From Terminally Un-ill to Ill-Prepared

I used to write about having Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome (MVPS) and Dysautonomia. True, my autonomic nervous system failure is very real, so when I finally dragged myself in for this year's check-up with the cardiologist she assured me she was going to try some different avenues this time, especially since I have every risk factor for heart disease but the smoking and family history. I was mainly concerned about what my several-times-a-day episodes of hypoglycemia were doing to my heart, and seemed to be going in the direction of having more POTS symptoms, a related disease I have yet to be diagnosed with. I did a tilt table test, which came back negative, but some routine labs she ran showed something very interesting: a Lyme Disease infection. She prescribed a Z-pack (at which I scoffed, having taken Zithromax at least 10 times over the past year thanks to kids in daycare) and referred me to an Infectious Disease doctor. In the days that followed, the more I educated myself about this disease the more I denied, surrendered, suffered, and endured until I realized this was going to be no ordinary struggle. Facing an uncertain future, I want to know that there are people out there like me.