May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, a disease many are not aware of. I once did not know much about Lyme Disease either, until if affected my best friend Megan. Megan experienced many health issues, traveling from doctor to doctor, finding no answers. After several years she was tested for Lyme Disease, and the results came back positive. Lyme Disease has affected her life in so many ways. She went from being very healthy to losing mobility and having to use a wheelchair. She has experienced fatigue, dizziness, passing out, and not being able to do the activities she has wanted to do. School became difficult for her (she is a straight A student) and she had trouble focusing on even small tasks.
Megan’s journey has been anything but easy, but the hope and strength she shows even on the worst days gives encouragement to others battling the illness. She hopes that one day a cure will be found, but that cannot happen without awareness of the disease and tips for prevention. Megan’s goal is to spread awareness in order to help prevent others from going through what she has, and I intend to help her with her goal.
Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection involving a corkscrew shaped bacterium called a spirochete. Different forms of the bacteria can cause Lyme Disease, making it important to test for multiple strains. Lyme Disease does not play favorites as it can affect any organ of the body. Lyme Disease is found in the United States and in over sixty other countries. Lyme can affect people of all ages. Those who spend much time outdoors are at a higher risk of obtaining the disease, and pets can also carry ticks into one’s house. Many people do not realize they have been bitten by a tick, especially if bitten by an immature form of a tick called a nymph. Nymphs are around the size of a poppy seed and their bite is often painless. Not all ticks are infected with Lyme, but the longer a tick stays and feeds the more likely it will transmit the Lyme and other pathogens into your bloodstream. If you are bit by a tick it is a good idea to put the tick into a Ziploc bag and have the tick tested for Lyme. To have the tick tested for free you can send it to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation at the following address:
Nathan Nieto, Assistant Professor of Microbiology
Department of Biological Sciences
617 S Beaver St.
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
Here is the link to the website where you must also print off a form to send with the tick:
http://www.bayarealyme.org/lyme-disease-prevention...
The Center for Disease Control estimates 300,000 cases of Lyme diagnosed each year, but the real number is probably much higher. Most people are misdiagnosed because the symptoms for Lyme match the symptoms of many other diseases. Symptoms for Lyme Disease include fatigue, headache, fever, sweats, chills, muscle and joint pain, neck pain, sleep problems, cognitive problems, neuropathy, depression, facial drooping, and others. A bulls-eye rash is thought to be a common sign of Lyme Disease, however, many people do not actually develop it. Many people can be misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, depression, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s to name a few. My best friend was misdiagnosed for years with many doctors thinking it was just all psychological. If the Lyme is not treated right away it can lead to a chronic disease, completely altering one’s lifestyle as I have witnessed with my friend.
Awareness is the key to prevention and the key to hope. I hope that more people will learn about Lyme Disease and be able to take the necessary precautions in order to prevent it. Hopefully, one day a cure will be found, but until then awareness is the best available option.
