Living with Lyme Disease: Maddie Tretter PH177

<p>Maddie Tretter was an accomplished Division 1 swimmer at Cleveland State, preparing for the Olympic Trials, when she she started coming down with a laundry list of seemingly unrelated symptoms: panic attacks, nausea, migraines, swollen joints and more.</p> <p>After trying several treatments with no success, Maddie was encouraged when she finally tested positive for Lyme disease - she figured now that she had a diagnosis, she’d complete a course of antibiotics and be back in the pool.</p> <p>Despite treatment, her symptoms continued to worsen to the point where she could barely keep down food or walk to the mailbox.  At the encouragement of a family friend, she began working with a functional medicine practitioner who used an array of traditional, alternative, and integrative therapies, and slowly her symptoms began to improve.</p> <p>Says Maddie, “Treating my whole body and not just trying to cover it up with a pill changed my life.”</p> <p>After nearly two years of treatment, Maddie was finally able to re-join her collegiate swim team and finish out her senior year.</p> <p>These days Maddie credits prioritizing her nutrition and active lifestyle with helping her remain symptom-free.  “I know to stay healthy and functioning I can’t sacrifice the little easy things. Advice I would give to other people going through my experience are not to give up and to always always advocate for yourself.”</p> <p>You can connect with Maddie via Instagram @maddietretter</p> <p>Related Episodes:</p> <p><a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/riseing-to-occasion-olympic-swimmers-caroline-burckle/id1019070179?i=1000395363783'>Ep 73 - Caroline Burckle & Rebecca Soni: Olympic Swimmers RISEing to the Occasion</a></p> <p><a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/physical-therapist-crossfit-games-athlete-amanda-barnhart/id1019070179?i=1000428231314'>Ep 104 - Physical Therapist & CrossFit Games Athlete Amanda Barnhart</a></p>