Few people give me credit for figuring out what no one else who has ever laid eyes on me has ever been able to do. I have researched Lyme and its co-infections for the past year from every direction imagineable. Please do not show your ignorance by suddenly acting like you know everything there is to know about it. You don't. And, obviously you don't because...if you did...you would have been able to tell me DECADES ago what was wrong with me. The people who know about Lyme are the people who have it. The people who know about Lyme are the people who have lost a loved one because of it. The people who know about Lyme are the family members who are closest to the person who is suffering. Those people are the people who BELIEVE.
I suppose if I'd had cancer there would be people tripping over themselves to bring dinner, make phone calls, send cards, and whatever else. People who have Lyme don't get any of that. People with Lyme have a very isolated life. You know why? It's because people who have Lyme are perceived to be lazy. All we want to do is sleep and lay around. Yeah. You're right. That's exactly the kind of person I am. When I was 11 I was looking for a tick to bite me so that I would be unable to enjoy what's supposed to be some of the happiest years of my life. Or, here's one! I want to be this way so I miss out on all of the things my daughter is experiencing while she's growing up. Better yet, I would much rather prefer to be laying on the couch feigning pain and fatigue while my husband and daughter go do something fun together on the weekends because one day I'm hoping to star in a soap opera and eventually win a Daytime Emmy.
I'm done with people not believing me. I have no room for them in my life. All I can say is this...one day they or someone they know will end up with a bunch of strange symptoms that's going to knock them flat on their behind. No explanation. No warning. They'll swear they're not lazy. They'll swear they're not depressed and get angry when people think they are. They'll have numerous lab tests and procedures done and everything will come back normal. Hmm. That's when the "I'm sorrys" or the "I had no idea what you were going throughs" are going to start drifting my way. To that I say, "Too little. Too late." Believe me now. Not later. I have been able to help a lot of people who are going through this. Sadly, their doctors, other healthcare professionals, family, and friends also don't believe them. Even some of those people have close family who don't understand and refuse to even try. What a shame. What a shame because it may not be today and it may not be next week but, one day, they may be in the position where they need people to believe. Maybe they'll be lucky enough to have that when they need it. I know most of us haven't been so fortunate.
Let me tell you about two people who have always believed. My parents. You know why? They were there in the ER when the doctor couldn't get the tick out of my head. They were there 10 days later when I woke up with an itchy, swollen, red rash that covered my ENTIRE body and I couldn't walk to the bathroom without help because of the excruciating joint pain. They were there for the two ER visits for epinephrine shots in the weeks that followed. They were there to suggest to the doctor that they thought the symptoms I was having were from the tick. That pediatrician was the first in a long line of people who didn't BELIEVE.
It's bad when the medical community doesn't believe you, but you know what's worse? It's worse when friends and family members don't. Wow. The things I've learned... So, if you're reading this and it's speaking to you, maybe you should take inventory on the things you have or haven't said to someone who has Lyme. I bet there are some people who would have loved the opportunity for a second chance with Brandon J. Crain whose obituary can be found here.