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Thin, great, wonderful, are all compliments I get from people who haven't seen me in years. This is the mask that Lyme disease hides behind as it torments me mercilessly. Most people have heard of Lyme disease but have not seen the destructive nature of this invisible disease. I have been suffering in silence for ten plus years because doctors didn't believe me when I told them there was something drastically wrong." You're too young to have that much pain." " All you're tests were negative and I think you should see a psychiatrist." These are only a couple of the standard lines I heard from doctors who didn't know what was wrong and couldn't admit to it and because of that I now have chronic Lyme. I have neurological involvement which means it is in my brain and spinal cord. It causes such problems as short-term memory loss, lack of concentration and coordination, poor balance, speech problems, depression and anxiety, compulsive thoughts and hearing problems. The physical symptoms manifest themselves as arthritis, chronic pain, migraines, restless legs, sleeplessness, night sweats and the list goes on and on. I am 26 years old and I am going in to have my second chest tube put in for yet another round of antibiotics that have lasted three very long years. With everything that I have endured the hardest thing is hearing, one more time, you look great.

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