Siblings Alivia and Easton have both faced health difficulties since birth. Born premature, Alivia immediately had feeding issues that caused speech and digestive issues. After vaccinations, she would react with eczema and vomiting. She had frequent, upper respiratory, ear, and strep throat infections. Easton visited the Emergency Room during his first month of life. He had respiratory symptoms requiring multiple rounds of antibiotics, steroids, and oxygen treatment. Lyme disease was not suspected or even on their radar.
Their mother, Krystle, faced her own health struggle. As a nurse and with an active social life, she was used to functioning at a high level. Strangle symptoms appeared so that basic chores became impossible to complete. Her husband and the kids’ father, Thomas, were working full-time and trying to help care for the kids but the experience was overwhelming for everyone.
Krystle did a lot of research on what could be plaguing them and tested negative for Lyme three times with Elisa and Western Blot tests. “I was in incredible pain, I was bedridden, but you have to be your own advocate,” she said. After seeing over 40 doctors, she found a Lyme-literate physician who diagnosed her with Lyme disease based on her symptoms and IGeneX testing. Krystle started treatment and began to learn more about Lyme disease. Her research soon revealed that Lyme can be transmitted in utero. She knew she had to have her children tested. First Alivia came back positive, and then Easton.
All three family members were receiving Lyme treatment, changed their diet, and removed all toxins from their lifestyle. In doing so, they uncovered black mold in the family home. Remediating was a big financial hit. Krystle and Thomas felt like they had to choose who to treat and who not to. For the children, there were tests, supplements, and therapies that they simply couldn’t pursue.
A LymeLight grant is helping the children get to the Lyme doctor regularly, receive the supplements they need, and to try therapies they were not able to before, like UVBI therapy. “We are all seeing progress now,” Krystle told us.
Krystle’s advice to other women struggling with Lyme is to find a great LLMD. As a nurse working for a Lyme-literate physician, she explains, “Ninety percent of the people that come into our functional medicine office have Lyme. We have seen women with Lyme, in our practice, not pass it on with treatment. Do as much research as possible. You have to be your own and your children’s advocate.”
“As a partner, you need to understand this is not something they chose. You want to make sure you do everything you can to support them, because as they get better, your life gets better too,” Thomas told us.