posted
I ran in to an old friend today that had heard through the grapevine that I had been sick.
She ask if my diagnosis had been confirmed yet and I told her no, explained how I had gotten the very scientific answer that the rash and symptoms I had could not be lyme disease, not because it was not the right kind of rash or that the symptoms did not fit, that because I live in this area of Ga. it can't be lyme.
Anyhoo, she is from the UK and has traveled a bit, she told me ( I hope I got the country right you know how our brain gets) that they vaccinate for this in Austria.
I am not sure how effective the vaccine is, but I thought to myself how wonderful it must be to live in a country where everyone acknowledges the existence of this devastating disease.
Just wanted to share.
Posts: 36 | From Dallas GA | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
GA has plenty of lyme disease.. they just don't know it.
How do your symptoms compare to those on the lyme symptoms list??
Vaccines can be very dangerous. The Lyme vaccine they tried several years ago GAVE people Lyme disease. There were over 1000 lawsuits .. so please don't decide to go to Austria for a vaccine!!!
In general, Europe is in the same boat we are.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
cdc lyme statistics reported cases
1980 - Jan. 2008 ...all 50 states broken down by years!
posted
I have looked at it, you don't have to report it, if you don't do the proper testing in the first place, therefore no diagnosis.
Lyme disease is a very large pie, neurologist, infectious disease, rheumatologist(sp?), homeopath, chiropractic, and the list goes on.
When a GP can identify a disease and treat it properly and aggressively when it is first suspected then the pie shrinks.
This is the difference between medicine for profit in our country, and socialized medicine where they seek to save money.
Not getting political here just saying that in this scenario I am getting the short end of the stick.
To tell you the truth the more I learn the angrier I get.
The CDC website says clearly to treat someone with the rash I had based on the rash and clinical symptoms.
The lab that my lyme titer was sent to and came back negative said do not rely on the findings of this test treat patient on clinical symptoms.
Early Mar of this year I began feeling very fatigued,I was shaky and experiencing tremors, I had a sensation of almost being mildly drunk, and vertigo. I was also experiencing severe neck pain and headaches that tylenol was not helping.
I went to the doctor and was checked for the usual such as diabtes, high blood pressure, thyroid.
All came back negative.
All the symptoms continued to increase, I also began to have sharp unbearable pains that would come and go all over my body, I had a lot of right side chest pain also, since it was on my side under my arm I dismissed it as exertion pain.
About a week later a place that had been a red dot and had been increasing under my arm grew to the size of a quarter, and a flesh colored place about the size of your thumb opened up.
I immediately googled it, and made an appointment with the Dr. the response was that it was highly unlikely, I had to beg for treatment, I ask her to please treat me with antibiotics because it was so close to my lung.
I have met nothing but skepticism for 4 months from 4 different Dr.s I have been taken by ambulance to the emergency room.
The last time I went off antibiotics I crashed so bad I thought I was really going to die.
Cat scan showed no brain tumor Lung xray was clear I have checked clear for breast, uterine, and cervical cancer in the last six months.
All the common labs have come back clear I think I have had about 50 done in the last 3 months with the exception of a WBC that came back elevated and got me a round of avalox that did almost nothing for me.
I am now on another round of Doxy and functioning pretty normally, I had to beg to get this, I am now being foisted off on a neurologist.
This has now cost them about $10.000 and will probably double with specialist.
Posts: 36 | From Dallas GA | Registered: Jun 2009
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They don't vaccinate for Lyme in Austria. Over here in Europe (especially the Eastern part) there is another disease which is transmitted by ticks. It is a Meningo-Encephalitis and it is caused by a VIRUS. The vaccination they give here is against this virus.
The disease is called FSME and there are a few hundred cases in Europe every year. Most cases are mild but every year a handful of people die from it or some become disabled by it.
There is a lot of advertising for this vaccine here and unfortunately, many people think that when they are vaccinated then tickbites cannot harm them. They don't realize that the vaccine doesn't help against Lyme disease where we have several 100.000 cases a year.
It's a big business for the producer, though.
Gabrielle
Posts: 767 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I was more curious than anything, it does seem as though there is more widespread acceptance of the disease there than here.
The more reading I do the more it seems to me that immediate treatment makes a huge difference in how debilitating this disease is, I just contracted it, I could very well be looking at a good outcome, yet I am fighting ignorance.
Posts: 36 | From Dallas GA | Registered: Jun 2009
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They don't vaccinate for Lyme in Austria. Over here in Europe (especially the Eastern part) there is another disease which is transmitted by ticks. It is a Meningo-Encephalitis and it is caused by a VIRUS. The vaccination they give here is against this virus.
The disease is called FSME and there are a few hundred cases in Europe every year. Most cases are mild but every year a handful of people die from it or some become disabled by it.
There is a lot of advertising for this vaccine here and unfortunately, many people think that when they are vaccinated then tickbites cannot harm them.
I haven't heard that a vaccine has been developed for the virus in the U.S.
In news articles here they mention that it has not been commonly tested for. That's about it.
Posts: 571 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
My Doctor called at 8:00 sunday night to tell me my western blot came back positive. He was very concerned, he is consulting with the infectious disease Dr. today to plan a course of action.
Just in time, I have crashed horribly today, started with chest pain left side, I now have excruciating pain and severe tremors all over.
The doxy has done wonders for my brain fog the last 10 days, I am still pretty good with that, this is as bad as when I went to the Emergency room a couple of weeks ago.
I am taking notes from here and all over the web to compare to what the I.D doc says.
Sorry about the spelling and grammar, having a very hard time tonight, I think I also have the insomnia others have talked about.
Posts: 36 | From Dallas GA | Registered: Jun 2009
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
Your doctors will probably convince themselves and you into disbelieving your positive Western blot.
Georgia is endemic for Lyme. Get the statistics from the state health department's epidemiology division. Get all the Lyme case counts back to the early 1990's. Make a chart listing each county and the number of cases per county ...The CDC definition for "endemic" is a county with two cases of Lyme disease contracted in that county...or a specific number of tick life stages found in that area.
Two cases in a county means that county is endemic for Lyme disease. TWO! ...not two per years, but just two...ever
Alabama has over 32% of counties endemic for Lyme, but you'd never get the officials to recognize this fact. That estimate is based on incomplete information from 1990 until 2006. Wonder what the true statistics are?
Georgia is endemic for Lyme too, but officials refuse to recognize that fact.
You'd better find an LLMD asap...save your time and your life by getting a doctor who truly understands this disease. With all of your symptoms you'll need agressive treatment...probably much more than any GA ID will be willing to prescribe. Also, they won't know to look for coinfections, which are also rampant in GA.
When you crash quickly after antibiotics are discontinued you're probably suffering from additional tick borne diseases (undiagnosed).
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I am still searching for a LLMD. I thought the western blot would never come back. It is so hard to get any real info about a LLMD before you make the appointment.
I am very cautious, prepayment that is extremely high, really sends flags up for me, what if their is no rapport? there goes your money and out the door you go to find another one.
I have kaiser insurance, I must have a referral or every dime will come out of my pocket.
I have not met the I.D.D yet, I will reserve judgment. I am still looking at LLMD.'s
Posts: 36 | From Dallas GA | Registered: Jun 2009
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