Melissa Hughes Healing from Lyme

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting - Melissa, Chuck, Maeve & Hazel.


Many of you know my journey with Lyme started over 10 years ago (July 2007 to be exact) but we didn't officially know it was Lyme until  a year ago. We spent years searching for answers  and I've experienced over 50 different symptoms, some severe some mild and they change over time and I have seen dozens of doctors.  The good news is we now know it's Lyme Disease along with another tick borne disease called Bartonella. 

Ten years ago doctor's didn't know a lot about Lyme. Today they know more - but not enough. What they know is Lyme is not easy. It's not forgiving. It can be unrelenting. It is hard to detect with tests that have up to a 40% false negative rate.  I'm a prime example. I have been tested for Lyme 6 times over the past 10 years. It took 6 tests to get a positive test result. It is hard to treat if not caught early. It can present differently in every Lyme patient.  It can drastically change the quality of one's life and cause worry and burden on the souls of folks who have Lyme and their families. It ravages the body, comprises the immune system , and burdens many of the main systems of our body - digestive, neurological musculoskeletal. Although it's hard to treat once you've had it for a while - it's not impossible. And there lies the hope that led to this point in my story.

Those of you who have dealt with chronic illness, either yourselves or a loved one, may have come to the same realization I have.  You have to be involved in your care, follow your instincts , do your research , ask LOTS of questions and be an advocate for yourself.  By doing that I found Envita Medical Center is Scottsdale, AZ. Here's their website if you're interested in learning more about them - www.envita.com. They are leader in treating Chronic Lyme Disease. People come from all over the country and the world to get treatment - 80% of their patients are from out of state. 

I will be in Scottsdale for 10 weeks (Dec. 2-Feb. 9) of intensive treatment to get rid of/put in remission my Lyme and Bartonella and heal the systems in my body it has compromised. After meeting with the Dr's at Envita in October and reviewing the individualized thorough treatment plan they have designed for me, I'm optimistic they CAN improve my health.  

I'll be posting as often as I can with updates on how things are going and will be thinking of you all and looking forward to being well when I see you again. I can not express the gratitude I feel for everyone's support -Thank you to all of you with my deepest t heartfelt gratitude!!

Melissa