Global Politician - Brooklyn,NY,USA
Before understanding Lyme as we know it today, one must understand the history of this disease. Named in 1977 as "Lyme Disease”, it was called Lyme Arthritis, after Allen Steere, who reportedly misdiagnosed a youth who had symptoms which were concurrent with what we know now is Lyme Disease.
Steere was on the right track though in some ways, as a couple of years before, he was investigating unusual rashes that were cropping up on individuals in Lyme Connecticut.
Since all of this was happening in Steeres sociological backyard, the rashes and ailments were then labeled, “Lyme” for the proximity of the symptoms.
In about 1970, the first rash reports were scientifically displayed; before this, in the 1930’s, what is known as the bulls eye rash, or the erythema migrans (EM) is noticed by a dermatologist and associated with lymphatic issues. Also in the 1930’s, the rash is connected with psychiatric issues; in the 1920’s, the rash is said to be associated with neurological issues.
Just freshly into the wild, vampy times of the 1920’s, we see that Arvid Afzelius (with that name, he went into science instead of bootlegging thank goodness) had evidence of ticks being associated with joint issues. Before that, in the year 1909, good ol’ Arvid found an interest in that bulls eye rash that had people so baffled.
In 1883, when Swedish born Arvid was just a kid, Alfred Buchwald described in detail, the first recorded case of what we know as Lyme disease.
Now, for a moment, look at the timeline. In the 1880’s, there was the invention of canned evaporated milk, the rabies vaccine, the first four year college was breaking ground, electric lighting was making it’s mark in the east coast of the USA, Mark Twain was pumping out another one of his novels, and there was this two wheeled transportation that was taking the world by storm – the bicycle.
You see how far we’ve come in inventions, technology and science.
Yet, we still have not come very far in Lyme Disease. Why not?
My admittedly undereducated hypothesis is that since there isn’t much that the medical world knows about it, there is a slight movement to pretend it doesn’t exist. If you are a victim, a tightrope walker in the healthcare system, and you don’t have the safety net of the scientific community, you may have to teeter back and forth and hope like hell you don’t fall. If the scientific community doesn’t have the answers, the insurance companies sure don’t want to get involved in helping the cause themselves. So, where does that leave the person who has the condition? Pretty much alone on the high wire, hanging on for dear life.
A Fun-Filled Lesson in Microscopic Microbiology
Put on your thinking caps and let’s explore the wondrous Borrelia burgdorferi, and soon you’ll have facts that will amaze your family and impress friends and strangers alike.
First of all, I’m going to rename this irritating little microrganism “BoBu” because “Borrelia burgdorferi” is just too much of a pain to write out. Anyway, “BoBu” is ugly. It looks like a little corkscrew that wiggles like it’s on cheap crack twenty four hours a day.
You may sleep or feel tired, but BoBu isn’t ever tired. In fact, BoBu is so full of energy, getting protien and glucose from your once healthy cells, that it’s a wiggling and a rockin’ all day and night.
It replicates pretty darn fast, probably because your protein and sugars keep it darn healthy. It’s a super strong parasite, much stronger than Tuberculosis. It’s body screws you, litterally. It bores right into your central nervous system, can go right to the brain or heart, and a myriad of places in the body.
In fact, upon research, I haven’t found one place that BoBu doesn’t like to hang out. It’s a whore really, getting it’s “John” anywhere and everywhere it can.
But what does that mean to you? Other than you could have this little BoBu sleaze hanging in your body, changing your chemistry and such, wreaking havoc, it can give you discomfort as early as (some say) hours to years after infection. Everything from mild aches and pains, to flu symptoms and such.
I’ll add a few sites for you to check out, because if I tried to write all the symptoms down, I’d be tired and you’d not even finish the article, because you’d be out getting tested (or trying to) for Lyme Disease.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
So, here is the deal. You get a tick bite. Or you have symptoms. You need to get to a doctor who will treat you quickly. Don’t play a wait and see game. You can however, send your tick out to a lab if you find it on you. I personally sent two ticks out already.
For my kids, I try to make this possible crisis “fun”. We name the tick. We write a little letter to the lab and say, for instance, “I hope Lolita is healthy, let us know” and we send her little blood-sucking arse in a platic bag, to the lab with a moist cotton ball as her last supper.
Say, you want to be tested for Lyme, or you were tested and you want to be tested again – but you have some patronizing or mommy-track doctor who ridicules your idea.
First things first. The doctor works for you. No, you are not going to control your doctor like a mother-in-law visiting over holiday, but you are going to remind the doctor if you would like this test to set your mind at ease, you should be respected, as long as you are not going hypochondriac on them. Remember, not every ache IS Lyme – however, if they can’t say it IS NOT Lyme, then what’s the harm of testing, right?
So, remember, and you may need to remind the doctor, that they are a service industry and are there to serve you. They also have an oath about being there for the people!
Most doctors are fantastic and will be more than willing to be a part of your healthcare. If you are working with a doctor who has your best interest at heart, do treat them like gold. Fix them cookies. Give them Starbucks gift certificates. Compliment their ties. Be a good patient.
A good doctor is likely to be a busy doctor. They are likely to also be informed or in the process of being informed of new advances. If you find research, by all means, copy it and leave at the MD’s front desk. They will appreciate this.
Aretha actually sums up the patient/doctor relationship well…
(oo) What you want
(oo) Baby, I got *a disease to treat
(oo) What you need
(oo) Do you know I got it?
*insurance, money, if I’m broke –a chance to help and become a LLMD
(oo) All I'm askin'
(oo) Is for a little respect
I'm about to give you all of my money
And all I'm askin' in return, honey
RESPECT!
Ever feel you were not alone?
So you look down, you see a tick. You have that split second of fear, anger or both.
What you need however, is a cool calm facade, to get that freaking’ parasitic bug off of you. Just like if someone is choking in front of you, you can’t just point and demand someone else provides aid - you’ve got to take control. If you can’t go to a doctor's office, you’ve got to learn to do it yourself.
There are tick removal kits which are inexpensive (and sometimes free); oddly, some schools hand out condoms like candy, and even instruct kids on how to use condoms… but should be handing out tick removers to the kids and teaching them to take ticks off properly. One can decide to have intercourse or abstain from unprotected sex. One can’t always decide if they want to have Lyme disease; get my drift?
Anyway, according to most state sites on health; prompt and proper removal of a tick is the best way to decrease Lyme disease once the tick is attached.
You’ll need:
Fine tweezers or a tick remover.
Good eyes
A plastic baggy to send the tick off to a lab (though some disagree that this is a waste of time, most professionals feel it is a smart move)
You grab the tick gently and as near to your skin as you can get. You then gently pull it out straight from site of insertion. No twisting and bending and prodding. Just pull it out nice and straight.
Why be gentle with this disgusting little troll? Because if not, your manhandling it could result in bacteria being squeezed into your body. It’s ain’t worth it. Don’t remove the tick with anything other than above mentioned; all other things, fingers inclusive, can result in bacteria into your body. Don’t think that putting vasaline, Ben Gay, alcohol or even hot water is a good idea. Anything that shocks the little jerk is going to make him vomit or spit into you, but that’s just asking for bacteria.
Whether you live in a high or low incidence rate for Lyme disease, it’s important to document the tick. You need to identify the tick and it’s important to have it tested for Lyme and other bacteria it may carry. There are some great labs out there that will do this. You can also contact your state health board, or visit any number of online resources for more information. If you want, you can even ask your vet or physician to submit a tick for identification and/or testing.