Thank you innovators in medicine who are looking for answers.
A long list of misdiagnoses. Lab results that don’t make sense to the average internist. Chronically reoccurring symptoms — fatigue, profound fatigue, dizziness. Strange dental problems. A weird sensation in the facial nerve. Confusion. Unsteadiness. Depression. Anxiety.
Can I get my regular chores done today? Can I put in a full day’s work?
Funny — but one doesn’t remember a tick, a tick-bite, or the telltale bullseye mark. Ever.
The standard lab tests for Lyme are notoriously imprecise. The estimates of false negatives from conventional tests range from 20% — 60%. Bottom line — these accuracy measurements suggest that one might as well flip a coin as it will coincide with the relevance of conventional tests for Lyme.
Those with means can afford (thankfully) the more sensitive tests that give clear results — babesia, bartonella, borreliosis. The results come back from these specialized tests — unmistakeable. Particularly when 2 different labs show positive results for related co-infections.
Funny, because the regular doctor said “bloodwork for the most part seems okay.” “The MRI doesn’t show anything, either.” “Maybe you should speak to a therapist.”
Nobody can tell when you were infected. And just as others are dealing with “long-COVID,” a good number of us are, and will continue to be addressing our long-Lyme with the risk that the infection is just hiding in our bodies.
The CDC -- with literature that tends to undermine the innovators around Lyme, estimates that 300,000 — 600,000 Americans report with these tick-borne illnesses.
(Frankly, reading the CDC information makes me very hesitant about its reliability. To me, their materials read biased in a way that is unhelpful).
They say these numbers are growing. Some researchers believe it’s climate change. Others believe it’s also due to our constant building into wooded areas that used to be left to mother nature’s delicate balance.
But there are innovators in medicine. The good news is that medical knowledge accelerates even faster now. They are studying and testing. They are open to new therapies and protocols, both pharmaceutical and herbal. They are learning about immune response and support.
I have heard it said that the insurance companies and medical establishment don’t want to acknowledge Lyme, co-infections, and long-Lyme because of the costs. However, it seems to this businessperson that at some point millions of Americans getting misdiagnoses becomes more expensive. MRIs cost a lot of money. Businesses are losing as their employees suffer from a range of unspecified illnesses — Chronic fatigue? Arthritis? Dental distress? Lupus? Migraine? Insomnia? Vertigo? Profound fatigue. Multiple sclerosis? Sjogens? Fibromyalgia? Positional ear crystal malfunction?
If you are suffering from a series of strange symptoms it very well may be Lyme and Lyme co-infections. It is not in your head! It may mean you will need to spend money to go out-of-network. It may mean that you will need to do more research and ask questions. It may mean that we will need to trust those who are innovators in medicine (rather than conventional and mainstream practitioners).
Insist on testing and treatment. Look at our numbers (300k — 600k per year diagnosed!), and how they compare to COVID. We will support each other. Indeed, it’s an epidemic.
Heartfelt gratitude: To those who are kind enough to share their experiences and leave responses. A joyful, happy, safe and healthy, new year for all!
