Yesterday, I took my last antibiotic pill. Thank heavens, because remembering to take a pill every 8 hours for 30 days is difficult, let alone for an absent-minded, pregnant mother of two! So, even though I do not love writing, I want to celebrate my first antibiotic-free day by writing down this story.
Back in July, our family took a one-night backpacking trip. It had amazing and dreadful moments all at the same time, as any backpacking trip with two young kids tends to do. I knew, being four months pregnant and all, that it would be uncomfortable, but noticed, for the first time, that my shoulders were much sorer than normal when carrying Sam in his Kelty pack. It was odd, but I didn’t think too much of it at time. Looking back recently, I realized that that was the first time I noticed some changes in the way I was feeling.
Backpacking on the Siouxan in June
Over the next month after our trip, my body began to deteriorate in other ways. For a few days I could hardly bare weight on my right knee. My left shoulder began aching constantly. I would wake up at night hurting so much that I would be in tears. I would roll out of bedin the morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Or, for my fellow volleyball players, like I had just endured my first two days of daily doubles. My hips would hurt, then my elbows, then back to my shoulders – migrating joint pain it seemed. We spent a week with our dear friends, Jess and Ben Scott in Boise, and I felt like an old lady! Although I had never experienced this as a part of pregnancy, I talked to enough friends and family who had also experienced pain during pregnancy that I kept talking myself out of seeing a doctor.
At this time, one of my close friends was undergoing some really tough times at home and had to move out. She had nowhere else to go, so we invited her to stay with us for a while. The thing about my friend is that she is studying to be a doctor. More than that, she had been studying all that month for her clinical test, in which they ask patients a myriad of questions and practice bedside manner. Well, over coffee each morning, she would ask me questions. Up until this time, I had really kept most of the pain to myself. I didn’t want to complain. I hate complaining. Really only Nate knew the extent of how much I was hurting in the mornings and throughout the day. But, with a barrage of questions from a person who cared, I had to be honest. “Make an appointment this week,” she said, after I had told her of a bad headache behind one of my eyes. So, I did.
Doctor check-up. Blood work. Hopefully not lupus or arthritis. We waited anxiously for a week, but the blood tests came back negative, definitely showing some inflammation, but difficult to interpret while pregnant. “Pregnancy pains,” my doctor concluded, “Keep taking your pre-natals.”
Again, over coffee, my friend asked me questions. I had to admit to her that not only was I feeling worse, but new symptoms were arriving like neck pain and upper-spine pain as well as more hip and shoulder pain. With concern, she said, “E-mail your doctor. I don’t think this is just pregnancy.” Neither did I, but who wants to be the hypochondriac? Against my reservations, however, I did what I was told.
My doctor ended up referring me to a specialist, who wanted to see me almost the next day. In I went to Portland to see a rheumatologist. He asked me numerous questions, and, generally, looked upon me as a mystery. He signed me up for a more tests, some for rare diseases, and said he would give me a call. Home we went again to wait.
A week later, on a Friday morning, we got a call from the rheumatologist. “Your labs were negative except for an unexpectedly positive Lyme test. Because Lyme disease is really rare in Oregon, this could be a false positive,” he tried to reassure me. My test results, which detect that particular type of bacteria in the body, were very positive. A score of 1.1 or higher is positive, and mine was a 5.0! That was crazy news to digest!
Of course I did what anyone else might do in this situation, I googled it. (If you're interested, here's a website to look at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/). My symptoms did match the descriptions: migratory joint pain, random itching (which I suddenly realized I had been having for weeks), knee pain, a general ill-feeling, headaches, muscle pain, etc., etc., etc. Only one problem – I didn’t remember having a tick bite.
Until I googled tick bites that is.
After looking at numerous images of deer tick bites, it hit me like lightning. I remembered having a strange, huge circular rash on the back of my knee sometime in June, shortly after strawberry picking. I had shown Nate, my mom, and one friend. After a few days, it had gone away and left my memory completely, until I saw the pictures, that is. I was so excited I called Nate at work right away. I contacted the doctor, my mom, and sister. I had no doubt in my mind, then, that Lyme disease was indeed what I was experiencing. Funny, how the news filled me with joy!
Lyme disease, when caught within the first few months is treatable by antibiotics. It is pretty simple in the early stages. I picked up my antibiotics the next day, also the same day we had our ultra-sound which told us we would be adding another boy to our crew! Within a few days I was feeling fifty percent better and within a few weeks one hundred percent better. I couldn’t believe how quickly it worked! Whereas before, I wasn’t able to lift up the boys, now I am back to swinging them around in the air. Before, even vacuuming the room was painful; now, I am doing yardwork like a champ. Before, I could only toss the volleyball while coaching my 8th grade girls; now, I am serving, passing and setting like I always have. It is truly amazing.
Here’s a few more details I should include:
- Little research has been done on Lyme disease in pregnancy, but what has been done shows that there is an increased chance of heart defects in untreated patients.
- Lyme is treatable by a simple round of antibiotics when detected usually within the first 3 months of contracting it. According to our calculations, I had been infected for about 2.5 months.
- The antibiotics given are completely safe during pregnancy!
- I know for a fact that if my friend had not moved in with us, I would never have gone to see a doctor a second time, especially within the first three months. God used her, and the tough circumstances she was under, to bring our family healing. I am forever grateful to her and to the Lord for using her.
- Since having Lyme disease, I have heard more and more people that have contracted it. Because we live on the west coast, where it is so rare, most people have gone undiagnosed for years. Undiagnosed Lyme disease gets really serious, affecting the major organs, causing psychological issues and becomes very hard to treat.
- My doctor even admitted to me that he tagged on the Lyme test at the end, without much confidence it would come back positive. Thank the Lord he did!
In Acts 3, we read the story about the crippled man who begged Peter for some spare change. Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” The man jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. This beggar woke up that morning hoping for a little change to buy food for another meal. But God knew that what the man needed was more than a little money – he needed life abundant! The observers as well were filled with wonder and amazement.
God gave us much more than we thought we wanted as well. We were praying for a healthy baby. God gave us a healthy baby, a healthy mommy, and the recognition that He is sovereign, in charge, and able to take care of our needs.
