Lyme Disease and Not Being Understood

by Matei Alexandru

I’ve learned one thing – Chronic illness comes with all the burdens and pain and we really need to let go a person that is being negative with us. You can’t cut of your relationship with a family member but you can try to at least step out and ignore them if they’re being negative with you. It wasn’t until this year that mainly my mom and my girlfriend have finally understood that something IS going on with me and that happened only after I received my Chronic Lyme Disease and Bartonellosis diagnosis.

It does help somehow when our family and friends at least TRY to understand the severity of Lyme Disease and especially the struggling and pain we have to go through during a relapse, or at least try to understand the psychological complications of Lyme Disease. (anxiety and depression, or other psychiatric complications such as bipolar disorder that can be induced by Lyme Disease).

I’ve also been told numerous times that I’m growing older and the symptoms are normal, that I would never feel as great as I used to feel back when I was 18.

Are you kidding me?

My mom and a few friends of mine told me so..

Are you kidding me?

I am only 27 years old, I mean there are both men and women that are over 60 years old and they travel around the world and even go hiking on mountains (this has nothing to do with age, but some people don’t understand the severity and/or implications of a chronic illness, symptoms that can be debilitating at times and sometimes even make you home/bed bound for months on end.

I am being honest, sometimes, with Lyme Disease it’s probably a better choice to spend more time alone and meditate on things. (especially when we’re feeling worst). Allow yourself to heal, allow yourself to heal your soul, stay away from stress and anything that MAY affect you. STRESS in my opinion is the number one factor that brings our immune system down and we all know what a weakened immune system means in Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease alone suppresses the immune system..

I’ve also learned that we can’t heal without “Opening-Up” and telling the truth, you can’t go endlessly just “Pretending” that you are fine and “trying” to smile when you can barely pull out a smile or when you’re so sick that you’re not even able to walk. Being yourself and just not pretending that everything is ok, it’s another step on the road of recovery. Let it out, if some people will eventually leave you or step away from the relationship (that means they didn’t even care for you from the start)…. I understand that MOST people don’t need to see our pain – they might not be prepared. However, there are STRONG people that can SEE all the pain in the World and never complain about it.

When someone in your family has a Chronic illness, that alone should make you stronger and prepare you to take care of them and help them with the psychological burden.

I am emotional at times when I see people suffering and is because I suffer myself and it’s for me is just enough, I see my brother struggling with Chron’s Disease and other issues, it’s more than enough, but even so whenever I feel better I love to talk to people that suffer and give them hope or help them with whatever I can.

Let’s think one minute about Mother Teresa (she’s just an example) She has probably seen all the pain in the World, she has seen the most afflicted areas with HIV/AIDS, she has seen hungry children that cannot afford food, water or shelter…. the poverty in Asia and Africa and other parts of the world and she has never given up and she never stepped out of it. Such people are truly inspirational… they are the ones who REALLY are strong!

May your day be filled with peace

A.M.