(No Subject)

Was just wondering about the possibility of Michael J Fox's uncontrollable shaking most likely being caused by his Lyme disease which he had confirmed on David letterman, but wouldn't he have progressively worse symptoms if he did have Lyme disease after all these years, since he's most likely not on antibiotics but some other medication for PD. I personally believe his symptoms are from Lyme but just wondering how his Parkinson's disease seems to be stable. If it were Lyme wouldn't he be in a wheel chair or worse since Lyme is a progressive disease if not treated properly. Any thoughts?

Wow. I did not know he had Lyme. How does he know what's what? Probably trusting stupid doctors that have no idea about anything Lyme related. It's too bad. He could have been a great advocate for our cause!

Seriously, at this point, I feel like everything is Lyme! LOL. AFter all the research it seems like is any autoimmune disease not really Lyme related or related to a Bartonella-like organism??

He is so great. It would be a travesty if he had Lyme and not Parkinsons. He's had brain operations for God sake!!

But if he has an infectious diseaese doctor or a Rhumatologist that doesn't believe in Lyme. There lies the problem. He would have probably believed his doctors diagnosis and had no reason to dought them. He may have had negative Lyme and confection tests and concluded back then he was clear of any lyme infection. Remember they knew a lot less back in the late 90s when he contracted Lyme then they do now. It would be very difficult for him to reverse course in his treatment now, but it could save him many more years of misery if in fact an infection is causing his symptoms.

I posted this in 2009:

Hi all,

Based on the article below, Michael J. Fox admitted to David Letterman he was bit by a tick and was treated for 3 weeks:

SPIN CITY star Michael J. Fox's health and career are being threatened by
a potentially deadly disease, experts warn.

The gutsy actor recently admitted he's battling dangerous Lyme disease,
which can lead to heart damage, meningitis, and arthritis -- and could be
fatal if left untreated, doctors say.

But instead of slowing down and curtailing his extracirricular activities,
Fox jumped right back into grueling 18 hour workdays on his hit ABC
sitcom.

"People who suffer from Lyme disease, which is caused by a deer tick bite,
should take it easy and give their bodies time to rest and recover,"
explains Dr. Heeten Desai, a Tucson Ariz. emergency room physician who
specializes in toxicology.

"Lyme disease can be debilitating. You wouldn't want to overexert
yourself. I'd recommend that someone suffering from this disease take it
easy."

The 35 year old actor kept up his hectic daily grind, but he did postpone an appearance on David Letterman's Late Show. When he finally did appear on the CBS talkfest, he revealed to Letterman: "I got a dose of the Lyme. You feel like crap."

"l got bit by a tick," he confessed. "They're really tiny."

"Then what happens is you get this little red mark. You think it's a rash or you think it's some bad thing, but it's a tick bite."

"Then you are doomed because it's already too late."

Fox, who married to Tracy Pollan and has three kids, 7 year old Sam and 2 year old twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, was put on antibiotics for three weeks -- the standard treatment for Lyme disease -- but docs warn there could be lingering problems.

"Until patients have been medically cleared, they should be careful not to overexert themselves or overexercise."

Tom Skinner form the Centers For Disease control and Prevention in Atlanta, explains that Lyme disease effects each person differently.

"Some people experience brief bouts of what appears to be arthritis," he explains.

"As the disease progresses into later stages, it can lead to nervous system abnormalities, including numbness in different areas of the body, Bell's Palsy (facial paralysis) and in some cases, meningitis."

"In some instances, people can experience irregular heart rythyms, which could be fatal if not treated."

There were 10,000 cases of Lyme reported in the U.S. last year, mostly in the Northeastern and North Central regions. The early symptoms include fatigue, chills and fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes and a red skin rash, says Skinner.

"Some symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear until weeks, months or years after a tick bite," he adds.

"Some people can expect recurring bouts of the disease, especially if the treatment was unsuccessful, so Michael J. Fox is not out of the woods yet."

Fox, here with wife Tracy Pollan and son Sam, won't take it easy.

Fox admits to Letterman: "I got a dose of the lyme"

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi/noframes/read/71489

In my opinion (and I'm not a doctor), MJF does NOT have Parkinsons, he has chronic lyme.

Denise

Thanks for all the info Denise. Do you know what the time period was between when he was bitten by the tick before he received 3 weeks of antibiotics? Isn't that usually the determining factor between acute and chronic Lyme? How soon you begin treatment after the tick bite.