Jeri Owen's story

In June of 2012 I came down with a very bad "flu" accompanied by painful swollen bumps at the back of my head and extremely stiff neck. It proceeded to a full blown case of Lyme disease. 

After three years of off and on antibiotics, I was doing really well when my physician passed away and I no longer had access to antibiotics.

Since March 2015 I have been experiencing meningeal encephalitis, extreme swelling of inner brain tissues, tinnitus, pain. This is caused by BARTONELLA bacteria. The problem is that Bartonella is a "stealth pathogen", an intracellular bacteria that is notoriously hard to detect and to treat. 

It is treatable but requires cooperation from a knowledgeable physician, of which there are very few. The tests for this bacteria are very insensitive and since there are various strains, may not pick up the particular stain you are infected with. 

I think we, as patients, need to get very vocal about demanding the antibiotics necessary for us to live normal lives and help spread the word about Bartonellosis to the physicians we deal with. 

A very good resource is "Why Can't I Get Better" by Dr. Richard Horowitz. It should be required reading for physicians who treat infectious diseases.

Jeri Owen
June 2015