Lyme disease outstripping AIDS

[Guest guest]

Lyme disease outstripping AIDS by Buelteman

Monday, May 26, 2008

I have Neuroborreliosis, also known as Lyme disease. Since October, my

physical and mental health declined to the point where I was no longer

able to work, drive, cook, think, maintain a social life, read, write,

stand with my feet together, sleep without chemical aid, and most

important, make the art that is my calling and the sole source of

income for my family of four.

Known as the disease of a thousand faces, Lyme disease is growing at

four times the rate of AIDS and is becoming America's fastest-growing

and most misdiagnosed disease. For the fortunate 50 percent of people

who develop the characteristic bull's-eye rash immediately after being

bit, treatment can be reasonably fast and effective. For those who

don't, the disease takes a silent toll over the years, attacking

different bodily systems, including the central nervous system.

Unfortunately, the single biggest factor in recovery is the length of

time from infection to treatment - a devastating fact, given the

difficulties in making the diagnosis.

Preventive measures include using insect repellent with DEET, wearing

white clothing to make any ticks visible, tucking in loose clothing

and avoiding tick-infested areas like tall grass and brush near deer

trails. If bitten, immediately remove the tick and save it to assist

in possible future diagnoses. Of greatest importance is to see a

doctor whose specialty is treating Lyme.

This disease has become highly politicized, as evidenced by the Lyme

Wars that pit insurers, federal health agencies and academia, against

Lyme doctors and their patients. After seeing five respected doctors

and receiving four misdiagnoses, I learned that I was infected not

only with Lyme disease but with another tick-borne infection as well.

It would appear that my Lyme-ignorant doctors may have relied too

heavily on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National

Institute of Health and Infectious Disease Society of America

policies, whose integrity is now in doubt. These policies are being

reviewed to better reflect our understanding of these tick-borne

infections as the result of an unprecedented criminal probe by

Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal over conflicts of

interest on the part of 14 so-called experts who drafted the IDSA

guidelines.

After all is said and done, I am one of the lucky ones. I have an

excellent doctor, was otherwise in great health, have medical

insurance, and a supportive family. Since beginning my treatment at

the beginning of the year, I have finally begun to turn the corner

toward regaining my health. There have been far too many who aren't so

lucky, having lost their vitality, their minds, and in some cases,

their lives. Buelteman lives in Montara.

This article appeared on page B - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/26/EDAQ10T4O1.DTL & feed=\

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