| SUSAN LECLAIR |
Lyme Disease was named after a small town in
Connecticut and was recognized almost solely due to the work of some CT.
mothers who were ignored by their children's pediatricians. They never
stopped hounding the docs and public health departments and now we know
just how important they commitment really was!
One of the big issues with Lyme Disease is that the signs and symptoms
are quite uninspiring. The tick is tiny and often not seen. The
bulls-eye rash doesn't happen all the time or, during mosquito season,
is not noticed. And, since it doesn't last all that long, even when
seen, it is dismissed as unimportant.
The organism that caused Lyme Disease is a bacteria, Borrelia
burgdorferi. These bacteria are transmitted to humans by the bite of
infected deer ticks and cause more than 16,000 infections in the United
States each year. More than ninety percent of these were from New
England so you are in good company!
Serologic testing such as antibody titers provide valuable supportive
diagnostic information. CDC recommends testing initially with a
sensitive first test followed by testing with the more specific Western
immunoblot (WB) test to corroborate equivocal or positive results
obtained with the first test. You didn't mention if you had these tests
done so I am just including them for completeness sake.
One of the long term consequences of ot treating Lyme diseaes early on,
is the development of arthritis-like conditions that can be quite
painful. If you haven't experienced that, then it all probability you
haven't had Lyme Disease that long. According to treatment experts,
antibiotic treatment for 3-4 weeks with doxycycline or amoxicillin is
generally effective in early disease. In later disease, treatment
failures may occur and retreatment for as long as 2 years may be
necessary. For some reason, Lyme disease in animals is controlled much
more easily than the same disease in humans.
And - of course - having CLL is no guarantee than you can't have
something else besides. With a lowered immune system, it is possible
that it will take much longer for you to rid yourself of the bacteria
than another person.
The best url for all the information you ever wanted about Lyme disease
is http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/
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