Testimonials

“In October 2017, my life turned upside down. After years of strange symptoms and normal test results, my health suddenly collapsed. I remember tick bites as a child, then another bite in the summer of 2016, marked by erythema migrans (EM). It was this contamination that changed everything. In October 2017, an attack left me bedridden, with unbearable symptoms, including a loss of balance requiring two years of rehabilitation. Since then, I suffer daily from neurological disorders, vision problems and vertigo (PPPD, VSS), chronic fatigue, cognitive disorders such as mental confusion and concentration difficulties. I also suffer from ophthalmic migraines, mood disorders (severe anxiety, depression, irritability), joint and muscle pain, nausea, night sweats and insomnia.

After this devastating crisis, my body never returned to normal. I was put on sick leave, then on welfare. For years, I wandered around without a diagnosis, consulting doctor after doctor in search of answers, until a neurologist made a diagnosis of Lyme based on my symptoms, despite a negative serological test. However, this diagnosis was not recognized by other doctors. The healthcare system left me in limbo, affecting my mental health and plunging me into such distress that death seemed, on several occasions, to be the only way out.

In search of new answers, I consulted a specialist in Germany, where tests confirmed the presence of Lyme disease and co-infections. Intensive treatment began in January 2024, combining antibiotics and supplements, with some serological improvements. To this day, however, I still feel as sick as ever.

I dream of the recognition of chronic Lyme disease and its co-infections in Switzerland, as well as access to appropriate treatments. But above all, I want to return to a normal life, free from this suffering.”

“For as long as I can remember, I've had pain, even as a child. But my health problems began to manifest themselves strongly when I was 15. I had severe abdominal pain, I was very tired, I was anxious, I slept badly. I had lower-back pain and tension in my upper body. I had recurrent cystitis. Over the years, other symptoms began to appear: chest pain, pain under the soles of my feet, knee pain, headaches, tingling in my hands, tinnitus, stiff jaws and neck, dizziness, palpitations, dissociation, mental fog, difficulty concentrating, increasingly frequent forgetfulness. Little by little, I was no longer able to do my job, feeling that my brain was slipping on activities I knew by heart.

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Doctors told me I was too sensitive and too stressed. I spent years going to shrinks and trying all sorts of therapies. All to no avail.

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I was first treated by a Swiss doctor who diagnosed me with Lyme based on my symptoms. My ELISA test in Switzerland was negative. I started treatment with the latter, with some improvement. I then decided to do some tests abroad (Belgium/USA). I tested positive for recurrent borreliosis (B.hermsii, B.parkeri, B.turicatae), the latter not even being tested in Switzerland, but also for Bartonella and Babesia at Tlab in the USA, thanks to the advice of those who have now set up the Lyme Suisse association. Thanks to a Belgian doctor, I received an antibiotic treatment adapted to my various infections. After a few months, many of my symptoms have disappeared or greatly diminished. I'm still continuing my treatment. I hope that one day, the healthcare system will understand that it is essential to listen to these patients and stop diagnosing them with psychiatric disorders just because the causes of their ailments are hard to find. Switzerland is clearly lagging behind when it comes to Lyme disease, and needs to take urgent action.”

I was 13 when, on vacation with my family, I woke up one morning with my jaw locked, as if I'd been clenching my teeth during the night. From that day on, morning muscle pains appeared and gradually spread throughout my body, becoming incapacitating by the time I was 17.  For years, I consulted numerous doctors without success. My medical tests revealed nothing abnormal. At 18, a specialist finally diagnosed Lyme disease (Borreliosis). However, two weeks of Doxycycline proved ineffective and worsened the situation. I tried many natural, alternative and holistic protocols, including Chinese medicine, herbal extracts (Buhner protocol) and prolonged fasting, without success.

Thanks to a healthier lifestyle, I've been able to make some progress. I followed elimination diets, in particular a FODMAP-free diet, the complete elimination of refined sugars, gluten, soy, alcohol and others, for three years without any real deviation. At the same time, I stopped smoking and took up sport again, especially endurance exercise, which gradually got rid of the physical pain. However, these improvements were not enough and I stagnated for many years. Being so restrictive in every aspect of my daily life was very trying. I saw my friends enjoying their lives, while I was lying down most of the time, fighting pain and fatigue.

Today, at 25, my health is improving thanks to medication. I have resumed my studies, although I am only 60% functional. I've just been diagnosed with Babesiosis through FISH analyses carried out in the United States, thanks to the advice of the people who set up the Lyme Suisse association. This tick-borne infection, undiagnosed for all these years, is surely the cause of my remaining symptoms. I'm optimistic about starting a new treatment for this infection. “

"The management of Lyme disease is extremely poor and controversial in Switzerland, and I'm living proof of that. After a tick bite (with EM), I became seriously ill 6 months after the official 2-week course of antibiotics. My symptoms were all extremely violent, and no doctor listened to me because my Lyme serology was "partially positive". For years, I suffered from severe cognitive disorders, permanent visual problems, abdominal pain, dizziness, extreme fatigue, general weakness, etc., to the point where I ended up thinking about suicide.  A few doctors in Switzerland agreed to believe me, and tried to give me antibiotics over several weeks. I got better, but not cured, and the cause was very simple: it was essential to diagnose and treat ALL the infections present with the right tests and the right combinations of antibiotics, as well as resolving all the other underlying problems such as intestinal disorders, detoxification, vitamin deficiencies and so on. I ended up sending my blood for testing abroad (REDLabs, TLab, IGeneX) and discovered that I was in fact infected with several pathogens, including mainly Bartonella and Babesia. Only Tlab's FISH test was able to detect my Babesia infection. All my tests in Switzerland were negative. At present, I'm getting better and better thanks to the long-term antibiotic and antiparasitic treatment prescribed to me by an ILADS member doctor abroad. He is one of the few doctors who agree to use appropriate protocols that correspond to what is used in the latest scientific publications."

“About fifteen years ago, I was bitten, but at the time I wasn't aware of the insect bites that can cause Lyme disease. The symptoms came on gradually, first in the form of a cold, then a long-lasting fatigue, followed by chronic pain. I then went into burnout, not only because of the symptoms, but also because of the harassment I suffered at work, which weakened my immune system.

Ten years ago, I began to experience motor and cognitive difficulties. A first diagnosis of fibromyalgia was made for want of anything better. For several years, I was followed by different specialists to try and find solutions. I tried various medications such as antiepileptics, antidepressants and painkillers to alleviate my symptoms, without success.

At the end of 2023, I was bitten again and after removing a tick, my doctor did a test which turned out to be positive and the diagnosis was made. Antibiotics reduced the pain and I was finally able to sleep. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. To better understand this new diagnosis, I joined various Lyme groups on social networks and found touching testimonials and lots of useful information, including the name of a specialist doctor who is currently treating me.

My condition is gradually improving, but I'm now aware that this disease will stay with me for the rest of my life, and that the treatments are substantial and costly. My hope for the future is that this disease will be recognized as disabling, that I will have access to appropriate support and that I will be able to live and not just survive. My wish is for doctors to be systematically trained and for a unit to be set up to focus on the evolution of co-infections and the epidemic impact on the population."