So in case you haven't heard...May is Lyme Awareness Month! I meant to post this at the beginning of the month - but hey - I still made it in time before June hits, right?! And, by the way, how are we half way through 2019 already?! But back to the awareness - why is it that we only get 1 month for this? Focusing on the dangers of Lyme disease one month out of the year is like starting up the habit of flossing, the week before your dentist appointment. Good on you for finally starting, but being lazy about it for the rest of the year doesn't really do your body any good, now does it? We are ramping up into "tick season" but, did you know that ticks are around all year-long? I recently read that 90% of ticks survive during the winter months - that's crazy!
In the early days of my blogging experience, I posted quite a bit on the facts of Lyme disease. Truth was, in some ways, I was still learning myself. But it kills me how many people I still run in to who know absolutely NOTHING about Lyme. I mean, they call it 'Lymes' Disease for crying out loud. ;) Even many doctors these days know very little about it. I went to an orthopedic specialist a few months ago and he straight up admitted he knew almost nothing about Lyme. Hey - at least he was honest. And he was actually open to learning from me about it too, which was kind of cool (and rare in the western medical world).
On a positive note, there does seem to be more awareness in the country than there was even a few years ago. There are more celebrities revealing that they have Lyme Disease - Genevieve Gorder, a designer from TLC's Trading Spaces was recently featured in People magazine for having Lyme, and I believe Michael J. Fox recently divulged that he tested positive for Lyme disease after years of being one of the most public figures for Parkinson's Disease. I've even noticed several TV shows in the last month that have casually made mention of Lyme disease in their scripts. And these days, nearly every time I tell someone new that I have Lyme, they tell me they know someone else who has it, too.
But knowing it's out there and knowing about it are two different things. And I get it - if you or a loved one don't have Lyme yourselves - why would you know much about the disease? I fully admit that I know very little about cancer, or diabetes, or anything else that I personally haven't had to battle. But I also know that, in this case, being aware before you're diagnosed could be the very thing that prevents you from being diagnosed.
Of course, that's not to say that I wouldn't have contracted the disease if I had known about it back in 2005. I don't remember being bit - and I honestly don't even recall if I had any telltale symptoms that fateful year. But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have taken me ten long years to find out what in the hell was wrong with me! Back then, for the longest time, I didn't even realize Lyme disease was in the realm of possibility. But now - anytime I hear someone talk about their decline in heath, with symptoms that baffle doctor after doctor, my brain goes straight to Lyme. For good reason - there are way too many stories out there that are exactly like mine.
We recently visited my sister's family in Oregon, and as we sat down to eat some bomb brunch at Tammy D's, she asked me how Lyme Disease has become such an epidemic. Did you know that Lyme has surpassed HIV as the #1 infectious disease in the US? They say that more than 300,000 new cases are reported every year (and they've been saying that for a while), which makes Lyme disease almost twice as common as breast cancer and six times more common than HIV/AIDS. And that's without the multitude of people who have no idea they have it!
Let me back up. Why has this become such a problem? There are a lot of factors to blame. First off, climate change. Ticks are thriving in the increasingly hotter, wetter climate. Secondly, there is an increase of hosts for the disease - not just ticks - but deer, mice, squirrels, spiders, and even mosquitoes. That's scary! There also seems to be a decrease in the predators of the hosts (foxes, wolves etc.). I'm sure there are other factors, as well.
But the scariest of all - is that we HUMANS are hosts! We're spreading it to each other! There is a lot of controversy over this, but it's a blood-borne disease, so of course it's happening. If you've had the disease long enough, chances are the bacteria have infiltrated every single part of your body. Lyme is now known to be transmitted sexually, through the blood and also the placenta. Many people who have been diagnosed also find that their children, and sometimes their spouse, have it as well! And think about all those people who have no idea they even have Lyme. One trip to make a blood bank donation, and some unsuspecting recipient could be getting a lot more than a simple blood transfusion.
So let's speak to the ignorance. How can you not know you have a disease?! And why are there so many people who are unaware? I've talked about this before, but Lyme mimics SO many other illnesses! And every case is different. So, there may be someone who has major neurological issues and has been diagnosed with MS or Alzheimers, or someone who has horrible digestive distress and is given the lame diagnosis of IBS. Or perhaps it's someone like me who has problems with nearly every part of the body...then doctors deem us crazy hypochondriacs. ;) But seriously - this "great imitator" that is Lyme, has infected many more of us than we realize. People who think they have Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, or anxiety...could very well be suffering from the bacteria
We also have an issue with doctors sending their patients to get "checked for Lyme" with tests that are completely unreliable. There are also a LOT of people (doctors included) who believe that a round or two of antibiotics will cure Lyme disease. This is only the case if you treat it immediately after transmission occurs. For most people who don't realize they have even been bit by a poppy seed-sized tick (or who may have contracted it from someone else) they can go months or years without being none the wiser. Almost everyone I know who has Lyme, has had it for at the very least a few years - some up to 20 or 30 years! At that point, I'm sorry, but antibiotics aren't going to do anything except make your immune system worse - which is the opposite of what we want to do!
There is a lot that can be said in the way of prevention, treatment, symptoms - all the good, basic Lyme STUFF. But I'd hate to rehash all that if you've been following me, so here's some of my links:
PAST BLOG POSTS
Could You or Someone You Know Have Lyme? (Includes symptoms and a list of diseases that could actually be Lyme)
Also, here is a really great article to learn more about Lyme:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/13/under-our-skin-documentary.aspx
So anyhoo....as we are ramping up for the hot summer months (and really, all throughout the year) be vigilant! Be aware of your surroundings. Know that ticks aren't just in wooded areas - but in our parks and our very backyards! Check your pets, check yourselves. If you have a tick or a rash or any symptom that could be related to Lyme - get to a doctor quickly! And advocate for yourself! If you've come across a doctor who tells you that Lyme is only on the east coast (and you're on the west coast), get the hell out of there and go find someone who has a better head on their shoulders! ;)
