Welcome to my blog! This is a place of information and hope for fellow Canadians who are suffering from Lyme disease. I want to share with you the knowledge I have gained during my fight with this debilitating, frightening, and misunderstood illness. I hope you will be blessed.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

How is this fair?

There are now 12 states in the U.S. which have legislation in place to protect physicians from repercussions relating to the treatment of chronic Lyme disease.  This is a great start.  It isn't so great, however, if you live in a state where physicians aren't protected!  I have often wondered why medical boards are by state or province.  Shouldn't a medical treatment be available to ALL citizens of a country?  So, someone in Rhode Island can get treatment for chronic Lyme disease, but someone in Nebraska is left to suffer?  Someone in Pennsylvania has mandatory insurance coverage, but someone in Ohio is denied?  Hopefully, these 12 states have set a precedent for the rest of the country when it comes to lawsuits.  And hopefully, Canada isn't too far behind.  Click here for further information on the 12 states.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Lyme Forum in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

On May 21, 2012, there was a Lyme Forum in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. hosted by Congressman Chris Gibson. This congressman is working to raise awareness and funding for the Lyme community.  We are so fortunate to have Mr. Gibson working on our behalf.  He has a good understanding of the issues, the changes that need to be made, and what Lyme sufferers face.  Listening to such intelligent, dedicated, passionate speakers gives me some measure of hope that eventually this situation will change for the better. 

Videos of the forum can be viewed by clicking on the Videos tab above, and scrolling down to #7.  Thank you to Brandi from Cosmo Mom with a Twist of Lyme for allowing me to use her video information. (Click here to visit her excellent blog.)


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

How LONG will it take?

As I scan the internet, I come across more and more stories of Canadians in the same boat as me - people with debilitating symptoms, with a negative Canadian ELISA, with a positive U.S. Western Blot, with doctors unable to put the puzzle together, with a health care system unwilling to recognize the illness DESPITE so much clinical proof.  Thousands of people suffering.  How long will it take for the government and medical bodies to recognize this?

The following video is of Christine Heffer from Corunna, Ontario, whose Lyme struggle has prompted Sarnia MPP Bob Bailey to put forth a private member's bill in the Ontario Legislature.  If you would like to help the Lyme cause, you could print off a copy of the petition here, have people sign it, and send the original to Bob Bailey whose address is on the petition.  I'm in the process of doing this right now.



The next 3 videos are of individuals affected by Lyme, speaking at a press conference in 2008.  Yes.....2008.  What's been going ON in the past 4 years?  What sort of proof is needed to get things moving?  Sadly, the Canadian physician who greatly helped those 3 individuals to resume a normal life, has been forced into retirement due to pressure from the medical authorities. 







Just what is going on here?  How LONG will it take?

Saturday, May 19, 2012

My dream

I had a dream last night that my LLMD (Lyme-literate medical doctor) was retiring.  I was panicked, wondering where I would get help!  I then determined that I'd have to get back on the waiting list for the other LLMD I saw who is 10 hours away. 

Why am I telling you this?  I guess I just want to express that Lyme is always with you, in the waking hours, and in sleep.  It becomes a part of your existence, in your conscious and your subconscious, not unlike other chronic illnesses.  I know I'm not special in that regard.  Sickness is sickness. 

But there are so many reminders of your Lyme each day:  the symptoms you still feel that come and go, the fatigue in your body, the decisions you need to make about what tasks you will accomplish with your limited energy today, the medications and supplements you need to take at specific times, the food choices you are making every time you eat, the concern about where to get medical help, the concern about how you are going to pay for that help as well as the medications and supplements, the frustration from others not believing or supporting you.

It's always there.



Thursday, May 17, 2012

...One Step Back

Healing from Lyme is definitely a "two steps forward, one step back" process.  The latter part of April, I felt GREAT!  I was sure I was on the path to a completely well body.  Then it came crashing down.  The first week of May, I started to get fatigued, and it just wouldn't let up.  And here I am today, needing to take a couple of sick days to rest, lest I end up incapacitated.  For those of you who might be embarking on Lyme treatment, this is what it is like.  I've read many other stories, blogs, etc. and practically everyone feels this way.  The symptoms can come and go.  You might have a great day, and that can be followed by an awful one.  I guess I was a little too overly optimistic that I had permanently beaten down those spirochetes.  Maybe I was taking on too much.  Maybe I was staying up too late (blogging!) and not getting enough rest.  Maybe I was sneaking one too many chocolate covered almonds, and now I'm suffering the effects of the sugar.  I don't know.  But I'm just not feeling great, and the couch is calling.  So I will sign off.  I know there will be better days ahead.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Sarnia MPP Supports Lyme Disease

I was reading an article in Vitality Magazine (May 2012) about Lyme disease.  It's an excellent article, by the way.  I got my copy from my naturopath, but you can probably get a free copy from a health food store.  Or go to their website.  Anyway, the article spoke about Sarnia MPP Bob Bailey and MPP Kim Craitor who "plan to introduce a Private Member's Bill in the Ontario legislature intended to make Lyme disease a political issue requiring a proper response." (Vitality Magazine, May 2012, p. 14).  You can check out the bill/petition here.