The hidden side of chronic infections

One hard day at school is enough to wipe Liam out for days.

One afternoon at the pool—same thing.
One leisurely sports activity? Wipes him out.
A school field trip? You guessed it.
One virus going around school and Liam is home for two weeks. 

This has been our reality for the past nine years.

I've actually developed anxiety around filling out the school's absence online form. Same phrase : Liam is sick and won't be coming to school. I could hit the bookmark button in my sleep. I fill out the form in my sleep. And I try to forget about it, but I can't, because the school conveniently has an attendance rate tracker right there in the corner of the page. When it drops below 60%, the panic sets in. That percentage becomes my radar.

How will Liam catch up on his homework? Will he feel better tomorrow? Will he sleep tonight?

I've learned to read every cue he gives me, to assess how the next few days might go. We keep the house calm. I cook nice meals. We talk about fun things, cuddle under blankets on the couch, and watch TV series.

Then he's back at school for a while. Liam catches up on homework. Does five tests in a week. Gets exhausted. Stays home again.

But it's not all doom and gloom. There are good things in our life actually. A lot of good things. Liam is incredibly bright, so he doesn't lose much academically by missing school. He's managed to maintain a 6 out of 7 average all these years. He's learned to study on his own. He's become extremely mature for his age. He's learned humility. And we've developed a really close relationship.

Liam is a teenager now, and it can be tough sometimes, but Lyme has shaped who he is today. In his own words: "I would have been a real jerk if I hadn't had Lyme. It's taught me so much."