It was the fall of 2021 when a devastating disease effectively took over my life. I had just started a college nursing program. I was elated to have finally gotten a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. My young children were one (Gabbie) and four (Callie). I was a full-time mom, wife, and now a fulltime nursing student. I was ready for the tough journey ahead, although my journey would transition quickly from a lifelong dream to fighting a debilitating disease.
Shortly after I had given birth to our second daughter Gabbie in 2020, I had fallen ill. My pregnancy and her birth were anything but normal. I ended up needing a cesarean and a hysterectomy at the time of delivery. The recovery was long and exhausting, but I managed to get back on my feet. As time carried on, I learned to live with a multitude of symptoms which I mostly thought were residual pregnancy and delivery related. I had a lot of unexplained joint pain, fatigue, and insomnia. I saw multiple doctors and they could not come up with a definitive diagnosis. There were no answers, and I quickly became frustrated. I knew my own body and knew something was seriously wrong. The best advocate in health care is yourself, but I questioned my advocacy as I felt dismissed, unheard, alone, and frustrated after every doctor’s appointment. A lot of physicians told me my symptoms were residual due to the trauma and birth of my daughter, but it had been months since her birth. With each passing day my symptoms seemed to worsen, and new symptoms were arising.
A few of these symptoms included hair loss, sore muscles, muscle weakness, joint pain primarily hips and knees, hot and cold intolerance, runny nose, fatigue, insomnia, sensitivity to light, chills (without fever), chronic headaches, brain fog and the inability to smell certain foods and products. This is just a few symptoms I was experiencing. I finally made an appointment with my primary doctor who decided to test me for Lyme Disease, even though I did not remember removing or being bitten by a tick. Long story short, I was tested for the Lyme Disease seven times by several different doctors. Toward the end of my first semester in college my joint pain, muscle pain and fatigue became debilitating, affecting my daily life and tasks.
Finally, an answer! A nurse called me to tell me my Lyme antibody was positive. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I had finally gotten an answer. I was treated with a twenty-one-day course of an antibiotic known as Doxycycline. The brain fog seemed to subside, and my symptoms seemed to lessen, but shortly after I had finished the antibiotic, I had fallen sick again. This time my symptoms seemed to have come back with a vengeance. I knew I needed help but, wasn’t sure where to go. I reached out to a friend later that evening. I remembered her son had been treated for Lyme Disease at a facility near Delmar, New York. I told her a bit of what I was going through and how I was feeling, this when she told me about The Stram Center.
By the time I had finally heard about the Stram Center I had withdrawn from the College Nursing program and had given up a per-diem job at a local health center. All the energy I could muster in a day was needed to take care of my children. I could barely walk after sitting for any length of time. I was extremely fatigued no matter how much sleep I thought I was getting. Taking care of my children and daily tasks had become overwhelming. I remember waking one morning, thinking “How am I going to get through the day feeling like this?” My husband worked full-time, so I knew he could only help during evening hours. I was in a very dark place mentally and physically wondering and wishing if I would ever get the help I so desperately needed.
My journey continues at Stram. Consultation day, I remember my first appointment at The Stram Center, I was nervous, overwhelmed, and a bit skeptical if the facility could help me. The Nurse Practitioner I saw that day was amazing, she really listened to me and for the first time in a very long time, I felt understood and heard. We consulted about a plan for over an hour and a half. I had fifteen vials drawn that day; this was to gather as much information as possibly to come up with a proper treatment plan. My doctor had explained that getting to the root of the disease was most important for my healing journey to properly begin. My blood work came back positive for several Lyme bands, Bartonella, and Anaplasmosis, which are co-infections that ticks carry. Treatment started with oral antibiotics, for several months. Nutrition, supplements, and probiotics also became important components and part of my daily treatment routine. I still suffered from fatigue, joint pain, and muscle soreness, my quality of life had improved, but I was still testing positive for Lyme Disease and coinfections. The disease had gone undiagnosed and mistreated for so long I ended up needing a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Line). This line is used for long term intravenous antibiotics, medication, nutrition, blood draws and hydration. Once my PICC line was placed, I started home IV antibiotic administration. I had days I felt like giving up, but I knew had to fight for my children who so desperately needed their mom and my husband who needed his wife.
After a few months of home IV antibiotic administration, I noticed I was having a couple of days where I wasn’t experiencing symptoms. Those days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I am happy to say that today, I am in remission, and I am symptom free! The treatment was challenging and everyday was a fight, but it was a fight from the beginning I knew I wasn’t going to give up on. With the love and support from my family and the reassurance and quality care from Dr Stram and his staff, my journey to health was a success.
I am forever grateful for Dr Stram, Heather Haslun, DNP, FNP, and the Stram team for giving me the gift of health and my life back. Thank you, Dr Stram and Heather for guiding me through my Lyme Disease battle. “Stars cannot shine without darkness”- and for me that darkness was Lyme Disease, and the light was The Stram Center.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly,
but rarely admit the changes it has gone-
through to achieve that beauty.”
~Maya Angelou
