==== Lyme Disease Warning Just a special note of thanks for your item on Lyme disease ("Bitten by the Bug," TIP SHEET, June 19).
Awareness and education are the best defense against a tick bite. On behalf of the public, as well as the tireless efforts of the Tick Borne Disease Advocates, we truly appreciate this wonderful article.
Lisa Messner DHS Lyme Disease Advisory Committee Member Sacramento, Calif.
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While it was great of you to mention Lyme disease, the small amount of space allocated to the topic left a lot to be desired.
Lyme disease is truly a debilitating and complex illness when left undiagnosed and untreated.
Perhaps it was not the writer's intention, but the article could leave readers with the impression that if they don't have a rash at least the size of a half dollar, they don't have Lyme disease.
Figures vary, depending on the source, but many experts believe that up to 40 percent of those infected with Lyme never had a rash.
My daughter never did, nor did my niece--both of whom became ill with atypical (and very different) symptoms, more than one year (and 80 miles) apart.
My niece was not diagnosed for more than a year, and my daughter for two and a half years, despite their combined visits to a dozen different doctors for myriad symptoms.
Because of the delay in treatment, it is taking a lot longer than two weeks for a complete recovery for both girls.
In the meantime, my daughter has missed out on a huge portion of the last three and a half years of her 14-year-old life.
That's time she can never recoup--and all because too many people were clueless about Lyme disease.
Susan Fairbank-Pitzer Danvers, Mass.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
For the sake of continuity, here is the first thread about the Newsweek article.
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