Be sure to read my comments and links following his post.
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"Caught in the Act"
by Borrelia Burgdorferi
I've been found out.
I managed to escape detection for years, being called things like chronic fatigue and MS. Please! As if MS could do what I do. Sometimes they told her I was nothing at all, or all in her head. But she persisted. Slow and arduous as her mission has been, she has not let up! And now I've been caught in the act.
Way back when I first infected her, doctors tried to kill me with antibiotics. Oh, they had no idea I was even here, or why she was ill, but they tried anyway. When all of the antibiotics made her sick, they gave up, as doctors do, and told her she had mono - the virulent Epstein Barr.
Good old EB just looooves to take advantage of a weak immune system. I did that to her. In fact, I paved the way for a whole bunch of my viral buddies. Some of them may have even hitched a ride on the same tick I did: Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia - these guys are awesome! We're way stronger as a team. Alone I am just a spirochete, vulnerable to antibiotics and her immune system, but with them I create more disease and protect myself against her attempts to get rid of me!
My buddies and I, we exchange information all the time - bits of what my host calls DNA - and we learn how to defend ourselves against all kinds of attacks. The antibiotics give us information too. They make us stronger, or - here's another of her words that I love - resistant.
We are strong, but is she stronger? Only time will tell. If she thinks she can kill all of us, she'd better be in it for the long haul. I don't give up. Ever! And I only replicate once a day, so she's going to have to find me first!
I have to admit, she's worked hard to find and eradicate us. Another host might have given up long ago. She thinks her immune system is weak - that she is weak. Well, after all, that is what they have been telling her for three decades. But we are strong, and if she had been weak she might very well be dead by now or at least far worse off.
Of course, we like that she is strong, because if she dies we die too. I don't want to die. I wonder if we will reach an agreement. I have no need to be greedy. I'm happy with the current size of my army.
And anyway, I live beyond her. We became part of her DNA long ago and now we are in him too! Her son is strong like her, perhaps even stronger, but he must fight or we will lose him. He must stay alive so that he can pass us along to his wife and his children.
Well, now that we have him, maybe we don't need her... Then again, the more hosts we occupy, the better able we are to spread to new ones. Most people don't know that we can spread through breast milk, saliva and other secretions. Oh, yes! If we remain smart and stealthy, we are practically invincible!
Perhaps it is in our best interest to be a little quieter. She'll never go back to ignoring us. I can feel that change. But if we are just quiet enough, maybe she will let us be.
I don't want to die.
BB
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Recently, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease (not in Canada, but via a US diagnostic test), a tick-borne illness that if not treated immediately and completely can have chronic, damaging effects... to put it mildly. I have had suspicions for years, but since Canada does not have appropriate testing procedures in place to accurately diagnose Lyme and does not see Lyme Disease as the epidemic that it most certainly is, I have been led to believe that I did not have Lyme Disease until recently.
My five-year-old son also has Lyme Disease.
As you can imagine, this news has changed my focus dramatically. I have not blogged much these past many months, because I have been ill and because of shifting priorities. Last year, my son was given a diagnosis of Celiac Disease and I hoped that this was all he had. But a dark cloud of uncertainty has been hanging over us this past year as I wondered why he has not fully improved since adopting a gluten-free diet.
Since my focus has changed dramatically, so too will the focus of this blog. If you suffer from Celiac Disease; Chronic Fatigue; Lyme Disease; and/or other autoimmune disorders, syndromes or diseases, I hope to provide help for you here. I'll continue talking about parenting (the original inspiration for this blog) and my beautiful, joyful, talented young boy, as we navigate our way through this new world. I'll also never stop injecting humour into what I write, because if not for laughter I shudder to think where I would be.
I hope you will join me, as I turn now to an honest look into my life as a patient with Lyme Disease and a mother of a child with Lyme Disease. I am currently detoxing and preparing for Lyme Treatment, which I am told is like a living hell. I hope that it will be more than just that.
Once I have gone through some of the treatment phase and know what to expect, I will begin treating my son. I will share this experience with you when I can, as well as what I learn so that you can learn too, because there is so much mis-information out there about disease and wellness.
And there will be food! I am currently working on, when time and energy permit, some delicious gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar free recipes. Lyme Disease patients often have many food restrictions and little energy or interest in preparing food, understandably. I hope to bring some joy back into the kitchen.
I wish you great happiness, much love and relative good health! Until next time.
~Sue
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Lyme Disease is making the headlines lately. Here is some of the latest news:
http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Lyme-disease-educators-feel-vindicated-by-federal-4754152.php#src=fb
NOTE: Today and for the next three days, you can participate in a free online health and wellness event for Lyme Disease patients, featuring 12 speakers. Register at http://lymelesslivemore.com/live/. After the event, you may purchase these sessions.
For more information about Lyme Disease, check out these resources. I will spend more time on each of these resources in future posts, and will have many more resources to share, but I want you to have a place to start. When reading articles about Lyme Disease, be aware that there is much mis-information out there.
Under Our Skin, the movie (I highly recommend that everyone see this award-winning documentary. Don't miss the special features section, and particularly the segments featuring Dr. Alan MacDonald.)
Lyme Disease Association, Inc. (LDA) - U.S.
LymeDisease.org
Alabama Lyme Disease Assocation
Lyme Disease Association of Alberta - LDAA
Lyme Disease Support
Cure Unknown, the book
Out Of The Woods, the book
Lyme Light Radio
Dr. Rebeca Risk, Lyme-literate doctor and patient
