My sleep last night was fitful. I tossed and turned all night long. When I did sleep, I dreamt of stalkers and violence, the dreams vivid enough to leave me feeling unsettled and disturbed this morning. I am worried.

My mom is sick. I can't remember her ever being this sick. My guess is that she is at least in the second stage of the disease, maybe even the third, all in a little over 6 weeks. She has a laundry list of symptoms, which hit her hard and rapidly progressed. She is taking massive amounts of antibiotics (2000 mg a day), but her condition doesn't seem to be getting any better. It is scaring the crap out of me.

I have been reading everything I can find on the disease. The disease itself can cause some frightening symptoms if it isn't treated right. And therein lies my fear. I am not confident that she is being treated correctly, especially because the treatment she is receiving was only given after I talked my mom into asking for antibiotics. Her doctor didn't want to give her any. "Why would you want to take antibiotics if you don't need them?" was the doctor's question. The doctor didn't want to do anything without a positive ly.me disease test. (and if she wasn't in the second stage, she probably wouldn't have tested positive) She looked at my mom's classic rash. Did nothing. She listened to my mom rattle off about 10 of the classic symptoms. Did nothing. So now, I have no confidence in this doctor at all. (and let's face it. my trust in doctors was already worn thin)

Sadly, my mom isn't very confident in her doctor either. I KNOW my mom isn't telling her many of her symptoms. When I asked her why, she just said that she didn't think the doctor was really listening to her. (Yes, I am working on getting my mom to another doctor, but we are hitting roadblocks at every turn. Add that to the fact that my mom lost her medical insurance when my dad died. I tried to get her to go to an emergency clinic, but the cost of that has her understandingly freaked.)

I have gotten my mom an appointment with an infectious disease doctor. It isn't until the 20th. Can you believe that? That doctor wanted my mom's doctor's notes, and after reviewing them, said that the 20th was soon enough. Now I am trying to talk my mom into calling her doctor back and giving her a detailed description of everything she is experiencing. Maybe her case didn't seem as serious as it is because she isn't telling her doctor everything was my reasoning.

Better yet I want to go to the office with her to talk to her doctor, but I can't go out with the still contagious poxy boys, and there isn't anyone available to watch them.

My anxiety is through the roof. My pal, IB, is back to visit. I spent the day arguing with Is.aac over everything. I am stuck on what to do to get her the help she needs.

I really think that part of the problem is that ly.me disease isn't really as well known in California. Yes, you can get it here, but definitely is not common in my area. Doctors, like my mom's, just don't know how to treat it here.

So I ask you out in blogland. Does anyone out there have experience with ly.me disease? Any info on how it was treated? Symptoms and antibiotic dosage? Anything would help.

And prayers would be greatly appreciated, too.