Joe
Posts: 249 | From Northern NJ | Registered: Jul 2005
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bettyg
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posted
copying it here and for once i did NOT HAVE TO BREAK THIS UP; writer did a great job!!!
good video ... thanks joe for posting! betty
WMAQ
Published: July 17, 2009
For decades there's been no real progress in solving the mystery of Lyme Disease and now patients who've suffered years of debilitating symptoms are speaking out about what they believe is a lack of understanding and empathy in the medical community.
Lyme Disease is caused when an infected tick jumps onto the skin from grass, leaves or pets.
The standard symptoms include a bulls-eye shaped bite mark, fatigue, headaches, joint pain and swollen lymph nodes.
Most doctors say you get better in two to six weeks with antibiotics, but it's easily misdiagnosed, and a growing number of patients say they endured years of symptoms without a doctor even mentioning the possibility of Lyme Disease.
``What's so crazy,`` says Lauren Egler, ``is that if doctors are looking for this, people wouldn't get so sick.``
Egler believes she was bitten by a tick as a child.
Doctors gave her multiple diagnoses, from fibromyalgia to chronic fatigue to lupus and multiple sclerosis.
She got married and had four children, and finally test results came back showing not only her Lyme disease, but her children's as well.
``I believe they contracted it during birth.`` she says.
Now Lauren and three of her children are taking oral antibiotics and vitamins to lessen the symptoms.
Like Lauren, Nancy Mackay says she lived with Lyme Disease symptoms for decades before getting tested for the disease.
At its worse, it began to affect her brain.
``I was losing my ability to communicate. Words were going away,`` said Mackay. ``I went to Jewel and couldn't figure out how to get out.``
The tests themselves are not accurate, so the best way to get properly diagnosed is to see a doctor who recognizes the other symptoms, but few doctors are experts, and Nancy travels from her Chicago area home to South Carolina to get her prescriptions.
She's also learned how to give herself intravenous antibiotics.
Nancy and Lauren both say they have a chronic version of Lyme Disease.
Doctors are divided over whether Lyme Disease can last for years at a time.
Many say six weeks of treatment should cure, but Nancy and Lauren have had to take antibiotics for months, and still can't shake off their fatigue and other symptoms.
They're still a bit worried every time they go outside in the summer.
Now a documentary has come out that presents the argument for the existence long-lasting Lyme Disease.
It's called ``Under Our Skin'', and is produced by Open Eye Productions.
Patient organizations are using it to spread awareness and raise money for new research.
posted
i was 1st to comment; no word/character limit!! WONDERFUL for gabby betty lol
This was a great video you showed above!!
You showed the endless RX meds needed to fight lyme and co-infection diseases; going out of state to find chronic lyme literate mds, etc.
Yes, UNDER OUR SKIN lyme disease documentary, 104 minutes, is outstanding at showing what we chronic lyme/co-infection patients have been going thru for years.
Political scene is awful with our health insurance companies refusing to pay any of our lyme disease expenses including appointments!
We just want to treated like cancer and HIV/AIDS patients with our "fair share" reimbursements being made.
I've had chronic lyme disease 39.5 years; 34.5 years MISDIAGNOSED by 40-50 drs! UNACCEPTABLE!
300 other illnesses mimic lyme disease; such as:
MS, ALS, Parkinson's, bell's palsy, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Alzheimer's/dementia, and majority of mental illnesses!
1980 - Jan. 2008 ...all 50 states broken down by years! Last 2 years are NOT accurate for many states.
We know patients were diagnosed by NOT shown on the CDC figures!
Not only are we fighting for OUR LIVES to get into remission; we entered into this LYME DISEASE WAR CONTROVERSY that we didn't want in, and it is WE, CHRONIC LYME/CO-INFECTIONS PATIENTS, who are suffering from the LYME WAR created by the 2 different drs. groups!!
Our chronic lyme literate mds, llmds, INTERNATIONAL LYME ASSOCIATED DISEASE SOCIETY, ILADS, treat long-term antibiotics longer than 3 weeks up to several years IF necessary.
The infectious drs., IDSA, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, treats from ONE PILL up to 3 weeks max, and "you are cured!" They don't believe in CHRONIC LYME, but that's what patients end up to be because they were UNDERTREATED by not giving up to 3 months of antibiotics to their patients.
They need at least 2 months showing NO SYMPTOMS before stopping their antibiotics.
Iowa lyme activist, BettyG
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something i noticed; i double spaced it all, but slipped up in 1 area and TRIPLE SPACED; they did show a white space for that. so if you are going to post and want your paragraphs seprated like i do,
TRIPLE SPACE BETWEEN EACH PARAGRAPH or it is all run together like they did mine!
you can learn from my mistakes ... uffda
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