guest post by Constance A. Bean
(www.livelywomen.com) — When I was diagnosed with Lyme disease I had been sick for more than 4 months, with fatigue, intermittent fevers, pain, dizziness, and intermittent heart palpitations. Even with a tick bite and rash, 24 doctors, including those in three emergency rooms, told me I didn’t have Lyme. My public health degree, affiliation with a major university, and authorship of six health-related books helped me not at all.
I was caught in a controversy that affects almost everyone. When the tick was removed, I was given 2 weeks of doxycycline. According to the controversial guidelines given doctors, I had received treatment and could get no more. According to their information, I was “cured.” With more doctor visits I got 2 more weeks. I continued to be ill. With the disease entrenched in my body, the delay meant months and years of treatment. I am one of thousands.
The Lyme problem continues and women are affected twice as often as men. At least 10% of Lyme cases become chronic, with the illness often misdiagnosed as as chronic fatigue, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other conditions.
In May, the Lyme controversy resulted in a legal settlement. Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal conducted an investigation into the development of the Lyme guidelines promoted by the Infectious Disease Society of America, and written by a few doctors found to have conflicts of interest, including ties to the insurance industry. To avoid prosecution, the current guidelines must be reviewed by an independent panel. Right now, thousands are caught in the middle of the Lyme wars.
1.7 million Americans are estimated to be infected with Lyme.
Only one in 10 cases is reported, and large numbers are never diagnosed. In New York state at least 10,000 are estimated to be living with chronic Lyme disease. It is no longer limited to the Northeast, the Upper Midwest and northern Califormia. It has spread to every state.
Half of deer ticks may be infected with Lyme.
In highly-endemic areas, more than half are infected. Don’t assume the tick is not infected. Once attached, it cannot be washed or brushed off. Get at least a week of doxycline if you are bitten. Half of tick bites are never seen.. And only half of those who are bitten get a rash.
Most people are bitten by ticks in leafy yards.
Ticks live close to the ground in brush, gardens, grassy and leafy areas. They are not in trees. When walking on trails stick to those at least 6 feet wide.
Prevention Tips
- You can get bitten any time the temperature rises much above freezing.
- Don’t sit on shaded benches, stone walls, tree stumps or in long grass.
- Check yourself often before ticks have a chance to attach.
- Ticks are often too tiny to see, or are in hard-to-see places. When you come in from outside leave your shoes at the door, take off your clothes, put them in the dryer for at least 20 minutes, and take a shower and wash your hair.
Additional Reading
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Constance Bean is the author of Beating Lyme: Understanding and Treating This Complex and Often Misdiagnosed Disease
Tags: womens health blog, womens health, women, woman, health, lyme disease, lymes disease, tick, deer tick, prevent, diagnose, treat, constance bean, connie bean, beating lyme, kristen king, lively women
…From Lively Women, what you don’t know about Lyme disease—but should…