Bartonella, Why are you such a BETCH?!

If Bartonella (Bartonellosis), a tick-borne disease, could talk I think it would be Regina George from the classic movie "Mean Girls."  First, if you haven't watched this movie, the next time you are Herxing or having a pajama day, watch this high school drama filled comedy.  I don't want to spoil any surprises for you, but Regina George is the "Queen Bee" of the popular clique in high school called the "Plastics."  She is a complete betch from head to toe, basically your typical social dictator.

Bartonella, also known as "cat scratch fever," in my eyes is a TRUE betch!  This nasty co-infection is mean and literally has a mind of its own!  When its symptoms flare up, Bartonella likes to makes its presence known! It's like "here I am! I'm here to make your life miserable! Get ready for hell!" Everyone can flare up differently from Bartonella, but when I talk to other Lymies the one thing we all complain about is the stabbing pain in the arches of our feet!  I would probably only wish this pain on my worst enemy and the CDC, until they change the treatment guidelines for Chronic Lyme Disease.

Bartonella also LOVES playing head games and can make you feel even crazier, especially by worsening your anxiety and anger.  Now, here comes the fun part!  If you ever heard of the term "Lyme rage" you can thank Bartonella for literally driving you NUTS!  What is "Lyme rage?" You can thank it for its several neurological and psychological effects.  I like to describe it as EXTREME anger and irritability.  You might feel like giving up, depressed, completely "out of it," cry often, and sometimes even get physical.  Remember, it's not your fault this is happening to your body. Here, you are following a protocol to get better and because of all the die off, all these wacky side effects occur that make you look like a crazy person!

Honestly, when you feel these symptoms flaring up, it's REALLY hard to turn the "off" switch in your brain, especially when you know it's not your fault.  Personally, with the unrelenting foot pain in the arches of my feet, excessive anxiety, increased vibrations throughout my body, projectile vomiting (completely gross), migraines galore, and insomnia, I feel like I am OFFICIALLY losing my mind!  How could you not?! So as the movie "Mean Girls" asks, "how many of you have been personally victimized by Regina George?"  My answer is Bartonella is bullying me currently, but this co-infection might be trying to take over my life no matter how hard I try to eradicate it!  However,  I'm not letting this betch win without a good fight! Sorry Bartonella!