? for you re: lyme disease and child developing some special needs/issues

[momsuz123]

So, both of my girls were typical in their development. Hit milestones early if anything. My older got lyme disease at the age of 4 years, my middle one at 2 years. Both treated for it with 28 days of antibiotics.

Fast forward a few years...older one now dx with dyspraxia (she has become so clumsy over the last few years), anxiety, visual problems, etc.

Younger one dx with milder dyspraxia, vision problems, sensory and auditory issues too.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, I get that kids sometimes just "get" things, I do. But, this whole lymes thing has never sat well with me. How do the doctors know that 28 days took care of it or not? I have done a little research and have found kids who "came down" with new sx every year. Then finally the child got tested and bam, had lymes.

 

Hmmm, what do you think?

[sbgrace]

Lymes can be incorrectly/under treated, and not irradicated, for sure. I'm not terribly lyme aware, but I surely think it might be connected. It's worth testing with a Lyme-aware doctor in my opinion. Hopefully someone with awareness of that area will see this and respond.

 

It's also possible you're just seeing things more clearly as they age. Some stuff gets more obvious as kids age--particularly some the types of things you are mentioning. Others, like anxiety, actually can normally/typically present at older ages.

[GoVanGogh]

I don't know about at age four, but re: the two-year-old -

The cerebellum is still developing at that age and is very sensitive to fevers, seizures, infection, etc.

The cerebellum integrates sensory processing, motor planning, muscle control, balance, etc.

Dyspraxia can certainly be an outcome. And it looks worse as the child ages when one would expect to see better coordination.

Have you taken them to a pediatrican neurologist? I would see if you can get an appointment and, possibly, an MRI or CT scan.

[Crimson Wife]

I know someone whose child had chronic Lyme infection and had very good results from the Crowden protocol. Might be something to consider.

[Farrar]

Lyme is so pernicious that it's also possible that they got it again later and it was never treated.

 

Lyme scares me. One of my ds had a very classic case last year and got the antibiotics. I trust that he was cured, but I have zero trust that he won't get it again.

[weederberries]

My son got Lyme disease at age 3 and spent a year on antibiotics because of a late diagnosis. We no longer see direct lyme symptoms.. It triggered another chronic illness (the emergency that caused us to look for underlying disease) that we still must treat regularly in order to prevent paralysis., If you haven't already, contact iGeneX about thorough testing. Lyme and co-infections can manifest symptoms many years later. Definitely find a lyme-literate doctor in your area and ask about what you are seeing. In our case, treating the lyme disease allowed us to increase the time between treatments for his other condition from 2 weeks to 6 weeks and has made all the difference in my son's quality of life.

[Spryte]

I agree with finding a Lyme Literate doc. If you need help finding one, the people over at the "find a doctor" section of lymenet.org can send you a list of good LL docs in your area.

 

Your kiddos' Lyme may not have been treated fully (which wouldn't be surprising) or it may be that they've contracted it again.

 

In the words of a great LL doc, "ticks are filthy" ... the chances of a tick *only* carrying Lyme disease are fairly small. Some of the co-infections (infections also passed along by ticks, along with Lyme) are treatable with the same antibiotics, so treating for Lyme alone will catch them. Some are not, and will require different treatment for different durations.

 

As for your kiddos' symptoms - I've heard similar stories over many years in Lyme support groups, so it's definitely a possibility. But don't panic. It's one possibility among many, and while it's worth investigating thoroughly - it's also something you can address.

[Pen]

Been dealing with that here too (me, not dc), so listening in, but nothing helpful to add.

[Guest momcat7]

My youngest daughter was treated for lyme disease around age 7 (she's 10 now). About a year ago she developed childhood epilepsy. I wonder if there's a connection, though her neurologist says not.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I know someone whose child had chronic Lyme infection and had very good results from the Crowden protocol. Might be something to consider.

 

 

28 days is more than most people get, if it was treated right away that is hopeful. I wouldn't panic, but I would certainly investigate the possibility with a Lyme Doc. I say this because I know how bad things can get if it goes untreated. The Cowden Protocol has had good results in chronic cases.

 

Dd had Lyme for years before she was diagnosed, by then it was pretty much systemic, the neuro issues being the biggest problem other than nausea and pain. We went the antibiotic route with other drugs too for 8 months and she was more sick than she'd ever been with side effects. (Biaxin, Doxycycline, Flagyl and Plauquenil) Due to GI bleeds which were initially terrifying we took a 6 month break from anything except things to detox and build her immune system and now she is on month 4 of 6 of the Cowden Condensed protocol. We are finally seeing some improvement, she has more and more good days. It is very encouraging at this point. She still has headaches, nausea, anxiety issues and some neuro issues and joint pain but there is definitely progress. She has always been clumsy but she was sick so long it would be impossible to know what was normal with her and what was Lyme.