I posted to this site due to the link w/ weight and cholesterol I experienced with Lyme, when I should have been able to lower both, the way I was eating.
I've read that the Lyme test(s) are 50-75% accurate, yet many doctors say a negative test means you don't have it. Not true. It doesn't test for all strains, results can be affected by prior antibiotic use, by the state of the immune system, there can be co-infections, etc.
Even the CDC info. on this subject has been poor, and many doctors (& infectious disease doctors) don't acknowledge 'chronic' or long lasting Lyme disease after a round of antibiotics. (I think they'd change their mind if exposed, not treated early, and experienced the aftermath of lyme hiding in it's cyst form).
PLEASE refer to ILADS and lymedoctor.com for accurate information. He also had it for years, w/out diagnosis, despite being a M.D. in an area with excellent medical care. Any Tan, award winning author, had terrible symptoms associated with it for years, w/out diagnosis or help.... http://amytan.net/.
There are a number of books written by people who were misdiagnosed, or their FAMILY was misdiagnosed, for years.
You do NOT have to have the bulls-eye rash, and many do not find the sesame seed size tick on them. CDC even acknowledges their criteria were for reporting, not diagnosis, and that Lyme is tremendously underreported. That's led Drs to say "we don't have it in this state", perpetuating that myth, not properly treating it, which has led to many ending up on disability (One doctor said "What, deer don't cross state lines?"). Not all cases are the same, some look like tiredness, arthritis, forgetfulness, poor motivation, etc. We've got to get more research, proper diagnosis and help for this disease!
