Congenital Lyme in Kids

Congenital Lyme disease in children is worth investigating and treating with the help of your Lyme Literate practitioner.

At the time I gave birth to both my kids, I did not know I was suffering from Lyme disease. I had chronic fatigue from the time my first child was born and it’s only been since he was 6 that I knew I had Lyme disease. Our entire family was treated for CIRS successfully, but my kids symptoms of fatigue, respiratory problems, mood swings, and irritability continued.  Congenital Lyme disease is a factor in their health.

I once asked my Lyme literate NMD, does congenital Lyme happen often? She said, I’ve seen enough bad cases of it, I would rather treat it now.

The stories of kids with congenital Lyme and their lost childhood due to Lyme and its co infections is daunting. I hope by treating Lyme disease while my kids are young, they can have a happy healthy rest of childhood and beyond.

The case studies I have seen bring clear light that Congenital Lyme Disease is a real problem. Scientific research doesn’t seem to always support the case study findings. I suspect there are multiple reasons

1) It’s hard to get positive test results for Lyme if the standard test, the Western Blot, is false negative at least 50% of the time. It’s accuracy rate is actually well below 50%. The reason: a) The US Western Blot tests for only 1 species of Borrelia, Borrelia burgdorferi, and there are around 18 known species. b) The Western Blot looks for antibodies which the immune system produces to Lyme, but often the body does not produce antibodies to it for several reasons. c) The CDC’s recommendations for a positive Western Blot are inaccurate; a positive according to the CDC is 5 present abnormal Borrelia specific bands, yet, if any bands are showing up, it means further testing should be done. An FYI – The ELISA antibody test is even less sensitive than the Western Blot and it’s plagued by false negatives. Never rely on the ELISA or the Western Blot as a definitive diagnosis for not having Lyme Disease.

2) Conventional MDs are not necessarily picking up on Lyme disease symptoms in kids or adults well. Moms to be with symptoms of Lyme remain unrecognized or given a different label such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune conditions, unexplained inflammation, unexplained immune deficiencies, psychiatric conditions such as depression or anxiety, joint pain or muscle pain. Kids with Lyme may be mistaken as normal or misdiagnosed with autism.

3) The conventional MD community doesn’t understand that kids can have chronic illness at such a young age and Lyme is a factor.

I found an interesting article by Lyme Disease Challenge exploring the Lyme and Autism connection and symptomology of Lyme disease in kids. They also discuss congenital Lyme disease in more depth with citations.

Lyme Disease Challenge – Pregnancy and Children

Lyme Disease Challenge – Lyme and Autism

Go with your gut if you think you and your child has Lyme Disease. And even if your doctor tells you you’re negative for Lyme disease, but in your heart you still know it to be the case, find a doctor who knows the ins and outs of Lyme disease.You may have a co infection with Lyme, which will not show up positive on conventional tests.

The right testing is important. For example, I tested negative to Elisa Antibody test and technically tested negative to the Western Blot, although I had 3 abnormal bands present on it. I tested positive for the DNA Connections Lyme Panel. It’s false negative results are very low as long as the Lyme and co-infections are in the sample collected.

DNA Connections Lyme Panel

Since I’ve been diagnosed I have met so many moms with the same past symptoms as myself; they got chronic fatigue and/or fibromyalgia type symptoms after having kids and they have all these unexplained symptoms with no resolution. They have little hope in the established medical system and no idea how to get better.

There is hope for you and your kids. Our Lyme literate NMD has prescribed herbal treatment to fight the Lyme. Herbal treatment is working and there is a cure. In my opinion herbal treatments are a much better long term solution for chronic Lyme disease than long term antibiotic therapy; antibiotic therapy kills off the gut and often leaves the person in worse shape than before.

Within about 2 1/2 months of herbal treatment for Lyme Disease, my chronic fatigue and brain fog diminished so much that I haven’t felt so good in years!! My boys also have energy like nothing in the past within 1 1/2 months. They are becoming normal energetic kids. There are setbacks but there’s hope and progress. It’s a miracle!