posted
I don't have just one thing to say, more like MANY things:
THIS DISEASE DESTROYS PEOPLE'S LIVES!
It's not baloney or in someone's head, but a very real and terrible disease!
Just because someone looks "normal" on the outside, does not mean they are not ill on the inside. This disease is not taken seriously!
Patients and their families should not have to fight this horrible disease including everything that comes with it (all the politics too), but be respectfully treated with dignity and compassion like anyone else with a serious illness.
ANYONE can get it - maybe then they would understand what it means to "walk a mile in our shoes"!
Posts: 8981 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Me too - many things - here's my top ones -
Lyme presents differently in different people. Just because you know someone with Lyme doesn't mean everyone presents the same way. So study up first re symptoms.
Some symptoms are visible, but many are not. So talk with someone to listen for a list of symptoms, rather than expect to see symptoms.
Doctors will usually not diagnose. You need to come to Lymenet for referrsls to Lyme-literate doctors, testing, and support groups!
It's hidden, even here, where we live, yes, we have infections here, even though you haven't heard about it! (At this point, people usually make a face and I talk more)
There's also co-infections here - babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia - look them up briefly to get a brief sense of what we're up against.
Learn how to protect us and our pets!
Btw, this thread would be a good one for offering immediate talking points for the public. These kinds of statements are my openers, and if people are interested, then we get into it more.
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
A big thing they need to know is that their doctor probably will NOT know anything about how to diagnose or treat it and that just because you get antibiotics, it doesn't mean you will be "cured."
That is what the public does not understand AT ALL.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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