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Greg Eckenrode hasn't added a story.
Our son has been taken into custody by Denver Human Services who are accusing my wife of Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy. We have become homeless and unemployed due to this situation and are trying to get compitent representation in court. The next court date is December 5 at 10:00. So far, one attorney I have talked to is $550 an hour. A bit hard to afford when unemployed. Any help you can give is appreciated.
Here is my story. It will be coming out in Huffington Post next week and we have aso been contacted by 9News in Denver.
Jailed because of Lyme
I have just spent three weeks in the Denver detention center because of Lyme disease. Not because I have it; although I do, but because her son has it. Actually, there are nine of us with it in the family. My wife and I, who got it the traditional way and her four children who got it congenitally from my wife and now our grandchildren through our daughters.
The problem with Lyme is that the CDC has kept their heads in the sand and refuses to accept that line can be contracted anywhere in the US and on several other continents. The other issue is that their definition of a positive test result and subsequent treatment is very restrictive. That is why I want up in jail.
In society today it is easier to get an abortion and to get the correct treatment for Lyme disease. Doctors known as Lyme Literate Medical Doctors (LLMDs) work in private practice, unable to accept insurance, and fearing the loss of their license for using a managed treatment plan is defined by ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). States that understand Lyme and enacted legislation to protect these doctors. That should be done nationally. In fact it shouldn’t have to be done at all.
Based on my medical history it has been figured out that I most likely contracted line from a tick bite in 1974 during basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The problem at that time is that nobody knew anything about it. Around the same time, my wife was contracting it is a young girl in Virginia
My wife has been sickly, weak and tired all of her life. She was eventually diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other issues after the birth of her son. Prior that she was in a PhD program in biochemistry when she started having cognitive issues and couldn’t continue.
As I mentioned, my wife had several diagnoses that in fact are symptoms of Lyme. Because standard doctors have no exposure to Lyme training the underlying cause is missed. Neither of us got a positive diagnosis until spring of 2013, only after her son was diagnosed.
Our son was never able to do things that most boys his age could do. He attired in the grocery store and wanted to ride in the cart. He didn’t have the strength to help carry groceries into the house. In school he had trouble holding a pencil, which caused problems with teachers and caused us to focus on homeschooling. We tried three times to send in school in each failed miserably.
In 2010, we got involved in bowling to helping meet kids and build friendships. He caught on about halfway through the season and wound up winning the state Pepsi tournament. Three months later he was in a wheelchair due to severe leg pain. Orthopedic specialists could not find a cause his health was sinking and no doctor could tell us why.
In the summer of 2011 he became bedbound. We took him to a doctor who was very good. She gave in the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue diagnoses just like his mother she was also the first one to suggest Lyme. In January 2012 came our next adventure. He was sick and running a fever. We took him to the emergency room and all bloodwork was coming back normal. One thing that wasn’t was his heart rate. Lying in bed his heart rate was running between 120 and 140 Essentially, he was running a marathon without moving. He was immediately transferred to a local children’s facility in Denver.
The diagnosis was POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). His cardiologist at a number of tests and everything we were experiencing could be attributed to POTS. Fortunately though, my wife is a tireless researcher and continue to look for the root cause. What happened next was what finally but all the pieces together.
My health of been fading throughout 2012 in October I had a major crash. I became disabled by leg and joint pain, brain fog, weakness, uncontrollable rage and exhaustion. I went to several specialists who could find nothing wrong. I was diagnosed with neuropathy in my left foot, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I was in the same condition as our son. had to be a common cause.
My wife’s research finally turned up something. Our son has stretch marks on his back and legs called striae. My wife found them in other chronic fatigue syndrome patients. But she also found them to be consistent with Lyme disease. She sought out a Lyme doctor. We took him to one in Boulder who did several tests and confirmed that he did indeed have Lyme disease in the and the co-infections Bartonella and Babesia. The doctor said it was the worst case he had ever seen. I went to a different Lyme doctor in Denver and also received a positive Lyme diagnosis. Finally, a cause for our illness.
As we both started treatment, I was put on an aggressive plan and saw fast results. Our son, on the other hand, didn’t respond well to treatment and had to go slowly. His immune system is greatly impaired by the disease. Three years later, through a steady process, he is now able to get out of bed, dress himself, and do computer coding. Homeschooling is still our only option, but our son is far ahead of other kids his age. It is fun watching him learn. He taught himself Python computer language in two days.
So, why was I in jail. Well, it goes back to what I was saying about the mainstream medicine and the CDC. We had to take her son at a hospital in July for stomach issue. He was admitted to the same hospital where he was diagnosed with POTS. As usual with any trip the hospital they asked about other conditions and medications. We told him about Lyme and POTS and all the medications he takes. Unfortunately, one of the doctors took exception to diagnoses and medication and what has portrayed my wife as doing Munchausen by Proxy. It actually said they’re afraid my wife is killing our son. She opened a case with Denver Child Protective Services. I’m not going to go through all of the details here, but CPS has claimed custody of our son while my wife and son were out of the state and put out warrants for their arrest. Because I couldn’t tell the magistrate where they were I was sentenced to 180 days for contempt of court.
They have subpoenaed our health insurance, banking credit card records to try to find them. All because of Lyme. I was their hostage in their attempt to bring them back to Colorado.
There is legislation currently in Congress to protect families and individuals from this kind of thing. The first is HR 4701 which passed in the House of Representatives in September this focus online education and treatment. The second is Justine as law to protect families from hospitals and other organizations from taking custody of a child because a doctor does not agree with the treatment plan or diagnoses. This is been settled in court before an it looks like will be the next fight there.
No family should have to endure this type of treatment. Lyme is bad enough to deal with on its own.
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