Damien’s Story
Damien, Lyme Warrior
“My name is Damien. I'm from France, and I have Lyme disease.
I live near forests and fields, and I usually walk and wander there. In January 2019, during a trip across Europe and Jordan, I started feeling weird. I had dizziness, light sensitivity, tachycardia, I was breathless, and I had pain in my forearms. Back in France, I saw a lot of doctors who said "It's nothing except stress. You can take Xanax.” Hell no. I was sure there was something strange in my body.
New symptoms developed over time. I was really tired, I had headaches, muscle pain, and eye aches, I was angry and depressed, and I felt that my mind wasn't in sync with my brain.
After 6 months of searching, a doctor ran a Lyme test, which was positive. He gave me 3 weeks of doxycycline. I was like a very old man during the first two weeks, but it was insufficient. The doctor told me the Borrelia was gone. I kept fighting against him and others until I found another doctor, my savior.
My treatments included 13 months of doxycycline and azithromycin, 2 months of cefuroxime, essential oil, and products for the liver.
It was hard, all these months, to fight against Lyme, and to fight against how other people looked at or thought about me. I'm glad my girlfriend and God supported me all this time.
Now I'm still tired but less tired, my liver is used, I have some skin lesions on my hands, and I often have muscle pain, brain fog, dizziness and weights on my shoulders...But it's a few days a month. I know I won't be like before, but I try to have a normal life.
People don't understand how hard it is to fight this, when you can't do anything, you go to sleep at 8 PM, and you’re tired all day long, sad, depressed, and unable to do something with your life. But when you start to raise your head and see the light shining again in your life, you know you've come a long way. You are tougher than before!
If you just found out that you have Lyme, my thoughts go out to you. You will win this fight. Don't be afraid to talk about it, to cry about it, and to be mad about it. In a few years, you will have a scar on your soul which is a testament to how strong you are.
You will be, like thousands of others and me, a Lyme survivor.”
Stories reflect the experiences and perspectives of the individuals featured and are not intended as medical advice.
