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Help Meredith stop Lyme - LYMESTOP!

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My name is Meredith Rhoads (Mulford). I am a recently married, 26-year-old Christian, and former athlete. After doing three sports throughout high school, I was on the rowing team at the University of Iowa and played tackle football for Chicago Bliss during the 2012-2013 season. I even met my husband at the gym.

 In April of 2014, a friend found a tick on the hairline area of my neck while attending a women's retreat at my beloved childhood camp. No one could get it out that late Saturday night, and nobody else seemed worried about it. Therefore, I let the tick die in my head until it fell out and waited for the tell-tale "bull's-eye" rash that never came. 

In August of 2014 I ran in a Warrior Dash. A few weeks later, I ran a 5k at the same camp where that tick and I had crossed paths. By the end of September, I had a pain in my spine, and excessive bruising, so I went to my physician, whom I have had since I was a baby.

He took a blood test and diagnosed me with mycoplasma pneuomnia, which I recently found out is the NUMBER ONE co-infection with Lyme Disease https://kimmiecakeskickslyme.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/mycoplasma-the-hidden-co-infection-of-lyme/

The Z-Pak did nothing. By mid-October, I could no longer take the constant chest pain, numbness / tingling in my limbs, and trouble breathing. I went to the ER on October 16, 2014 and was diagnosed with mono and pleurisy. (This plagued my opportunity to get tested for Lyme later, because doctors attributed my symptoms to lingering mono.)

By this time, I had used Google enough to suspect Lyme and got a basic blood test for it. It came back at .9 and needed to be 1.0 to be considered positive. Therefore, no doctors saw reason for me to take a Western Blot Test.  Without the results of that test, which take a month to receive, no doctor would treat me. (Labs performing a Western blot use electricity to separate proteins called antigens into bands. The read-out from the Western blot looks like a bar code. The lab compares the pattern produced by running the test with your blood to a template pattern representing known cases of Lyme disease. If your blot has bands in the right places, and the right number of bands, it is positive.)

I spent the next seven months seeing every doctor or specialist I could to rule out other diagnoses while trying to get approval for testing - which the patient pays $300 for out of pocket, anyway! My family doctor and his co-worker told me I needed anxiety meds and counseling. I saw doctors from Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, and Neurology at the University of Iowa. I saw an allergist, pulmonologist, and multiple cardiologists. I was put on Gabapentin for nerve damage, given Propanolol for nerve issues in my heart, and tested for MS. Beyond that, no one would look at the bigger picture. My neurologist even told me that most doctors there don't believe that Lyme exists!

FINALLY, my GYNECOLOGIST administered the test in May of 2015. She was only willing to because she has Lyme Disease. When I received the results mid-June, almost every strand was positive. I officially became a statistic for the CDC.

I began treatment on June 27, 2015 and got married on 7/11/15. I could not be in the sun or even drink at my own wedding, which took place at the camp where this all originated :) I have tried five different antibiotics since then. I am on 20-30 supplements and oils at a given time. Despite my left arm going numb frequently now, I am told I cannot try IV antibiotics until I have paralasis of a limb.

My case is more serious than most, in that it affects my nerves instead of my joints. Lyme has spread to my bladder, blood, brain, heart, and intestines, to name a few. My symptoms range from brain fog and ice-pick headaches to extreme fatigue. I could use any nerve word possible to describe the feelings that are now common throughout my body on a daily basis (itching, pins and needles, tingling, numbness). A lot of places on me are tender to the touch, especially my head and ribcage. I have not been able to sleep on my left side since October 2014. My vision has been declining and I have a constant ringing in my ears. Lyme literally wakes me up at night.

I never realized how serious my condition was or could be. Now I literally feel like I am waiting to have a heart attack or stroke. I pray every night before bed like it will be my last prayer. I have not used my gym membership since I began treatment, and I continue to get worse.

After seeing multiple Lyme specialists, I became more open-minded to alternative treatments. My fear was, and still is, that in not doing so, I could end up like others with severe Lyme. I am terrified of the loss of speaking ability, personality changes, or wheelchair outlook that could ensue. Lyme Disease can even be linked to things like Alzheimer's and stroke. Until you or a loved has Lyme, you cannot understand the desperation of incessantly seeking new options. It feels like someone told me I have cancer, but have to go discover the cure myself.

In August of 2015, I was referred to Dr. Ben Erlandson and saw him to try out his CranioBiotic Technique: http://erlandsonchiropractic.com/craniobiotic-technique--cbt-.html

While there, he told me about Dr. Anthony Smith in Idaho, who he was trained by. Dr. Smith had Lyme himself, and that empowered him to use his 29 years of research to create an all-natural treatment that exists nowhere else, called LYMESTOP. You can learn more about it at http://www.lymestop.com/qa.html

I made an appointment for January 18, 2016, their soonest available slot. On September 1, I was called about a cancellation on October 5-7, 2015. I had until the end of the day to respond with a yes or no. The catch? Lyme treatment is expensive! (Insurances will only cover 30 days of antibiotic treatment. Anything beyond that is out of pocket.) Going to Idaho will cost $3,000 for treatment, plus air fare. I also still need to get tested for co-infections, which is over $800. Any funds raised above that will go to co-pays, detox aids, and supplements. 

I believe God is the ultimate healer. I also believe that He may be protecting me from something bigger right now and this is a blessing in disguise. However, He is okay with us using the tools provided to us, as long as we lean on Him for support. I will continue to pray while I seek answers via alternative treatments and modern medicine.

With that said, I am taking a leap of faith that God will speak to those that He calls to help me make this trip happen. Even if you cannnot give monetarily, two other things would be a blessing to those with Lyme:

1. Prayer

2. Reading / spreading the word about the disease!

The situation continues to evolve, as I was diagnosed with POTS Syndrome on August 28, 2015. I also saw a Hematologist at the University of Iowa Hospital at the end of September, who refused to test me for co-infections because he "doesn't believe in them". He said I do not look sick and probably just need anti-depressants, despite a rash he had never seen before, a low platelet count, excessive bruising, and lumps in my back.

I am learning that my co-infectious may be more difficult to treat than Lyme itself, because of things like Biofilm, limited blood tests, and their ability to shape-shift or form cysts. I literally have bacteria in my brain, changing who I am, and causing the brain's unique immune system to release toxic substances to fight a "cloaked" disease, in turn causing damage to my nervous system. The first article below speaks VOLUMES about this. (Biofilm, consisting of bacteria and other microorganisms, allows the Lyme spirochete to hide and resist harsh environmental conditions such as antibiotic treatments. Biofilms allow the Lyme bacteria to remain dormant for periods of time until the environment is favorable again, after which it can come out of hiding and relaunch attack the body.)

I am continuing to learn about what I am up against as I go. I will post articles that will change your whole outlook on the disease, if you want to learn more. The statistics will blow you away. The saddest one to me is that the number one reason people with Lyme die is suicide. I also encourage you to look up the book called "Gone in a Heartbeat" by Dr. Neil Spector and the documentary "Under Our Skin".

THANK YOU ALL, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY PARASITE-INFESTED HEART! ;)

Here are the articles that have had the most impact on my journey:

THIS ONE TEACHES A LOT IN A SHORT SPACE:
http://www.holtorfmed.com/lyme-disease-evade-immune-system/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-hlth-0805-lyme-disease-hope-20150730-story.html

http://badlymeattitude.com/2015/08/26/help-wanted-lyme-aids-2-0/

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/08/15/chronic-lyme-disease-a-modern-plague-the-government-chooses-to-ignore/

http://m.stardem.com/opinion/editorials/article_2c9739d3-3917-5db8-a2ac-a34373d2c1b5.html?mode=jqm

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/diagnosis/

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0117207

http://www.lymeactionnetwork.org/facts-co-infections-and-symptoms.html

Organizer

Meredith Rhoads
Organizer
North Liberty, IA

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