I finally got something figured out after talking to Dr. Hoffman, something that had been on my mind for sometime.
I had within the last year learned about "PANDAS" Pediatric Auto Neurological Disorder Association Disorder that was very similiar to Bartonella symptoms. What came first, the Chicken or the Egg....
Our oldest had contracted Bartonella from birth as I had contracted Bartonella in 1989 while living in Colorado. When she was 3 she came down with Scarlet Fever which is in the same group as Streptococcus, Strep Throat, Strep.
We were just informed by our daughter that her anxiety had started at age 5 which is right along the lines with the PANDAS where the bacteria enters the brain and starts the horrible symptoms.
The bacteria from Pandas and both Bartonella effect the Basal Ganglia part of the Brain which causes the anxiety, frustration, irritability, depression, etc.
Anyhow, what I learned was the Lyme Disease / Bartonella is the umbrella to the problems. That having Bartonella puts your body into being susceptible to getting infections such as Scarlet Fever. People can get Scarlet Fever without Bartonella but with Bartonella in the symptom it opens up the person to all the other infections.
Hope this helps <3
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Bartonella is killing our youth of Today...Living up in the Northern part of Wisconsin we are seeing a major trend going on that is effecting our youth, teens, young adults and it is not pretty. It involves suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, cutting, severe anxiety, depression, realization that you are just going nuts. These kids are having a hard time dealing with how they feel as they are not getting the proper diagnosis.
I'm definately not saying anyone who has suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, who cuts themselves, has extreme anxiety and depression has Bartonella but if you live in a high Lyme Disease or tick infested area there might be a good chance you do.
After my husband came down with Lyme Disease and Bartonella we figured out the missing pieces of our chaotic family puzzle. We were fortunate to attend the Wisconsin Lyme Network meeting in Milwaukee and thankfully got to know Mike Nichel who was the president at the time. He also is the originator of wisconsinlyme.net website. He helped his son overcome Lyme Disease and many others including Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, and more with all the information he had obtained by saving his son's life.
After talking with Mike Nichel during that weekend he knew that not only my husband had Bartonella, but that I did, and most likely my children had it as well. Looking back I became infected with Bartonella back in 1989. That is when the "oops I've gone nuts" mode took place and didn't stop till 1994 and then came back in 2008. Both times I had to suffer horribly with no answers but being misdiagnosed with awful terms from one psychiatrist. My daughters have also gone through their Bartonella episodes as well. One daughter at 7 suddenly showed signs of being a paranoid schizophrenic, my other daughter had extreme anxiety that lasted 3 years. The 7 year old we took for counseling and therapy only for the counselor to tell me that I was the problem! I knew differently. Thank God I read up alot on ADHD and from Dr. Daniel Amen's book I learned that Tyrosine, an amino acid, helps boost the serotonin level, so boost we did. Amazingly after fearing the worst of State Mental Institutions, losing our daughter mentally, etc. the Tyrosine took effect within a week and we had our daughter back!!
The daughter who had the extreme anxiety fell through all the medical cracks. When anxiety hits with Bartonella it is never ending! It's not the normal type of panic attack that last 1 to 2 minutes, the Bartonella panic attacks comes on and never leaves. The extreme anxiety can lasts from months to years to never leaving your once normal brain.
She had trouble coping with life with how she constantly felt. With Bartonella comes the OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, the anxiety, panic attacks, depression and then it becomes even more dark with suicidal thoughts. I believe this is the way for them to have hope of a better place where they won't feel the anguish and pain that they do with Bartonella. With no doctors pinpointing the whys and giving ANY confirmation on how they feel.
Along with the suicidal thoughts and sometime attempts comes the cutting. It is said alot of teens, youth, teenagers, young adults cut just for the release it gives them. How incredibly SAD! Our daughter was one of those kids. When I found out, both my husband and I crumbled. We were like .... we just couldn't process any of it. Extreme sadness, confusion, anger, and guilt is what parents go through but that is nothing to what the child has been tormented with. NOTHING!
Kids can't handle much living with Bartonella as everything is OVERWHELMING! School, family, normal chores, making decisions, everything! After my daughter started getting help from a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor, LLMD, and started antibiotics she showed massive improvement within just a week. She was getting along much, much better with her siblings, was much happier, was able to relax more. We were very, very happy.
It is sometimes a continuous battle though. My daughter stopped her antibiotics for 3 weeks and all the symptoms came back with a vengance. We weren't prepared nor was she.
If you feel like your child whether it be a teenager, teen, toddler, young adult, any age group has Bartonella please seek the appropriate help. Bartonella is even more undiagnosed then Lyme Disease as only a very small percentage of doctors even know what it is. They'll come back saying "Cat Scratch Fever".
Awareness is Everything!!
We have to protect our children until the American Medical Association AMA gets on board. Right now they are NOT - Not with Lyme Disease or any other tick born infection including Bartonella.
Don't let your child fall through the cracks.
Contact lymediseaseassociation.org
llads.org
wisconsinlyme.net
A GREAT SUPPORT online Group -
Wisconsin-Lyme Support
you'll find everything to know on this group as it is made up of very informative families that have fought this fight for a long time.
"Make a Difference Today for our Childrens' Tomorrow"
God Bless!
Facebook - Lyme Disease Awareness
lymesdiseasesucks.blogspot.com
bartonellafamily.blogspot.com
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