Jessica’s Story
Jessica, Firefighter Wifey & Mom to 3 Boys
“From the beginning of this illness I felt like an alien took over my body. The very first signs were swollen tonsils, dizzy spells, extreme fatigue, an inability to process sound or light, and intense pain. And then the truly scary stuff began. I had uncontrollable body movement, I was unable to walk, I was unable to drive, and I would lose my mind with any stimuli.
You feel like you’re going nuts. And then the doctors don’t know a thing. Tests, more tests, and naturopaths. You feel like you’re getting better, and then more symptoms happen, including electric jolts through the body, muscle twitches, numbness in extremities, continued uncontrollable movement, heart palpitations, lung constriction, mouth ulcers, rashes, and inflamed everything. This thing is a monster!
Managing life is hard. Most days I can do the bare minimum. I have to pace myself if I want to do extra things, like going out with the family. I eat as strictly as you can get. I nap every day or I can’t function. What brings me some peace and joy is walking every day, reading Bible verses, and sitting in nature.
My husband has been a champ, but this has taken a toll on him. To watch your wife become a different person is painful. And our life isn’t the same. In all this, we have HOPE, we have LOVE, and we have a GOOD GOD to walk us through the valley. I see the light at the end of this and I’m going to keep after it.
In the meantime, love your family madly, kiss and hug them, and tell them how much you appreciate them. And BE KIND. Kindness always wins. You never know what kind of silent suffering people are in, no matter what they look like on the outside.
Our community has been amazing, and we truly can’t thank them enough for their prayers and support.
A good documentary is Under Our Skin on Amazon Prime. It shows how much Lyme has been politicized and how people continue to suffer due to lack of knowledge and funds. Let’s change this!”
Stories reflect the experiences and perspectives of the individuals featured and are not intended as medical advice.
