Karen`s Lyme Treatment & Recovery Fund

A little more about Karen: She is currently undergoing treatment for Lyme disease… In order for the best possible outcome health wise, Karen needs access to long term treatment, as well as supplemental therapies that will help with neuronal and tissue repair.

Your support with raising funds to help with medical treatment for Karen Smith would be extremely beneficial and appreciated.

A little more about Karen: She is currently undergoing treatment for Lyme disease. In the early stages, Lyme may present as something as simple as a flu-like illness, however left untreated the bacteria spreads widely throughout the body, and the disease can present in many ways, with symptoms varying from rheumatoid-like symptoms to heart problems to severe neurological dysfunction. As the Australian Health Department is only recently starting to investigate Lyme in Australia early symptoms of the disease have gone unrecognised by doctors and patients alike, resulting in Karen being sick for a number of years.

Karen’s original symptom was Bells Palsy (right sided facial paralysis), which was then treated with steroids. As steroids are immunosuppressant, the length of time Karen was put on this treatment protocol unfortunately worsened the progression of her illness quite dramatically. Karen began experiencing many more symptoms which included constant headaches, bone pain, muscle weakness, hand tremors, burning sensations, loss of taste, hearing problems, memory problems, and stuttering. Brain scans revealed hypo-perfusion (lack of sufficient oxygen/blood flow: aka – chronic ischemia /chronic stroke) throughout the brain, which contributed to these symptoms. Karen was housebound for two years, and slept 20/24 hours a day, and was barely able to talk for twelve months of those two years. With treatment Karen is slowly improving, though due to both the bacteria and the systemic damage that long term illness /inflammation has caused, she has a long way to go before she can return to “normal living”, including getting back to the workforce.

In order for the best possible outcome health wise, Karen needs access to long term treatment, as well as supplemental therapies that will help with neuronal and tissue repair. Karen currently has a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), for IV treatment. The current cost for medications and PICC line care alone is just under $300 / week. Karen is on a disability pension and cannot keep up the cost of these medications for too much longer, let alone afford other supplemental therapies which would be extremely beneficial to healing and repair.

As well as vitamins, minerals and supplements to heal/repair the immune system, chiropractic, acupuncture and functional neurologist appointments would, we believe, see Karen improve immensely. Research also suggests that investing in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber is potentially the best way to help with repairing / re-routing the damage to the brain (which has resulted in problems with things such as short-term/working memory, language, concentration) due to long term hypo-perfusion: lack of sufficient oxygen/blood flow.

Whilst Karen currently cannot work due to numerous factors including the inability of her brain to tolerate numerous sensory inputs, (ie; noise, light, smells) for any length of time, Karen helps other patients and raises awareness of Lyme through patient support and advocacy (communicating mostly via facebook), and her websites (patient information and support) whenever she can. Karen is hopeful that treatment will not only continue to reduce the infection, but also that the damage due to long term illness and immune dysregulation will continue to repair/heal so that she may one day go back to university to either finish her PhD, or do a medical degree and help other patients like herself.

Your donation – to assist Karen in regaining her health and getting back to living life to its fullest potential, as a healthy active contributing member of society, who is also able to spend more quality time interacting with her three gorgeous children – would be extremely appreciated, and acknowledged on her website and at the fundraisers. (Lyme Australia Recognition & Awareness Website: http://www.lymeaustralia.com/ )

Kind Regards, Jenny, Karen and her team of helpers.