new round of antibiotics

February 15, 2006

My 22 month old son is now on his second round of antibiotics and this

time he is not taking it so well. It has given him a rash and

diarrhea. On top of that he got the flu and was in the hospital for a

week hooked up to an I.V.(that was 2 weeks ago and they gave him IV

antibiotics while he was there) And now they think he might have

cellulitis on his thigh. At this point if we even get near an exam

room he screams and cries and nothing comforts him. We are also going

through a death in the family and problems at work. I just feel so

helpless. He is a trouper, but since he is so young he can't tell me

where it hurts or what it feels like. I'm so scared. I have no idea

what to do to feel better and be a better mommy. I have a woman I work

with whose daughter was diagnosed with Lyme and she keeps telling me

that it is no big deal, that her daughter had a course of antibiotics

and was fine. While I am happy for her, I don't think that is going to

be our experience.

Any thoughts or support greatly appreciated. Thanks

February 15, 2006

Dear Kim:

I am so sorry your little one is having to go through all of this. Keep in

mind that with Lyme the symptoms get worse before they get better. My 23

year old son had migraines when he was little and the testing they did seemed

to

always involve being stuck or with an IV. It is a helpless feeling for both

of you. His headaches started much sooner than they were diagnosed finally

at 2, so my heart goes out to you. One day when they brought three big nurses

aides in to hold my son down to start the IV because he threw up so much he

was dehydrated, I put my foot down. They didn't want to listen to me but I

KNEW what was best for him. I talked him through the IV, encouraging him to

scream and cry because I knew it hurt. The thing that we stressed was that the

characters on Sesame Street says " ation gets the job done " . At his

age, you may have a hard time comforting him until the procedure is over.

All six of us have tested positive for Lyme exposure. Five of us have

responded to antibiotic therapy with no relapse in symptoms. My 14 year old

daughter still has symptoms and is on her umpteenth round of antibiotics. She

has

been faced with this going on five years now.

Hers went undiagnosed for longer than the rest of us and it has effected her

neurologically.

Remember that everyone has different symptoms and responds differently to

the antibiotics.

I think that your plate is full and you are simply overwhelmed at this time.

Try to take just one day at a time and deal with the most important thing

first and that is your child.

We are all scared dealing with this monster called Lyme disease because we

are dealing with a society that really does not want to accept that Lyme is

more prevalent than reported. (If I hear that Lyme doesn't exist in Alabama

one

more time.....I may have to choke someone.)

Never doubt yourself. Follow your heart as far as your son is concerned.

You are a great MOM you don't need to have to worry about being better.

I don't know if you read what I had posted earlier but I think I will post

it again here.

Wrapping my arms around you!

My Prayer

Bless the parents who have to watch their young ones go through all of this

at such a young age.

Bless the parents who have to fight to get the appropriate care for their

young ones.

Bless the families of these young ones who watch as the family is under

stress from the fight with the professionals, the money to fund the necessary

testing that is required up front because the testing/insurance companies won't

work together on the funding because of beliefs that Lyme doesn't really

exist in this part of the country.

Bless our LLMDs who fight not only the disease in our children but fight

colleagues, disbelief, and questioning because of their findings.

And bless our children who have to live through all of the controversy

surrounding their medical condition.

Families, their community, their schools, and medical communities feel it

necessary to doubt their medical conditions and freely discuss it in front of

our children making it difficult for them to understand why they feel the way

they do and why no one believes them.

Thank God for giving us the strength to fight for our children to receive

the care that they desperately need to be productive citizens in the future.

Jeanette

February 15, 2006

Seeing your baby sick is very very hard and especially

when they can't tell you what hurts. Both my

daughters (5 and 8) have Lyme that they got from me

through pregnancy and they weren't diagnosed until

last year when I finally found out what was wrong with

me too. I remember many times, and still have them,

of being 'sick with worry' for them and feeling

totally helpless. It is scary! Know that you are not

alone (even though it feels like you are some times!)

and we Mom's are thinking and praying for you and

things WILL get better. There will be bad days but I

have found that if I just keep my focus on what I 'can

do' and the doctors appts and meds that I have to give

everyone on a daily basis (live in day-tight

compartments is what Dale Carnegie used to say) I

don't feel so overwhelmed. Trust your instincts, know

that everyone is different in their treatment and how

their body handles the side-effects and if your son

doesn't start getting better make sure he is tested

for co-infections. God is with you and your son and

nothing can seperate you from His love. Barbara

--- kimbalina1969 <kimbalina1969@...> wrote:

> My 22 month old son is now on his second round of

> antibiotics and this

> time he is not taking it so well. It has given him a

> rash and

> diarrhea. On top of that he got the flu and was in

> the hospital for a

> week hooked up to an I.V.(that was 2 weeks ago and

> they gave him IV

> antibiotics while he was there) And now they think

> he might have

> cellulitis on his thigh. At this point if we even

> get near an exam

> room he screams and cries and nothing comforts him.

> We are also going

> through a death in the family and problems at work.

> I just feel so

> helpless. He is a trouper, but since he is so young

> he can't tell me

> where it hurts or what it feels like. I'm so scared.

> I have no idea

> what to do to feel better and be a better mommy. I

> have a woman I work

> with whose daughter was diagnosed with Lyme and she

> keeps telling me

> that it is no big deal, that her daughter had a

> course of antibiotics

> and was fine. While I am happy for her, I don't

> think that is going to

> be our experience.

>

> Any thoughts or support greatly appreciated. Thanks

>

__________________________________________________

February 21, 2006

We are so very sorry for the pain you and your son are going thru. A few tips

that might improve your son's comfort level - comfortable sunglasses and

ear muffs or cotton balls during medical visits & procedures.

Light and sound sensitivities are painful.

My son, infected at 8 mo., wore sunglasses as a baby and he still wears them

(he's 13 yrs now), sometimes indoors, especially in public places with

bright lighting. Hope this helps. Your family is in our prayers.

kimbalina1969 <kimbalina1969@...> wrote: