it they didn’t seem concerned at all. At that time, I had what I can only call a temporary lapse in judgement, and I followed their advice despite my concerns that it was too much. Within a few weeks I would have my first emergency room visit. 

Desperate for answers and no where left to turn

The first emergency room visit happened in early May after my body began to show some very odd and uncomfortable signs that something was wrong. That day was a Saturday and i remember telling my husband i just don’t feel right today. We went to Costco to purchase some grocery items we needed and I began having right sided weakness and tingling issues, the feeling that I had water drops on my skin that were not there, pain in my neck and head, etc. My instincts told me that I was having a stroke. My husband and daughter rushed me to a local emergency room which would test me for a stroke with multiple CT scans and tons of lab work. None of the tests produced anything that they could explain. Because I already have a pacemaker for sick sinus syndrome i cannot have an MRI so they couldn’t do one even though they wanted to. I remember a few labs being off that day which they couldn’t explain like a high total protein, neutrophil level that was off, etc. The doctors diagnosed me with migraines, gave me a migraine cocktail and sent me home. I knew in my gut that it was not migraines. Two more emergency room visits with scary symptoms including chest pain, my stomach feeling like food was getting stuck, extreme panic attacks, etc happened in the next two weeks. 

I felt so alone as each time they would release me saying migraines which made no sense at all. I had one nurse that actually honestly said stop coming back we can’t help you here. He wasn’t wrong sadly they missed the diagnosis every time and it is scary to imagine where I would be today without a God who sees me, hears my cries and answered me. I scheduled every specialist appointment they sent me too rheumatology (because I had a higher than normal ANA), neurologist ( for the scary head pressure and tingling in my head I kept getting that they insisted was migraines, cardiologist because of the chest pain, and of course my family doctor. They all failed to help me with anything that could explain the health crisis. Over 6 months went by with tons of prayers and I had come a long way but still without answers from any doctors.

The Prayer that brought such peace

One day in the midst of the scariest time that I had gone through when the intracranial pressure that they called migraines was at it’s worse I cried out to God. I knew that He spoke to me in this moment and reminded me that He created me and could heal what no doctor could find wrong with me. I knew that it was Him reminding me of this as He led me to read Psalm 139 which reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He made my body, and He could heal it better than anyone. I did not experience an overnight miracle where my body was suddenly cured completely but He gave me peace and led me to some things that made a huge difference in my healing Journey.

What Finally helped me begin to heal?

I decided with a lot of prayers and knowing they were missing something to allow God to lead and I began to focus on diet, exercise, less stress, stopping all medication and adding in some supplements and herbs. I taught myself a lot about what herbs and supplements can help with. At that time, I discovered dandelion tea which really made a difference in my head pressure. It was remarkable and I discovered this tea after reading a blog post from a girl who had IIH also known as Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension something I was searching for Information on that fit a lot of my current symptoms. The tea decreased the. Head pressure so much it was remarkable and as I learned was due to the diuretic properties and probably a bit because dandelion root helps your body detox. If it were not for the dandelion root I also do not know where I would be. Praise God for the amazing natural remedies He has provided us right here all around us every day.

At Christmas I was visiting my in-laws and was praying hard for answers they even prayed with me while I was visiting. Right around New Year’s Eve I decided I was going to do two thing: I would pay for a test myself for labs using function health which tests 100 labs twice a year for $500 and I would see a different type of doctor that could help me get to the root of the problem. So I googled what type of doctor can help you find the root of the problem and my search brought up “functional medicine.” Working in traditional healthcare for years I was unfamiliar with functional medicine and quickly learned what it is. At this time I began to discover that I had placed too much faith in the traditional medicine approach and God was revealing to me that He has better ways to help my body heal more naturally. Functional medicine is not covered by insurance in most cases, and they believe as I now did in more natural ways of healing your body. This did not seem to be an accident that I stumbled across this, so I messaged on the website of a Toledo Ohio functional medicine doctor.

My Functional Doctor Experience

A few weeks later I would receive a response back by phone she called me herself and talked to me for about 20 minutes. I was very impressed with her kindness and interest in my situation when I had not found doctors that would really listen yet.

My first appointment came in February 2025 and as I sat in her office I cried as I told her all the details about the past year. I explained my frustration, how I knew it was not migraines, how herbs like dandelion root had been helpful and how disappointed I had become in traditional medicine. She wrote down a lot and really listened and asked a lot of questions. She pointed out that my having a pacemaker at the age of 23 made her question something she felt could be tied to the current health crisis I was living with…..Lyme disease. When she spoke those words I think I deep down knew immediately she was correct. It was one of the only things that came up repeatedly as I researched symptoms I had experienced along the way. I never really looked at it long because the only tick I thought I might have recalled was in my early 20’s. Now I felt certain she was right when she told me that my sick sinus syndrome could be directly a result of Lyme carditis. 

When I left that day with instructions to get this lab done, I know I knew deep down two things. God led me to her office that day and and He was in control of everything, and I would be in good hands (His hands) no matter what happened going forward. The next few weeks as I waited for the results she had me begin a cleanse from a company called CellCore biosciences which helped me a lot. When she discussed it with me at first I was hesitant because if cost and because it seemed kind of odd since I had never really considered things like parasite cleanses. Within a few weeks I became a believer that many people have them and have no idea just as she had mentioned. The day I stopped into her office for a visit with a nurse who discusses diet I was met by her before I left saying stop by my office I have your lab results. When I stopped into her office, we scheduled a follow up visit within a week to discuss a new game plan for my diagnosis that was confirmed of Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever. As I mentioned I was not surprised at this point honestly, I was so thankful to finally have answers. 

What caused it to worsen at this time after all of these years?

This may honestly be something that I can never answer for sure but I have a theory after a lot of research. As I researched more, I discovered that certain types of dental work specifically root canals which I had done early that year just prior to my health crisis can lead to relapse for people who have previously had Lyme disease or are currently being treated. I believe that may have been what led to my crisis but only God truly knows what caused the worsening neurological & cardiac symptoms at this time.

My final thoughts

Things have not been easy since this all began but having an idea of what I am dealing with makes it easier to move forward. Since starting some of the herbal treatments both the CellCore foundational protocol and the herbal tincture Cellcore biosciences IS Borr for the Lyme disease diagnosis my body is so much better. I’m starting to for the first time in a year feel like myself again. I’ve learned sadly that many deal with this same medical mismanagement and gaslighting when dealing with tick borne illnesses. I do not believe that it is intentional but sadly that the medical system needs a better understanding of tick-borne illnesses and an understanding of parasitic infections and how to diagnose and treat them. 

Praise God for His guidance in a situation where I could get no answers. I am so grateful for His leading, the situation that led my doctor to do what she now does asking the hard questions and helping people to get an understanding of the truth on what they are really dealing with. In all the hard times He was always there and no matter what the future holds I know that my God has me in the palm of His hand and He will never leave and will never forsake me. Thank you Jesus!