May Is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
/Did you know that May is Lyme Disease Awareness month? As someone with personal experience with Lyme Disease, I think it’s so important for people to be aware of common myths, what to do if you think you might have Lyme and what to do if you suffer from chronic Lyme symptoms.
Lyme Disease is incredibly prevalent and yet there is so much that isn’t agreed upon in the medical community around Lyme, especially if you are experiencing a chronic case, or what is sometimes called “post-Lyme Disease syndrome”.
My personal story with Lyme Disease starts in 2012, when I got divorced and moved into an apartment that was moldy. Within months, I experienced digestive issues, fatigue, infections, and other symptoms. I lived in that apartment for nine months, and it wasn’t until two years later that I was finally diagnosed with Mold Illness and Lyme. I’m not sure if I had Lyme disease previously and living with mold caused it to rise to the surface, or if having Mold Illness made me more vulnerable to contacting Lyme. It’s really common that these two go hand in hand as they both thrive when the immune system is not optimal. Before my diagnosis, I had tried everything to feel better. I KNEW I wasn’t “just depressed“ and that my fatigue was not just because I wasn’t sleeping well. Listening to my intuition, advocating for myself, and finding a health care team that listened to me was huge.
Lyme Disease can be different in different people but symptoms often include flu-like symptoms and muscle aches. If it moves into a chronic case, jaw and neck pain, chronic fatigue, brain fog and headaches are all common symptoms. If you think you might be suffering from undiagnosed Lyme, please get tested. If you’re in Charlottesville, go see Melanie Dorian at Be Vital.
Here are some of the common myths I want everyone to know aren’t true:
You don’t have Lyme if you didn’t get the bullseye rash
You can’t get Lyme if the tick hasn’t been attached for 48 hours
Chronic Lyme doesn’t exist
If you have a negative Lyme test, you don’t have Lyme
A few days or a week of antibiotics will cure Lyme.
If you do have an attached tick, don’t freak out. Remove it. I put ticks in plastic bags in the freezer (make sure to label!) and keep until I ensure I’m symptom free. You can also send them off to get tested to see if the tick carries Lyme or other diseases.
I love hiking and being outside in the summer. Even with my Lyme history, I refuse to give this part of my life up. I find balance by wearing pants and high socks while I’m hiking and carefully checking for ticks afterwards.