(no subject)

[awakening_dreams]

Donna, if you want any help with UofM, I've been dealing with their
tick stuff since 2006, so I know how a lot of the doctors respond.
(And which doctor to avoid - there is a specific one who will go so
far as to not only say lyme is impossible, but mark it that you are
irrational and drug seeking for thinking otherwise! I'm not the only
one he did this to, and I was unable to get further treatment until
2009 because of him - in or out of the UofM system. He and/or his
nurse (it was never pinned which) actually go so far as to report you
to the government if you disagree with him.) If I can help any by
writing up my experiences with UofM and St. Joe both, I'll do it.

Welcome to the group, Eileen! I'm sorry to hear that your son has
these infections, especially at a young age, but I am also glad to
hear he is improving. The youngest always bounce back the quickest at
the most minor or major things, and thank the heavens for that.

Not seeing a rash or a tick, there is three schools of thought on
this. Even the CDC's guidelines say if there is no rash but
presentation, there is due cause to diagnose. Not that any of their
doctors follow this.

For research, they're going between two areas, and trying to figure
out what's causing this. One is that an EM rash only shows up when
lyme infects the skin, and the other is a growing and preferred idea
that the EM rash only shows up when you are bit twice, or if the tick
is on there long enough to lay eggs and that the nymph bites are what
causes it. A lot of people only catch the tick when it's young, too,
which makes it hard for us - it can bite but it can't or doesn't
attach, so then you have no bug to test. I was personally bit:
*Maine, August 2006
*Colorado, September 2006
*Michigan, 2007, 2008

In only two of these cases were the ticks ever actually spotted,
though that is seven bites in all. I'm especially susceptible because
the lyme made me allergic to the very thing that keeps the ticks away.

Just. Rrr. I know I need to start thinking about this again so I can find out what treatment I need for apparently having Colorado Tick Fever too. I need to get a test done that makes even me wince at how much pain it will involve, so I'm not even going to approach it. All I'll say is that it will be on the same level of pain as a bone marrow biopsy and leave it at that.

Apparently Ben Stiller is being tested for lyme? His son already has it and it's now looking like he does, too. He's left with 'lyme disease versus invasive procedure'. The article cites him preferring the lyme, but it also says lyme is easily treatable, so I'm going to call bullshit that he actually said that.

Bull. shit.