Connie Strasheim is a recovering Lyme disease patient, medical blogger, and the author of the recently published book Insights Into Lyme Disease: 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies. We spoke with her recently to get her thoughts.
Where are you from?
Denver, Colorado
Where did you go to college and what was your academic major?
University of Colorado at Boulder, BA, Spanish for Business.
What has been your career path from college to now?
I was a flight attendant for United Airlines for eight years, and spent my twenties traveling the world, leading and participating in humanitarian missions trips.
I quit my job at United when I became disabled by Lyme disease at the age of 30. After that, I worked part-time as a private Spanish instructor and medical interpreter, whenever my health allowed me to.
I also began to intensively research Lyme disease and, over the past three years, I have written a blog (lymebytes.blogspot.com) and two books on the subject.
When did you get Lyme disease? What has been your treatment strategy in getting well?
I don’t know for how long I have had Lyme. I began to experience mild symptoms in my early twenties, although I may have been infected as early as my childhood. I became disabled by Lyme in 2004.
In the three years leading up to my “crash” in 2004, my back pain and symptoms of anxiety had intensified significantly.
Then, on September 26, 2004,I began to experience a multitude of other symptoms – extreme fatigue, gut pain and digestive problems, tachycardia, trouble standing and breathing, brain fog and depression.
It took me nearly a year to get diagnosed. The thirteenth doctor that I saw diagnosed me.
I began antibiotic treatment in July, 2005, but the drugs weakened me so much that after only two months, I decided to pursue other paths to healing.
Over the next few years, I used Rife machines, high doses of salt and Vitamin C, herbs, and a number of other “alternative” remedies, which helped me to varying degrees.
The Bionic 880 device and herbal remedies seemed to be most effective for treating the infections, however. The Bionic 880 is a device which is used in Germany by some doctors to treat Lyme disease.
Adjunct therapies, such as a healthy diet, hormonal and nutritional supplements, were just as, if not more important than, the “bug killers” for my recovery.
Do you believe you are cured of Lyme disease?
That’s a good question. I believe that the main Lyme infection Borrelia is in remission, but I yet have symptoms, which may be due to any number of causes.
People aren’t always healed completely just because they get the infection under control. The pathogens damage the body significantly, and sometimes, symptoms remain for other reasons.
I have back pain and some auto-immune issues, which may have been present prior to Lyme, or which are the result of biological processes that were triggered by Lyme.
I am also still treating for a Babesia infection, which may account for my remaining symptoms. Tests and treatments have revealed that Borrelia is not currently a problem for me, however.
Healing from chronic Lyme disease isn’t about just healing from an infection though - it’s about healing from a multitude of biochemical dysfunctions in the body that may or may not be a direct result of the infections.
While my back pain is yet quite severe, my other symptoms are relatively mild at the moment, if I do everything right and take care of myself.
What does your current treatment regimen consist of?
I continue to treat for Babesia with the Bionic 880 device. I also take allergy drops, a few supplements for detoxification and nutrition, as well as bioidentical hormones.
I do physical therapy and a technique called Quantum Neurology for my back pain.
Then of course, there is my lifestyle, which involves healthy eating, prayer, exercise and living a simple, quiet life, as much as I am able to.
Click here for part 2 of this interview with Connie Strasheim
Leave a Reply