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Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Poppy-Seed-Sized Disease Spreaders
This picture is really small, but hopefully an effective illustration of what you'll be looking for when you're checking for ticks. Hard to imagine that an insect this size is responsible for making me (and so many other people) so sick.
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Welcome to my lyme blog!
This is me in September 2008, just before my final major illness prior to being diagnosed in January 2009. The information on my blog is based on my own personal experience with Lyme Disease, and the things I have learned in the decade I have been living with this complex illness.
I am not a medical professional, and none of this information should be construed as medical advice. I'm sharing my story to pass along the information, resources, and inspiration I've discovered along this journey to others suffering with Lyme Disease. I really hope that in sharing this information with my family, friends and perhaps others struggling with Lyme disease, I might be able to help someone.
Zion National Park
Camping with Friends, October 2008
Translate
“Anyone who, in discussion, relies upon authority uses not his understanding but rather his memory.” —Leonardo da Vinci, Notebooks (c. 1500)
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Mineral, CA - November 2009
What is Lyme Disease?
While Lyme disease is very complex, it is basically a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete, (a corkscrew-shaped bacteria) called Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is a blood-borne infection most commonly spread by the bite of a deer tick, which can be as small as the size of a poppy seed. Because of it's corkscrew shape, the Lyme bacteria can literally drill through tissue and get anywhere in the body in very short periods of time, (within three weeks of a bite, the bacteria can be identified in spinal fluid.) This is the reason that Lyme can affect almost any body system, and the symptoms can be so varied. In advance stages, Lyme attacks the central nervous system and can be misdiagnosed as ALS, MS, Parkinson's or Alzheimers. Prevention is easy if you are aware of the risk and know what to look for. Please be AWARE!!
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