In the Lyme community there is great skepticism on big pharma, the CDC and the medical system in general and rightfully so! Those of us with Lyme have been continually let down by all of them and left to deal with our chronic and debilitating condition on our own or with the few good doctors that actually want to help us.

Getting the COVID vaccine was not an easy decision for me. I did a lot of research, spoke with all my doctors and felt into my intuition of what was right for my body and life. Between my history of Lyme Disease, CIRS and multiple Autoimmune Conditions I feel like either direction is hard. Do I take my chances with COVID and potentially have a severe case due to my inflammation issues and potentially get left with another Long Hauler Disease or do I take my chance with a Vaccine that may not cause any issues whatsoever and let me start comfortably living my life again?

Here is a little recap of the things I considered when making MY decision to get vaccinated. I realize this is a very individual choice and you MUST talk to your own doctors to decide if it is right for you. I will not allow any shaming or negative comments on this post, I am simply sharing what felt like the RIGHT decision for me. I encourage everyone to do their own research, talk to your doctors and do what feels right for your own body.

I Don't Want Covid AT ALL.

As someone who already lost 6 years of my life to Lyme Disease, getting another infectious disease was not something I wanted to even consider being an option. I have been extremely careful and have not done anything to put myself at risk of getting Covid. Knowing my medical history, current labs, current inflammation, and cytokine markers and how long it takes me to get over a cold, I do not believe I would do well with COVID. Not only that, once you get past the acute phase, what worries me most is being a Long Hauler and also losing my sense of taste or smell for extended periods of time. Some people have gone months and still don't have their sense of smell and taste back! The reality is, no one really knows if you will be a severe or asymptomatic case. Knowing what I know about my health and markers I did not want to find out or risk it.

I Don’t Want Another Long-Hauler Disease

As someone who is still dealing with long-term damage and issues from contracting Lyme Disease in 2012, I do not want to have another set of long hauler symptoms from a new disease. That is my absolute worst nightmare as someone who has lived with that and I tend to learn lessons quickly and know that this is not something I want to take any risks for. I am finally in a good place in my life after losing years of my life and hundreds of thousands of dollars I don't want anything to set me back there. The symptoms of long-hauler Covid sound almost identical to what I experienced with Lyme and I am honestly not sure I could survive that again.

I Don't Want Another Disease With Unknowns

Lyme was discovered in the mid-1970s and though it has been known about for almost 50 years, we still have no proper and accurate testing, most doctors have no idea how to diagnose or treat it and it is grossly understudied and funded for as widespread as it is. Having already had a disease with so many unknowns, the thought of having a second one is horrifying. Not only that, no one really knows the long-term issues that COVID can cause. I have seen some reports that it is causing kidney damage, triggering diabetes and other scary long-term conditions. No thank you.

You Have To Pick What You Fear More - COVID Or The Vaccine

The reality is the pandemic sucks and any approach you choose has unknowns or potentials for negative or positive outcomes. You have to choose what causes more worry and stress for you individually based on your current health and perspective. For some people the thought of getting COVID is less of a stress or concern. For some getting the vaccine seems more of a risk than getting COVID and for others, the thought of getting the Vaccine seems like the safest option. There is no right or wrong option. It is purely individual and no one should be shamed for their decision. You have to do what is best for you based on your own intuition and current health state.

My Immune System Is Still Fragile

Though I am in remission from Lyme, I still have a fragile immune system, autoimmune diseases triggered on my Lyme and some residual CIRS issues. My inflammation markers on my labs are not perfect yet, showing that I still have some Cytokine storm activation. Also anytime I get a cold, it takes me weeks to recover and that is with multiple IVs, ozone, 10pass ozone and vitamin D injections. This shows me that if a cold does this to me, I would have a hard time with COVID even with all my proactive interventions.

Also, the reality is Lyme remission is fragile. There is always a risk that I can come out of remission from getting another infection, stress, trauma, an accident etc. All of it can rock the boat and let Lyme rear its ugly head again and this is not something I ever want to experience again in my life. I am not cured from Lyme and Co-Infections and it is a full-time job to keep it under control and in remission. Getting another inflammatory infection is just not something I want to deal with or take a risk of dealing with Lyme again in addition to COVID! Not to mention, many people I know in the Lyme community that got COVID have had a very hard time with lingering issues persisting.

I Am Generally In A Good Place In Life

Aside from my immune system still being fragile I am in a pretty good place. I work out everyday, I run my design agency again, I run my blog and have the energy to create a ton of content for it, I just got engaged and working on achieving other big goals that I have to be healthy and strong to be able to do. I don't want to spend any more of my days sick and I want to do everything I can to stay in remission and keep it this way. Making time for illness is not something I want to be a part of my life anymore.

I Don't Believe Vitamin D & C, HQ or Ivermectin Will Keep You From Getting Covid

I keep hearing people say that vitamin D or C or HQ or Ivermectin are going to prevent them from getting COVID and for me I just don't fundamentally believe it.

Now don't get me wrong, Vitamin C, D and zinc are vital for a healthy immune system and I take them everyday or get IVs/Injections but I still get the common cold and I still get sick. I still struggle to keep my immune system healthy and able to keep up with the common cold, how will I fair against COVID?

I also have the VDR Taq gene which makes it hard for me to hold onto vitamin D and keep my levels up. I have tried doing high dose oral vitamin D and also getting weekly injections and plenty of sunlight (no I don't wear sunscreen) and I still struggle to get my vitamin D up no matter how healthy and conscious I am about it and I still get an annual cold that lasts for weeks.

Though these things help your immune system, they are not a 100% preventative and for someone more susceptible like me that is prone to massive inflammation and cytokine storm issues, I just don't think this is enough and does not give me the confidence to go out and do things in the world with COVID.

I feel the same about Ivermectin and HQ. There is not a lot of proof that these are working and it does not give me enough peace of mind to take it and live my life. Also, as with everything, Ivermectin can have some nasty side effects and also stir up other parasitic infections if you have any.

I Don't Trust Covid Testing To See My Friends

Some friends have asked if I would feel comfortable getting a COVID test and hanging out and the answer is always no. I don't trust the testing and if it's anything like Lyme testing, my suspicious are definitely founded. I have had several friends all get tested and go on a trip together only to find out one person got a false negative and infected everyone.

Isolation Is Wearing My Mental Health

I have spent the last year mostly at home and have not seen anyone other than my doctors to give my IVs in my front yard and a good friend that did my hair 2x through the year masked in N95s in my front yard.

This is after spending most of the last decade at home also healing from Lyme. I was ready to start living my life again and COVID hit. Though this year has been extremely productive and I have accomplished a lot of goals and hobbies, at the end of the day I am an extrovert and miss socializing dearly.

My cortisol has been elevated the last 2 times I ran labs and I really think this is due to stress and not having healthy relationships and socializing. At a certain point I have to reintegrate into living my life and this vaccine will give me protection to do so and feel safe about it.

My Whole Family Got Pfizer And Was Fine

So far everyone in my family has gotten the Pfizer vaccine and had no reactions whatsoever. Now I realize they don't have Lyme or the same Autoimmune issues as me, thankfully, we do have the same genetics and generally similar reactions to things. I figured if everyone did ok with it my chances of doing well were higher as well.

I Have Had All Other Vaccines And Been OK

Now I realize these vaccines are new technology and not as tested, but historically I have had all the vaccines and never had an issue (knock on wood) and I have even gotten some more intense ones like Yellow Fever when I had Lyme (pre Lyme Diagnosis) and was still fine. I am not the kind of person that runs out and gets every vaccine. I never get the flu shot and I don't get the extra ones that I don't need. I do however get vaccines for travel as needed and have done fine. I think issues with vaccines come when you do several of them close together and over-vaccinate. I am also wary of vaccines with heavy metals, but thankfully the Pfizer one does not have any heavy metals.

As A Society We Have To Do Our Part

This Pandemic has shaken us to our core as a society and there has been so much division that is has caused. Between masks vs no masks, COVID is real, COVID is a hoax, millions of people have died and the pandemic is very real.

On top of that, we have to think about all the COVID Long Haulers which are now going to get the run around in our medical system with a disease that doctors don't understand. The more people that get vaccinated or develop natural immunity the sooner this will start to end and also reduce the variants. I feel like it is important if you are comfortable to come together and do our part in slowing it down so we can get back to living again.

We Will Probably Need It To Travel Again

After nearly a decade locked up at home, I can't wait to travel again and the reality is we will probably have to have the vaccine to travel and also for our health. If it is eventually probably going to be a requirement I rather get it now and start living my life again.

I Worked With My Docs And Practitioners To Make The Decision

Again this decision is very personal and I respect everyone’s decision to get it or not get it, especially if you are immunocompromised. After several conversations with my doctors, reviewing my current health and labs and previous health history they all advised that I would do well with the vaccine and it can ease some of the stress I am experiencing from isolating for the past year. They also agreed that COVID could cause serious issues for me and if my number one goal is to avoid COVID at all costs, this seems like the right decision for me.

Conclusion

I will post some updates after my vaccine to share my experience and how I am doing with it.

Again, negative comments and shaming will not be tolerated on this post. Everyone is entitled to their own decision and health choices. Make the choice that feels right for YOU. Everyone is different and we must follow our medical team’s advice and our own intuition on what the right choice is for us to thrive and stay healthy through all of this.

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy.