My story is not unlike thousands of others. I, like them, have lost everything after being misdiagnosed, untreated and even shunned by the very people we entrust with our lives...our doctors. Despite my knowledge of and insistence that I had TBD's, I was ignored, ridiculed and even accused. If they had simply listened, kept an open mind, and treated me with a simple course of antibiotics I would have my life. I found the tick on me while visiting my hometown near Lyme, CT; I knew more about Lyme than the doctors whose treatment I sought when I returned to California. They insisted California didn't have Lyme Disease, disregarding my claims of a known tick bite during my recent trip back east. Why is it so difficult for physicians to listen to their patients, with empathy, understanding and perhaps even having a little trust that we may actually know something, especially when it comes to our own bodies? I was shaking with tremors, forgetting simple things like my own phone number or my pets names, getting lost in my own neighborhood; my knee was swollen to double its normal size and I had gained nearly sixty pounds in 10 weeks. They told me I wasn't getting enough excercise and it was normal to become forgetful in your forties. They refused to listen despite my cries for help. Six years later I am homeless, penniless, nearly bedridden and can no longer provide for my son. I have lost both my SS and private disability cases, told by my SS lawyer that I "picked the wrong disease". Don't we suffer enough physically? Yet we are punished in so many other ways as that is not enough. Something needs to be done and I applaud all those who fight for us!
May is Lyme Awareness Month. I, like many who are sick, are not well enough to get out there and help. Education is key. I am shocked at the lack of knowledge of even people here on the east coast. The fastest growing infectious disease in our country, yet there are no public service announcements, no warnings by the CDC, and most people, unless they or a loved one has it, have no clue it is coming their way. It is now said that everyone, in one way or another will be directly effected by this disease in their lives. Yet they are not even so much as warned they are directly in its path.
Thank God for those who are out there picketing, holding fundraisers, special events and spreading the word. I occasionally read Facebook and am amazed at some of the comments people feel are important enough to share. What if Lyme awareness went viral on the web? Social media sites, like Facebook have the ability to get the word out there, to all corners of the globe, fast. I know everyone has their own cause, and yes, mine happens to be Lyme and TBD's because I was afflicted. But this is no disease that I was born with, or that happens to run in my family. Nor is it a rare disorder that others can turn a blind eye on. This is the next great tsunami and is headed straight toward us all, yet no sirens are blaring.
THIS IS A NATIONAL HEALTH CRISIS AND EVERYONE IS IN DANGER
Fact: Lyme and associated co-infections are the fastest growing infectious diseases in our country.
Fact: Lyme Disease is more common than AIDS, West Nile and Avian Flu combined.
Fact: Lyme Disease is now in all 50 states, and on every continent except Antartica.
Fact: Despite what your physician may tell you, there are no reliable blood tests for these diseases.
Fact: Lyme Disease requires more than a standard 10-14 days of antibiotics.
Fact: Lyme Disease can persist, and can become chronic, affecting the brain, heart and other vital organs.
Fact: Lyme Disease can lead to blindness, and can sometimes be fatal.
For more information watch the award winning documentary "Under our Skin" available on Netflix or Hulu or visit robinsrescue.blogspot.com
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