I am a Lyme Warrior, in remission since 2020.
About Jana
I am a Lyme warrior who battled chronic Lyme disease for two-and-a-half years. As of this writing, I am five years into remission and currently coping with complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have been a professional dancer, a rock climber, a licensed massage therapist and a Reiki II practitioner. Now, I’m a writer and fierce advocate for Lyme disease patients.
I was diagnosed in June of 2017, but I had been seeking answers since childhood. After 20-plus years of misdiagnoses and/or undiagnosed symptoms, I finally found a Lyme-literate doctor. I chose to attack Lyme with a combination of antibiotics and natural herbal remedies. I battled Lyme along with the co-infections, Bartonella and Babesia. In early 2020, I reached remission.
For the past five years I have been sharing my personal experiences in order to encourage and lift up those in the midst of their Lyme disease battle. In addition to my memoir and this blog, I have participated in interviews, podcasts and given presentations to continue advocating for, and raising awareness about, the reality of battling Lyme disease.
I am not a doctor or a researcher. I am not here to tell you how to cure Lyme disease or advise you on treatment protocols. All I can share with you is my experiences in the hopes that you’ll feel a little less alone. You are seen, you are heard, you are valuable and important.
My Lyme Disease Journey
I will never truly know when I initially contracted Lyme disease, but I have symptoms since early childhood that whisper of this invader. It began with feeling tired all the time around the age of nine. Exhaustion (chronic fatigue syndrome) would continue to pop up as a possible diagnosis my whole life.
I believe my first true misdiagnosis came in 1996, when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I lived with this misdiagnosis until 2017, managing symptoms as best as I could. After graduating with a B.A. in dance, I performed professionally for three years. But, the pain and exhaustion became too much to manage. Regrettably, this misdiagnosed fibromyalgia would strip me of my dream of being a professional dancer. So, in 2001 I hung up my dance shoes.
Lyme disease is a lonely disease.
I’m shining a light into the darkness.
Around 2004, dizziness reared its ugly head. This symptom got a lot of attention, including a barrage of tests. Among others possible illnesses, I was tested for a hole in my heart, inner ear dysfunction and most frighteningly, multiple sclerosis. As is so common for sufferers of Lyme disease, it all came back negative, and I stayed on the merry-go-round of uncertainty.
Over the next thirteen years, I floundered. With more and more symptoms popping up every few years, I was struggling to hold down a job. Migraines, brain fog, a tremor, difficulty with word recall, hot, stabbing pains in my skull, tinnitus and eye floaties crept into my body. Too many symptoms to list were wrecking my self-confidence and pulling me into depression. And of course, the chronic fatigue perpetually dragging me under.
You will get worse before you get better.
Keep fighting Lymies!
Eventually, my body began crying out to me and symptoms were demanding to be acknowledged. I was raging at my then-boyfriend (now my husband). I had stopped wearing make-up because my hands were trembling too much to apply it. I couldn’t get through the day without a nap. Obsessive compulsive tendencies, memory loss, menstrual cycles so painful I was vomiting…I was scared and didn’t know where to turn.
I fully believe it was divine kismet that landed me at The Bridge Medical Center in Whitefish, MT at the exact right moment. Thanks to my Lyme-literate doctor, I am here writing for you about how I survived Lyme disease.
Your body’s only goal is to survive.
It is fighting for you, every minute of every day!
Remission is possible. Don’t lose hope.
I have included an extensive list of resources here for you. These are recommendations and favorites that I found beneficial during my long battle. Some of them are things I’ve discovered since, that I wish I had known about then. I hope they are helpful for you.
