Help Whit Heal from Lyme Disease
Donation protected
First off, thank you to my friends and family that have kicked off this campaign and helped me receive initial diagnostic work and treatment.
In July of 2018, I had the rug pulled out beneath me. After an active Spring of outdoor adventures, long hikes, horseback riding, and time with my pups outside, I fell incredibly ill. This picture here was taken on my birthday one year ago. I haven’t been the same since.
Last summer, I began to have bone deep aches, joint pain, and could barely move. The doctors told me everything was fine and when I asked about Lyme disease, they told me it was highly unlikely.
Fast forward to June of 2019, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease by a Lyme Literate Doctor in Los Angeles. I was misdiagnosed for a year as having mono, despite no positive test results and medical error.
Lyme disease testing is notoriously fallible. I finally had bloodwork done through iGenex, a reputable lab in Palo Alto where I came back positive for Lyme as well as Babesia, a malarial like co infection and two other tick related illnesses that I can’t even pronounce!!
Before I got sick, I hiked ten miles with grace and ease. Unfortunately, I am showing symptoms of more late stage, Chronic Lyme, as my Lyme was not treated early and was misdiagnosed by my General Practitioner as Mono, despite never truly testing positive for that.
Please help your nature loving, energetic friend to get her life back!
My symptoms came and went for most of the last year (quite typical for Lyme). In early May of this year, they came raging back. This time with a vengeance. After a fainting spell left me with a mild concussion -- I haven't been able to bounce back. On May 24, I had to stop working and take a leave of absence.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for Lyme disease. If you’re one of the lucky ones and catch it quickly, antibiotics *may* knock it out. For the rest of us who get diagnosed long after the initial bite, treatment is not so simple. There is no one size fits all for Lyme. For most, a combination of therapies, Western and herbal remedies, IV therapies, and diet and lifestyle changes are the cure. While I am stable at this time, left untreated Lyme disease can be life threatening.
Most tragically, the doctors equipped to treat Lyme well don’t take insurance (https://themighty.com/2016/02/when-your-chronic-illness-isnt-covered-by-insurance/) These are called Lyme Literate Doctors. It’s not their fault; it’s just highly political. This is because the CDC does not recognize Chronic Lyme disease as real. Insurance companies deny Lyme related care and thousands suffer. https://www.bayarealyme.org/blog/lyme-disease-not-covered-insurance/
While I am working hard to get creative and find doctors equipped to treat my Lyme that DO take health insurance, it hasn't been an easy task. The reality is that Lyme Disease is an expensive diagnosis. I have had friends cash their retirements to treat Lyme, take out loans, and fundraise. Friends have spent anywhere from 10k to 100k to treat it.
There’s a real Lyme epidemic folks. The Centers for Disease Control admits that more than 400,000 people may acquire Lyme disease each year, a number ten times greater than AIDS and West Nile Virus combined.
Lyme falls in the invisible illness category. Some days, I look just fine on the outside. Those closest to me have witnessed the teary eyed mornings I can’t get out of bed, the stuttering and confusion, the Lyme meltdowns, the panic and anxiety, the trips to urgent care and the ER, and the vomiting and the pain from chronic migraines worsening from Lyme. They've also witnessed me needing to lay down after walking just a few blocks as the fatigue creeps back in to my bones.
Everyone I know who has adequately treated their Lyme has ended up spending tens of thousands of dollars. I encourage you to watch the movie "Under Our Skin" to understand more. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202579/plotsummary).
Just for examples sake, the Lyme test that insurance covers can miss a high number of cases (https://www.columbia-lyme.org/diagnosis). Lyme disease testing is complicated. The gold standard of Lyme testing is iGenex, and this test cost $2,400 to run the full panel for coinfections.
I’m in good hands but the bills are stacking up. I've had complications affecting so many different systems in my body. I needed dental surgery due to a Lyme induced infection, had a fainting spell that resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury, and even with insurance, these things have added up. I’m also facing the real possibility of job loss and filed for disability. While this is paying the bills, it won’t cover medical expenses. I’m currently on leave due to the intense cognitive symptoms and debilitating fatigue. My leave is 3 months but the reality for many Lyme patients is a longer road to recovery.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that attacks your nervous system and can impact every single system in your body. It’s hard to diagnose and I am probably on the lucky end of getting a diagnosis one year into symptoms. There’s no one size fits all with Lyme disease treatment. Everyone I know has ultimately found a combination of treatment that works for them. It just takes time. Any amount, however small or big, would mean the world to me. Even if that’s just $5.
Your donations will go to: appointments with my Lyme literate doctor and associated treatments of: antibiotics, IVs, herbal remedies, vitamins, additional lab work as needed, ozone therapy, alternative treatments not currently recognized by the mainstream medical community, leftover medical bills from things like MRIs, transportation to and from treatments; my doctor is in Irvine. Appointments are in middle of day when most my loved ones are working, the treatment of toxic mold exposure, and co infections with Lyme, including Babesia, a malarial like infection I also have. (https://www.lymedisease.org/touchedbylyme-wayne-anderson/). Your donations will also go to the ongoing rehabilitation of: my brain!
The amount I am currently fundraising for is an estimate based on conversations with my doctor and friends who are actively treating Lyme. Ultimately, we will see how treatment progresses and go from there. I will post more details here as I learn more and as I progress.
I need your help. Left untreated, Lyme can be life threatening and have devastating consequences. I love you all and thank you for your love and support. I will post updates here and to my social; please follow my journey. I love you all and thank you to all who have reached out thus far.
In July of 2018, I had the rug pulled out beneath me. After an active Spring of outdoor adventures, long hikes, horseback riding, and time with my pups outside, I fell incredibly ill. This picture here was taken on my birthday one year ago. I haven’t been the same since.
Last summer, I began to have bone deep aches, joint pain, and could barely move. The doctors told me everything was fine and when I asked about Lyme disease, they told me it was highly unlikely.
Fast forward to June of 2019, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease by a Lyme Literate Doctor in Los Angeles. I was misdiagnosed for a year as having mono, despite no positive test results and medical error.
Lyme disease testing is notoriously fallible. I finally had bloodwork done through iGenex, a reputable lab in Palo Alto where I came back positive for Lyme as well as Babesia, a malarial like co infection and two other tick related illnesses that I can’t even pronounce!!
Before I got sick, I hiked ten miles with grace and ease. Unfortunately, I am showing symptoms of more late stage, Chronic Lyme, as my Lyme was not treated early and was misdiagnosed by my General Practitioner as Mono, despite never truly testing positive for that.
Please help your nature loving, energetic friend to get her life back!
My symptoms came and went for most of the last year (quite typical for Lyme). In early May of this year, they came raging back. This time with a vengeance. After a fainting spell left me with a mild concussion -- I haven't been able to bounce back. On May 24, I had to stop working and take a leave of absence.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for Lyme disease. If you’re one of the lucky ones and catch it quickly, antibiotics *may* knock it out. For the rest of us who get diagnosed long after the initial bite, treatment is not so simple. There is no one size fits all for Lyme. For most, a combination of therapies, Western and herbal remedies, IV therapies, and diet and lifestyle changes are the cure. While I am stable at this time, left untreated Lyme disease can be life threatening.
Most tragically, the doctors equipped to treat Lyme well don’t take insurance (https://themighty.com/2016/02/when-your-chronic-illness-isnt-covered-by-insurance/) These are called Lyme Literate Doctors. It’s not their fault; it’s just highly political. This is because the CDC does not recognize Chronic Lyme disease as real. Insurance companies deny Lyme related care and thousands suffer. https://www.bayarealyme.org/blog/lyme-disease-not-covered-insurance/
While I am working hard to get creative and find doctors equipped to treat my Lyme that DO take health insurance, it hasn't been an easy task. The reality is that Lyme Disease is an expensive diagnosis. I have had friends cash their retirements to treat Lyme, take out loans, and fundraise. Friends have spent anywhere from 10k to 100k to treat it.
There’s a real Lyme epidemic folks. The Centers for Disease Control admits that more than 400,000 people may acquire Lyme disease each year, a number ten times greater than AIDS and West Nile Virus combined.
Lyme falls in the invisible illness category. Some days, I look just fine on the outside. Those closest to me have witnessed the teary eyed mornings I can’t get out of bed, the stuttering and confusion, the Lyme meltdowns, the panic and anxiety, the trips to urgent care and the ER, and the vomiting and the pain from chronic migraines worsening from Lyme. They've also witnessed me needing to lay down after walking just a few blocks as the fatigue creeps back in to my bones.
Everyone I know who has adequately treated their Lyme has ended up spending tens of thousands of dollars. I encourage you to watch the movie "Under Our Skin" to understand more. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202579/plotsummary).
Just for examples sake, the Lyme test that insurance covers can miss a high number of cases (https://www.columbia-lyme.org/diagnosis). Lyme disease testing is complicated. The gold standard of Lyme testing is iGenex, and this test cost $2,400 to run the full panel for coinfections.
I’m in good hands but the bills are stacking up. I've had complications affecting so many different systems in my body. I needed dental surgery due to a Lyme induced infection, had a fainting spell that resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury, and even with insurance, these things have added up. I’m also facing the real possibility of job loss and filed for disability. While this is paying the bills, it won’t cover medical expenses. I’m currently on leave due to the intense cognitive symptoms and debilitating fatigue. My leave is 3 months but the reality for many Lyme patients is a longer road to recovery.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that attacks your nervous system and can impact every single system in your body. It’s hard to diagnose and I am probably on the lucky end of getting a diagnosis one year into symptoms. There’s no one size fits all with Lyme disease treatment. Everyone I know has ultimately found a combination of treatment that works for them. It just takes time. Any amount, however small or big, would mean the world to me. Even if that’s just $5.
Your donations will go to: appointments with my Lyme literate doctor and associated treatments of: antibiotics, IVs, herbal remedies, vitamins, additional lab work as needed, ozone therapy, alternative treatments not currently recognized by the mainstream medical community, leftover medical bills from things like MRIs, transportation to and from treatments; my doctor is in Irvine. Appointments are in middle of day when most my loved ones are working, the treatment of toxic mold exposure, and co infections with Lyme, including Babesia, a malarial like infection I also have. (https://www.lymedisease.org/touchedbylyme-wayne-anderson/). Your donations will also go to the ongoing rehabilitation of: my brain!
The amount I am currently fundraising for is an estimate based on conversations with my doctor and friends who are actively treating Lyme. Ultimately, we will see how treatment progresses and go from there. I will post more details here as I learn more and as I progress.
I need your help. Left untreated, Lyme can be life threatening and have devastating consequences. I love you all and thank you for your love and support. I will post updates here and to my social; please follow my journey. I love you all and thank you to all who have reached out thus far.
Organizer
Whitney Easton
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA