Meet Rebecca Barnett and her fight against Lyme

Meet Rebecca Barnett

I saw this video of Rebecca's fight on my friends blog http://livininthelymelight.blogspot.com/. I watched it and cried because it hit home so hard for me. Her seizures she would have brought back so many memories of my first few weeks of treatment and how I always told people how I felt as if I was having a seizure but conscious, to this day, I truly believe I was having seizures. Especially as I do more and more research and watch other's in their fight against Lyme.
(Its definitely worth taking 6 minutes out of your day to watch.)

Thank you, Becca, for sharing your journey with us. 

"My name is Rebecca and I'm sharing a part of my story with you in hopes that this increases your awareness and may even help you. I guess you could say it all started when I was nine years old. My family decided to go to the park, which was surrounded heavily by woods. That evening my mom noticed a tick on the back of my neck. We got tweezers and removed it. We did not go to the doctor because at the time, we were uneducated about Lyme Disease.

 I don't remember being truly effected until I was eleven. I would get headaches everyday and I would feel sore. We thought it was dehydration, but no matter how much I drank, the headaches continued. The time gaps between my symptoms were very odd but we do believe I got bit more than once. Our theory is that I was bit and the illness remained dormant until I was bit again at a fall retreat when I was thirteen.

My last year of junior high is when it all unraveled. Right after a fall retreat, I showed symptoms such as; jaw pain, fever, headaches, paleness, stiffness, stomach aches, fatigue, joint pain, and a rash on my head. Never once did Lyme disease cross our minds. The Dr.'s made excuses for every symptom. Jaw pain was my braces, the pains and aches were from track, and the fatigue and moods were normal for a growing teenage. I later went to the doctor for the fever and the rash (not a bull's-eye). My Diagnosis? " Sweetie It's viral, and did you change your shampoo?"

Later that same year, my vision started to go and I needed glasses. I also got my wisdom teeth out and it took me about a month to recover instead of the usual week. In school I was very moody and quiet. When I was in the halls I felt as if I was walking in slow motion. Everything seemed to bother me; the people, the color of the rooms, the light... My menstrual cycle also was so painful and irregular, I had to stay home in bed. We saw many specialists and doctors and got no answers. A few weeks after school had ended, I went out for Ice cream with friends. As I ate my ice cream, I had excruciating stomach pains. The whole right side of my body was numb but my left side was not. My mom rushed me to the hospital and they discovered my spleen was slightly enlarged and they tested me for mono. They sent me home telling us it was fluky and nothing was wrong.

Here's where the ironic thing happens. My parents posted on Facebook about our hospital trip. My mom being Facebook friends with my brothers doctor, contacted my parents about the possibility of me having Lyme disease. This doctor treated my brother for early stage Lyme, and she is currently under scrutiny for treating Lyme. I was tested for Lyme disease and was positive. Tests for Lyme are very inaccurate, so we also sent my blood across the country to IGNEX. My blood work for a co-infection called Bartonella was found to be slightly raised and I was clinically diagnosed for Babesiosis as well.

I had the diagnosis, but now what? I was put on oral antibiotics for about 9 months. After no improvement and only getting worse neurologically and physically, we sought out further treatment somewhere else. At this point I was in a wheel chair, I had been to the psych center multiple times, had seizure like episodes almost everyday, and was sleeping all day long. A good day for me was when I could get up to go to the bathroom. Sometimes I didn't even recognize my own family members.

 After getting significantly worse, we called a Lyme Specialist in desperation and were immediately scheduled for an appointment the next day. We drove three hours and the doctor said I was one of the worse cases he had ever seen. He immediately requested a PICC line insertion for IV treatment. Just when I thought I couldn't get any worse, I DID. With Lyme Disease, when bacteria dies off, you feel worse. This is known as a herxheimer reaction or herx for short. Some of my worst symptoms at this point were dramatic weight loss, and not being able to talk, eat, walk, hear, or see. I literally had every symptom of Lyme and the symptoms that came with the co-infections. We thought I was going to die.

For 7 months I was treated with IV. After a few months, I started to notice improvements physically. Being able to walk is something I will never take for granted again. After missing my entire freshman year of high school, I was ready to go back to school. Every day more of my symptoms went away and the better I got. My PICC line was pulled and I continued oral antibiotics for two more months. I missed my sophomore year for about 4 months. I had my gall bladder removed because of gall stones which was a result from the IV treatment. If I had to choose my life over my gall bladder, well, it would obviously be my life. Towards the end of my sophomore year I noticed symptoms returning. I had a small relapse but nothing compared to the previous year. We treated it with a few months of oral antibiotics and I'm currently in remission again. Yay!

 Lyme disease ruined a part of my life I cant get back. We had to move and sell our house and I lost many friends because of my neurological state. My family is not the same and our lives have done a complete 360. Neurologically, I have been greatly impacted due to the Lyme Infection reaching my brain. I now deal with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Who knew a little tick could have such a big impact? Lyme disease can impact the body so much, it has been known to kill people. 

Writing this story is very difficult. It's hard to think all this had happened to me when I'm feeling so great right now! In fact, I've forgotten most of what happened. This is because I believe my brain was protecting me from the trauma I experienced and also the fact that memory loss is a symptom of Lyme. My family helped me write this because they lived through it with me. In a way I'm glad I got Lyme, it opened my eyes to how precious life is. It really has helped me grow as a person spiritually and emotionally. I wish more people knew of the damaging and dangerous effect it can have on their lives. Thank you for taking the time to read this! "

 

 

---------------- -Becca- ----------------