Lyme Disease
At our Wednesday meeting of the Adirondack Foothills/Saratoga County Chamber Safety Consortium we had a great speaker. Her presentation was “How my life changed since contracting Lyme disease” by Trudy Keys. Great presentation, very informative. This was followed by a short presentation by Chrystina Fisk, President & Co-Founder of the Lyme Action Network (www.lymeactionnetwork.org). After the presentation both women answered questions. The information we received was very enlightening on this subject. We found out it is more wide spread than we believed; that you can get tick bites in your yard, playground, hiking, camping, and hunting, just about anywhere. We also learned that a great number of cases are misdiagnosed; that many mainstream treatments do not always work; that early diagnosis is a key. So if you, your children or even your pets have any of the below symptoms get to the doctor ASAP. If the symptoms persist go to another doctor. The longer you wait without treatment, the worse it gets. If you have any other questions contact the www.Lymeactionnetwork.org they have a great website with lots of information. There are dozens of possible symptoms. For Lyme disease they include:
- Headache • Burning or stabbing sensations; shooting pains • Joint pain, swelling; stiffness of joints or back • Muscle pain or cramps • Neck stiffness, pain; neck creaks or cracks • Chest pain; rib soreness • Sore throat; swollen glands • Upset stomach or abdominal pain • Shortness of breath; cough • Change in bowel function • Bladder dysfunction; irritable bladder • Testicular pain; pelvic pain • Unexplained breast pain • Unexplained milk production • Numbness; tingling; tremor • Facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy) • Twitching of the face or other muscles • Skin hypersensitivity • Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina • Unavoidable need to sit or lie down • Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills or flushing • Unexplained menstrual irregularity • Unexplained weight loss or gain • Unexplained hair loss • Eyes: double, blurry, or vision loss, floaters light sensitivity • Ears: hearing loss; buzzing, ringing, pain, sound sensitivity • Pulse skips; cardiac impairment • Heart block; heart murmur • Heart palpitations; heart valve prolapse • Sleep: disturbed; too much; too little; frequent or early waking • Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido • Mood swings; depression; irritability • Forgetfulness; poor short-term memory • Difficulty thinking; confusion; poor attention • Problem absorbing new information • Difficulty with speech, writing • Difficulty with concentration and reading • Difficulty finding words; name blocking • Disorientation; getting lost, going to wrong places • Lightheadedness; poor balance • Vertigo, wooziness • Increased motion sickness • Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
