Being one who loves the outdoors, I always considered myself to be educated on Lyme disease. From what I had learned, it was nothing to be concerned about. I was taught to “Watch for ticks, remove them if you see them, and if you get a rash, go to the doctor to get medicine and you will be fine. Don’t worry; you can only get it in a few endemic regions.” If only it were really that simple.
The fact is there are hundreds of thousands of people all over the world living with Lyme disease. Many of which do not even know they have it. So many of us have lived months and years being misdiagnosed, led to believe there is no way our laundry list of symptoms could possibly be connected to Lyme; only to find out that we have suffered needlessly due to the arrogance, greed, and misinformation surrounding this wretched disease. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
There are many families, friends, spouses, children, mothers, and fathers feeling the effects of this disease, even if they are not infected with it themselves. Lyme disease is very complex and continues to elude science and medicine to this day. There is no “cure” and there is no one way of treating it. Diagnosis and treatment must be customized to each individual for any hope of success.
There is an endless amount of information available regarding the symptoms, diagnosis, testing, and treatment of Lyme disease. Some of this information is accurate, some of it is not. I remember when I was first diagnosed, I was overwhelmed with the amount of conflicting information I found. I had no idea where to begin to decipher it all into some sense of truth. Who should I believe? The CDC and IDSA who create the guidelines that are supposed to be there to protect me? Or all of the testimonials, clinical data, and research that shows the reality of living with this disease?
I set out to understand this disease as much as possible and to find where the truth was. It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t. I continue to research and seek a better understanding of all that can be involved in it. I have a good understanding of what I had to deal with. Now, I’m trying to learn more about aspects that I didn’t directly experience.
I have attempted to pull together all of the good information available from various sources into one place with this website. I tried to keep it as simple as possible considering the complexity of the disease and strive to make it relatively easy to understand, yet thorough. I hope that you find it useful.
As with many diseases in our current society, we tend to not be interested until we are faced with it directly. This is one disease you do not want to wait until you have become infected to learn about. The best prevention is education. Please educate yourself and your loved ones, and take precautions to avoid becoming infected with Lyme disease. Your life may depend on it.
Please read and print the flyer I have provided with basic Lyme disease information. Share and distribute the information as much as possible. If you help to save one person’s life, it makes it all worth it.
If you are one of the unfortunate ones who have found your way here because you think or know you may have Lyme disease, there is hope. I urge you to learn as much as you can about the disease and its co-infections, testing, diagnosis, treatment, diet and overall health.
Tips for Doing Research:
Be sure you KNOW for yourself.
Don’t believe what you have “heard.”
Don’t believe what I tell you or anyone else.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Look at who is behind the information. Look at what their interests are, and if they are profiting politically, financially or otherwise.
Look for the Scientific and Clinical EVIDENCE and proof, not just empty claims or conclusions based on lack of research.
Above all…
Never lose Hope.
Surviving is not an option.
It is a necessity.