Dr. Kison Frank's Personal Journey With Lyme Disease
Lyme disease changed my life, but not in the way you’d expect. It changed it for the better.
It started when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I was your typical child but felt as though I was slowly falling apart, and I didn’t know how to put that into words to my parents. How could they possibly understand my agitation and extreme discomfort when even I didn’t understand it?
I started hating school. I couldn’t remember math problems I had just looked at or how to solve them and concentrating on work was near impossible. I was falling behind, and no one knew why. I started to retreat socially as I struggled with friendships and relationships. I’d forget what I was talking about mid-conversation or become so sidetracked I would stop conversing altogether. Being naturally athletic and having a passion for running, it was scary to feel my body reject physical activity.
As the years went by, I saw a handful of doctors all trying to “fix” me. They diagnosed me with ADHD, amongst other things, yet never tested me for Lyme or co-infections. The doctors would prescribe Ritalin for ADHD, but my mom refused to give it to me due to the side effects. By the time I was in high school, my love for sports had diminished. I was having a hard time keeping up physically with football and wresting and would have horrible panic attacks and nervous breakdowns during practice. There were days I didn’t think I’d live to see tomorrow.
Little did I know, I was fighting Lyme and Babesia the entire time.
