Tick Tock Tick Tock. . .

What is Lyme Disease? Lyme Disease is a tick borne infection (though research suggest many other insects can transmit it). It became more widely known in 1975 after several children in Lyme, Connecticut became ill and were all misdiagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It can cause symptoms and misdiagnosis of several chronic illnesses, especially ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Depression, Parkinson’s Disease. In fact, it was listed in Reader’s Digest as being one of the top ten missed diseases by the medical community. It can affect virtually every system and organ in your body.

If you have a couple of minutes, check out this video on YouTube. It illustrates the severity of Lyme and the political fire that it fuels here and in Canada:

Lyme Video

I have likely had Lyme since at least 2005. I have many of the classic symptoms and have more than once told my doctors “My body is fighting something and we need to find out what it is.” Despite my persistence and symptoms, not one doctor recommended I get tested. In fact, I requested the test and coordinated it with the lab. Thank Goddess I did. Now, more than one of my doctors (taking advantage of 20/20 hindsight) has said “hmmm Lyme makes a lot of sense now.” Don’t get me wrong. These doctors are good doctors. I like them. But, they aren’t perfect. It is proof that I have to take charge of my health AND have a good doctor in order to get better. One or the other is not enough.

Research indicates that Lyme disease is MUCH more common than doctors realize.

So, if you (or a family member) have a chronic condition that includes muscle aches, joint pains, neurological symptoms, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, vertigo, rash, etc., it might be worth taking a test for Lyme and/or its common co-infections.

If the illness is labeled as an autoimmune disease or dysfunction, it is even more likely to be Lyme. Oh yeah, and don’t think that if you have never been bitten by a tick or gotten the classic bulls-eye rash that you can’t have Lyme. I don’t remember being bitten by a tick in the last 30 years, and I never got the bulls-eye rash. Less than half of people with Lyme ever get the rash, and most don’t remember being bitten.

If you do get testing, PLEASE consider having the test done at IgeneX (http://igenex.com/Website/). If you have a problem finding a doctor to order the test, call IgeneX for suggestions.

You can find some great info at these sites:

http://www.lifelyme.org/ Very helpful organization.
http://www.canlyme.com/ Canadian website with excellent info
http://www.ilads.org/ Great info. Geared toward educating doctors and offering referrals.