The Big Green Monster

My first exposure to Lyme's Disease dates back to early childhood. When we first got our pets (Kep and Sandy) and were taking them to the vet, I remember seeing posters of a big lime-green monster with the words "LYME'S DISEASE" printed in all caps. I think it was supposed to be a picture of the Lyme-causing bacteria, borrelia burgdorferi. At that time, I thought it was something only animals could get. Then when I went to North Carolina for my year at the Mission, my aunt cautioned me to be careful about dressing with long sleeves and tucking my pant legs into my socks to avoid ticks. (I didn't... but I never remember seeing any ticks either. Interestingly, the deer population of Graham County, North Carolina is 0, but that doesn't necessarily mean there aren't deer ticks or other Lyme-carrying creatures, according to Dr. Mercola.)

Some have asked me about the possibility of Lyme's Disease as a root cause or contributing factor to my illness. I have had two Lyme tests done (April '12 and October '12). The results of the first were negative, and I'm pretty sure I would have heard back from Dr. Agolli's office by now if the second one was positive, so I think it's safe to assume both were negative.

But does that mean anything? Apparently not. Most Lyme tests come out as negatives - some say as many 90% - but it is believed that many of those patients do in fact have Lyme. Lyme is now being diagnosed more based on symptoms than on blood test results.

It is possible for me to have Lyme and ME/CFS at the same time. When I asked my friend Heidi (to whom I refer to affectionately as my medical genie) to explain this relationship between Lyme's and ME/CFS, this is what she wrote back:

Here's my personal experience with the whole Lyme thing...

Among the ME/CFS community, it's often accepted that you can have both Lyme and ME/CFS, so getting a Lyme diagnosis doesn't necessarily change anything.

Among the Lyme community, it is known that the diagnosis of Lyme is often given even in the absence of any positive Lyme test, and they tend to be of the opinion that all severe ME/CFS cases are Lyme's.

So you can see how everything gets murky.

Yes... I can....! It is so tricky! To add to the trickiness factor, Heidi tells me that you can also get Lyme from a spider or mosquito bite in some rare cases. Hmm.... I've never been bit by a tick, but I've sure as shootin' been bit by both spiders and mosquitoes. Lyme is not completely ruled out... however since I am seeing so much improvement with treating the fatigue side of my illness, I still believe it is fair to conclude it is not a viable option for an underlying cause of my illness.


In closing, I want to offer a few resources about Lyme's Disease that I have found to be informative and helpful.

Documentary about Lyme's Disease (keep in mind - sometimes documentary producers have a tendency to pick out the worst case scenarios):
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/13/under-our-skin-documentary.aspx

Doctor's who Specialize in Lyme's Disease:

• Haverford Wellness Center (Harleysville, PA)
  A friend found this Dr. Braccia for me, who is located near Philadelphia. His website has some helpful information about Lyme testing that you can look into if you are interested.
• Jemsek Clinic (Washington D.C.)
  Dr. Jemsek is mentioned in the documentary, Under our Skin
• Dr. Christine Green (Northern California)
  5050 El Camino Real Ste 110
  Los Altos, CA 94022
  (650) 964-6700
  In the News: Ticked Off and Touched by Lyme

Have fun tracking down that big green monster!