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Hello, I found the following essay this morning on a site named FlyLady. The FlyLady site has a wide audience around the world. I am only including the essay, not information about the actual site. It says on the site that the essay could be distributed if the proper credits to the author were cited.
There are some links to websites within the essay as obviously it was written to provide further information. I don't think I am violating any LymeNet rules by posting this, but if I am, it is unintentional, and feel free to delete.
My daughter was 11 when bitten and even with relatively early aggressive treatment,(within 6 weeks of the bite) she will soon celebrate her 18th birthday as a very sick kid. Here is the essay:
Before You Explore the Fall Foliage, Learn About the Easy-to-Get Lyme Disease By Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C.
Are you getting ready to tromp through the fall leaves? Do your kids often explore the woods? And do all of you often play in grassy areas in the country, city or suburbs? If so, watch out for tiny, infected ticks
which can--without your knowing it-attach themselves to you, feed on your blood and then give you Lyme disease, one of the fastest growing infectious diseases http://budurl.com/Lyme1 in the U.S.
Unfortunately, this summer, I became one of some 200,000 Americans, who get this disease every year. Another 2 million also reportedly suffer from chronic Lyme. Surprisingly, I was "Bitten in the City" by this tiny vampire-like creature. I was just sitting on a lawn in New York City's Central Park enjoying music and didn't even know I was attacked.
About two weeks later, when I developed crippling headaches, overpowering fatigue, disorienting memory lapses and other awful ailments, I then called a nutrition friend, who insisted that I get tested for Lyme disease. Sure enough, I tested positive. But I'm one of the lucky ones. My disease was diagnosed early. Not everyone is as fortunate. Many people spend years going from doctor to doctor in search of a reason or their horrible symptoms.
Therefore, I'm now committed to educating people about this insidious, often-misdiagnosed, debilitating disease so that people can learn how to prevent, identify, treat and overcome it.
To help you and your loved ones avoid my fate, I recently presented an hour-long special about Lyme disease on my Gab With TheGurus Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio.
Please start learning now about Lyme disease, which has been called the "Great Imitator," because its symptoms can be confused with other diseases.
Just look at the list of strange, perplexing ailments you could develop:
* Excessive fatigue * Horrific headaches * Sleep disturbances (too much or little, insomnia, napping during the day and waking up early) * Poor stamina * Confusion, poor concentration, forgetfulness and memory loss * Disorentation & getting lost (going to the wrong places) * Difficulty thinking and concentrating * Mood swings, depression and irritability (plus, what insiders call "Lyme rage") * Lightheadedness, dizziness and vertigo * Unexplained fevers, night sweats, chills or hot flashes * Swollen glands and sore throat * Motion sickness and vertigo * Sensitivity to light and sound * Nausea or queasy stomach * Blurry vision and floaters * Facial paralysis (Bell's palsy) * Stiff neck * Migrating arthralgias (pain in joints), stiffness and arthritis * Myalgia (muscle pain) * Chest pain and palpitations * Seizures * Menstrual irregularity * Abdominal and back pain * Diarrhea or constipation * Loss of libido or sexual dysfunction * Shortness of breath or coughing * Heart palpitations and pulse skips * Joint and muscle pain or cramps * Facial twitching * Unexplained hair loss * Back, chest or jaw pain * Blurred vision and eye pain * Testicular or pelvic pain * Ear pain and tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears) * Cranial nerve disturbance ( facial numbness, pain, tingling, palsy or optic neuritis) * Dizziness
By the way, many famous people have fallen prey to Lyme disease, including:
* President Bush * Former New York Gov. George Pataki * Author Alice Walker ("The Color Purple") * Author Amy Tan ("The Joy Luck Club") * Actor Richard Gere * Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler ("The Sopranos") * Singer Daryl Hall (of Hall and Oats) * Golfer Tim Simpson and * Former baseball player Pete Harnisch
Please, for the sake of your health and that of your children, learn about Lyme disease. For further information, visit
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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