When you are diagnosed with late-stage (chronic) Lyme disease there are many things you might be tempted to do but there are at least 5 things you ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT do.

I clearly remember the day I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. It was in 2009 after a two-year-long journey of visiting doctor after doctor and suffering from very scary and very disabling symptoms. I remember the deep emotions that swept over me because of finally being validated and having a diagnosis. I also remember the fear that took hold after that initial emotion, fear of the unknown and of all the many questions that would arise like, “Will I get better from this?” or “How long will I have to be on treatment?”

You may have recently been diagnosed or maybe you’re a Lyme-pro by now but either way, here are 5 things you absolutely must not do!

5 things you absolutely must not do!

Don’t freak out.

You absolutely must not freak out. I’m sure as soon as you were diagnosed you went straight to Google. You may have read that you can never get rid of Lyme. Maybe you read all the horror stories about taking loads of antibiotics and suffering horrible side-effects. Or maybe you’ve read that Lyme doctors don’t take insurance and you’re wondering how you’ll ever come up with the money to go to that “special clinic” which requires you to give them an arm and a leg in order to afford their care.

THE TRUTH IS, you don’t have to walk the same journey as those who are spending a fortune. Yes, it is difficult to get rid of Lyme disease but it’s not impossible to heal and live a life of recovery. You can do this without going to a special clinic and you certainly don’t need to go overseas. Over the years I have watched as others travel from one special clinic to the next, spending exorbitant amounts of money and in the end have not reached the level of healing that my family has had. There are many doctors who can help you recover and with a little investigation, you might even find one nearby. While it is true that doctors who effectively treat Lyme don’t take insurance, I would guess that after getting care from a functional or integrative doctor, you might never go to a traditional doctor again.

Don’t expect your primary care physician or an infectious disease doctor to give you the appropriate tests or treatment.

In general, primary care physicians and infectious disease doctors have not been educated to treat tick-borne diseases and they may still believe that the available tests through Labcorp or Quest are sufficient. While your primary care doctor or an infectious disease doctor may take insurance, they won’t be able to help you address the areas of your health that will get you well.

THE TRUTH IS, standard testing is grossly inaccurate and according to the CDC, was never intended to diagnose tick-borne infections in the first place. These tests were originally designed as a surveillance tool only. There are primary care doctors and infectious disease doctors who are helpful for some things but the general consensus is, they follow CDC guidelines which will only complicate your journey toward healing. They do not believe that Lyme disease can be a chronic infection and once you are treated with a short course of antibiotics they’ll either tell you that you have Post Lyme Disease Syndrome or that you actually have something else. Do yourself a favor and find a good doctor who understands what it takes to get you well.

Don’t continue living and eating the way you always have.

Please don’t continue to live and eat the way that you always have. That is unless you were already living a super clean lifestyle and eating an amazing diet full of good quality meats (preferably grass-fed), wild-caught fish, fresh veggies and no refined sugar, gluten or GMO corn. The Standard American Diet is called SAD for a reason. It’s usually high in sugar, bad fats and carbs.

THE TRUTH IS, you cannot continue to live a lifestyle filled with stress, environmental toxins, and bad food and expect to heal. Eating poor quality food, processed food, and the wrong food is so harmful to your body. It increases your risk for disease and cancer and will absolutely hinder your healing from tick-borne disease. If you want true healing you absolutely must give up those things even if you think you can’t live without them, things like smoking, drinking too much and sugar! These things only prove to deplete your immune system and create an environment that is happy to welcome in disease and infections. Start learning about these things and make the necessary changes. You can enjoy delicious food without eating bad-for-you food.

Don’t lose hope.

Once you have your diagnosis and you begin to read books, blogs and talk to your friend’s, sister’s uncle, you might begin to feel quite discouraged. But don’t! Don’t lose hope, even if you’re in your 15th year of battling Lyme. Don’t lose hope! I’ve noticed that there aren’t too many people who once had Lyme, healed and continue to stick around to encourage those who are in the trenches now. So, you may be a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people who are really suffering but not finding a glimmer of hope for healing.

THE TRUTH IS, you do not have to lose hope! If you’re not a believer in Jesus Christ I would suggest you start here first! If you are a believer, Jesus is your hope! You will never find hope in your circumstances, healing, relationships or even financial blessings! You can be filled with hope and feel miserable in the flesh. Your focus must be on your Savior and your destiny, not your circumstances.

[bctt tweet=”True hope is found in your Savior, not your circumstances! #hope #faith” username=”aboundinginhope”]

 

Don’t give up!

You cannot give up! Don’t give up believing that you can get better. Don’t give up on your treatment protocol just because you think it’s not working. Don’t give up on yourself, your family, friends or church! Even when they don’t understand or get frustrated. Don’t give up on your interests or dreams, even if you can’t think straight or think that you don’t have the energy. Don’t ever give up on God because His ways are not our ways! Don’t give up on trying to get out of bed or trying to be functional.

When my family and I were very, very sick with Lyme disease and co-infections I knew I could not give up. I lived with the mindset that our healing might be the very next thing that we try. I was always looking, praying, searching for something that would bring us healing but I knew that it had to be within my budget! That made it a bit harder but it made my faith grow bigger.

THE TRUTH IS when we trust God to provide, to lead, and to heal He will! NEVER EVER give up! Don’t do it! Friends and family may seem to have given up on you but the truth is, they may not know what you need unless you tell them. They may not understand what you’re going through on a daily basis unless you explain it to them or find them an article or a video that can explain it to them. You may not think that you can do anything productive but the truth is that some days, getting out of bed and sitting with your family may be the most productive thing you can do that day. That’s ok. Each day that you try is one more day closer to healing.

[bctt tweet=”Your mindset and determination will have a lot to do with your healing. #Lymedisease #healing #mindset” username=”aboundinginhope”]

I’m convinced that I was able to take care of my family during my illness because I refused to ever allow myself to stay in bed. Whenever it was possible I made myself at least get-up and get to the couch. I made myself go places with my family whenever I possibly could. Sure, there were many times I couldn’t and many days I did stay in bed, but whenever possible I pushed myself. Your mindset and determination will have a lot to do with your healing. Read scripture, pray, be with people, think positive thoughts, listen to music and listen to good clean comedians so that you can laugh. These things are all helpful steps to include in your healing protocol.

You can get better from Lyme disease even when it looks like you never will! Keep the faith, keep persevering and keep fighting. Rest and trust God and you’ll see that you can have hope, you can heal and have victory over this disease.

xoxo,