This article just set off my "Lyme rage"...

I hope I'm taking this the wrong way...maybe fatigue has set in, but this article really got under my skin:

http://mobile.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/chronic_lyme_disease_delusion_romney_campaign_pushes_medical_nonsense_.html

Ugh. I could rant about this all day...

But I found this article that I found interesting, something that lady might want to read to better explain her so-called "own story":

Lyme, Depression, and Suicide

By Robert C. Bransfield, MD

In the late 1970’s, I treated a depressed patient who appeared to have more than just depression. Her weight increased from 120 to 360 pounds, she was suicidal, had papilledema, arthritis, cognitive impairments, and anxiety. This patient became disabled, went bankrupt, and had marital problems. Like many whose symptoms could not be explained, she was referred to a psychiatrist. However, I was never comfortable labeling her condition as just another depression. At the time, I did not consider her illness could be connected to other diagnostic entities, such as neuroborreliosis, erythema migrans disease, erythema chronicum migrans, Bannwoth’s syndrome, Garin-Bujadoux syndrome, Montauk knee, or an arthritis outbreak in Connecticut. With time, the connection between Borrelia burgdorferi infections and mental illnesses such as depression became increasinglyapparent.

In my database, depression is the most common psychiatric syndrome associated with late stage Lyme disease. Although depression is common in any chronic illness, it is more prevalent with Lyme patients than in most other chronic illnesses. There appears to be multiple causes, including a number of psychological and physical factors...


That's not the whole article, but you get the idea. I want to send the author of that article some info. Maybe then she'll think before she writes such disgusting words...

Hi all,

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought politics were against the rules???

Denise

Actually political discussions are against the rules, but I too was raving about what was said about Chronic Lyme and how we were being ridiculed.

Should this thread digress into a political discussion, it won't last long. **evil grin** I really don't like politics!!!

Something has to be done, how can they allow these people to write articles that are untrue. We are living proof it is real.

Hi Denise,

I agree and I was thinking the same thing today. I starting feeling rather bad about posting something so nefathe person that wrote that article is clearly uneducated on chronic lyme.

I am very new to all of this, and I must admit that I myself was very uneducated on the subject as well until recently.

I suppose I was just baffled by it because I would never make assumptions like she did, even before I knew anything about this disease.

I used to be a writer mtself, and I can say that this article truly upset me. In my opinion, you need to know the facts before you pass judgement.

I know all things in life are not good. It is just a sad fact. However, I do see your point in keeping this group as upbeat as possible.

I truly apologize for bring any negativity!

As I mentioned, I am very knew to all of this, and it is beyond my realm of thinking as to how people could say such hurtful things about those who are chronically ill.

This has become the only place where I can dicuss my disease with others. My husband's patience is wearing thin (which doesn't take much in the first place, trust me), and I fear my family and friends will think I'm utterly nuts if I rant and rave about such topics to them.

Where I live, no one knows anyone who has had Lyme disease. So sometimes I feel as if it's just me, myself, and I. :)

Anyway, no harm intended. I guess I just needed somewhere to vent and discuss my frustrations.

As always, thank you guys for listening :)

***This post is nothing more than my personal opinion. It has nothing to do with my view as a Moderator here on this forum. It's just "me".*** Oh, and I have NO desire to offend anyone with what I say!!!

I am of the opinion that we must try to maintain a very careful balance here. We need to allow members to express themselves, especially when they are having a hard time, but yet need to keep this forum overall very upbeat. I'm not so good at the second one, but I do try.

I don't really believe that this thread is negative though. It can be taken that way, sure, but what we are saying is there is a way for us to have an impact on the way this disease is looked at, and for those that are up to it, they should help advocate for all of us! Once I had some healing under my belt - well a little before that actually - one of the ways I started helping was to become a Mod here! I also sign petitions, send out letters to politicians whenever there is a bill out there that will have an impact on my healing, and such like that.

I happen to believe that it's going to take as many of us that are up to it doing such things to make things change so that we not only get the recognition of having a *real* disease, as well as being free to get the treatment that we need to heal! I mean Dermatologists don't have their licenses in danger for prescribing the exact same abx at the same types of dosages for their patients!!! Talk about singling out one group!

Oops, back off my soapbox - sorry!!