, YNN's Marcie Fraser offers advice on a variety of children's issues, including health, diet, exercise, activities and psychological problems. Find it Wednesday's only on YNN.
Child Wellness: Lyme Disease
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It all began two-and-a-half years ago.
The search for a diagnosis of Lyme disease was a long road for Riley Nuss.
"She had two regular CDC blood tests for the Western Blot and both came back negative for Lyme disease. She didn't have a bull’s-eye rash,” Riley's mother Bridget Nuss said.
She got so much worse that she had to quit school. With things getting worse, the Nuss family sought out a doctor to help manage her pain.
"She had her tested in an independent lab and that test came back with enough strands to say Lyme positive," explained Nuss.
Lab results from tests like the Elisa and the Western Blot can vary depending on how long the person has been infected.
“Unfortunately, if someone is very, very sick and has been sick for a long time and they don't raise antibodies accurately they can have negative testing even though they are symptomatic,” integrated medical expert Dr. Ron Stram said.
Riley's road to recovery has not been an easy one. She's developed a resistance to the drugs. If it wasn't for perseverance and support she wouldn't be where she is.
"She has her smile back. I see glimpses of Riley and her personality coming back," Nuss said.
"I feel like I am a teenager again. I can do stuff and I can go to the gym, I can start school up again and be with my friends and be normal,” Riley said.