2020 – what a year this has turned out to be! My name is Sydney Shreck and I am a 35-year-old female in PA. Before this all began, I was a working surgical Physician Assistant. March 6, 2020 – it was a stressful day at work, but at least it was Friday. Little did I know that this would be the last day I slept thru the night, functioned normally, and was not in constant pain.
If I had to sum it up, the next 6 weeks consisted of a normally healthy 35-year-old turned bed-ridden. Aside from exhaustion with not sleeping, constant night sweats, lack of fever, and inability to get any sort of answers – life was okay. Through all the imaging and various blood tests, everything came back normal. NORMAL! I never even had a fever, I always ran “low”. I have been told it’s all mental..just “in my head”… a “stressful time right now”… my depression… my anxiety… back spasms, …nerve pain… the list goes on and on. My symptoms progressed to affecting me severely neurologically, and that is what began to scare us the most.
April 21, 2020 – my father and mother have Lyme’s disease, so they reached out to their doctor. He told me to call him. After our conversation, I didn’t feel like “nobody believed me” or feel like I was losing my mind. Every “weird” symptom I have been experiencing he easily explained. At the end he said due to the severity and progression of onset that I should see a specialist in Washington, DC. That’s where you come in (hopefully). This specialist is not covered by insurance and is extremely expensive. I have an amazing support network and family, but the idea of bankrupting them to help me live a normal life breaks my heart. If you are willing and able, I would greatly appreciate any donations.
In closing, I want to share this: when ending the conversation with the Lyme’s specialist today he just said “I truly believe if you go to DC you have a chance to live out a normal life.” As tears swelled up in my eyes, I felt for the first time a glimmer of hope. I am terrified to be hopeful but trying to remain optimistic. In training they teach us “think horses, not zebras” – well here’s the kicker, I’m a Zebra!
