A couple years ago, I don't remember if it was before or after when we think I got Lyme, we were visiting with a friend, who finally had a diagnosis of Lyme disease.
She was/is a mom of 3 kids, including a baby. She said she had to spend most of the day on the couch, and considered having to put the older kids in public school because she couldn't homeschool them. She went through the typical routine of doctors not knowing what was wrong, and I don't remember how she finally got diagnosed, but I believe it was by a LLMD (Lyme literate doctor). She went through several rounds of antibiodics, and finally was feeling better to get back to her life. But still to this day she hasn't been able to completely get rid of it, and has occasional flare-ups.
It was the first time I heard of Lyme, and honestly I didn't pay much attention (her story above, I don't remember from the first time I heard it, but when she graciously told it to us again after I was diagnosed). I did remember it was was deer ticks, not the wood ticks us girls usually got on our heads in the summer.
My mom used it as a teaching example that this is why we need to be careful about ticks. But my mindset was: "It's caused by deer ticks, not wood ticks. I've never even seen a deer tick. I also haven't have a wood tick for several years, ticks don't like me. I'll never get it, even if I do get bit. I'm young and healthy, not me, I won't get it."
Oh how I regret thinking that. Not that it would have changed if I got Lyme or not since I don't even remember having a tick on me, but still. I feel like it serves me right for thinking that.
All this to say, please do not think you are above it, and can't get it. Ticks are picky on who is healthy or not, who wants it or not, and who thinks they can get it or not.
More people are diagnosed with Lyme every year than with HIV/AIDS, swine flu, and west nile virus combined. And the diagnosis number is not by a long shot the number of people who actually have it.
If you've seen a Lyme map of where it's the most heavily reported, don't think that since you aren't in a bad area or an area with next to no cases reported that you can't get it. While the area I live in is kinda in the middle, we're pretty sure I didn't even get it here. You could have gotten bit while visiting somewhere else, or even in a low risk area. Just because it's low risk doesn't mean there's not a risk.
If you think you might have Lyme, please find a LLMD and get diagnosed. Also remember that the current test for Lyme's is only accurate 50% of the time.
She was/is a mom of 3 kids, including a baby. She said she had to spend most of the day on the couch, and considered having to put the older kids in public school because she couldn't homeschool them. She went through the typical routine of doctors not knowing what was wrong, and I don't remember how she finally got diagnosed, but I believe it was by a LLMD (Lyme literate doctor). She went through several rounds of antibiodics, and finally was feeling better to get back to her life. But still to this day she hasn't been able to completely get rid of it, and has occasional flare-ups.
It was the first time I heard of Lyme, and honestly I didn't pay much attention (her story above, I don't remember from the first time I heard it, but when she graciously told it to us again after I was diagnosed). I did remember it was was deer ticks, not the wood ticks us girls usually got on our heads in the summer.
My mom used it as a teaching example that this is why we need to be careful about ticks. But my mindset was: "It's caused by deer ticks, not wood ticks. I've never even seen a deer tick. I also haven't have a wood tick for several years, ticks don't like me. I'll never get it, even if I do get bit. I'm young and healthy, not me, I won't get it."
Oh how I regret thinking that. Not that it would have changed if I got Lyme or not since I don't even remember having a tick on me, but still. I feel like it serves me right for thinking that.
All this to say, please do not think you are above it, and can't get it. Ticks are picky on who is healthy or not, who wants it or not, and who thinks they can get it or not.
More people are diagnosed with Lyme every year than with HIV/AIDS, swine flu, and west nile virus combined. And the diagnosis number is not by a long shot the number of people who actually have it.
If you've seen a Lyme map of where it's the most heavily reported, don't think that since you aren't in a bad area or an area with next to no cases reported that you can't get it. While the area I live in is kinda in the middle, we're pretty sure I didn't even get it here. You could have gotten bit while visiting somewhere else, or even in a low risk area. Just because it's low risk doesn't mean there's not a risk.
If you think you might have Lyme, please find a LLMD and get diagnosed. Also remember that the current test for Lyme's is only accurate 50% of the time.
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