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Message: [QUOTE="Uconnfanatic, post: 3246495, member: 4150"] I had a daughter who missed high school with Lyme disease & another coinfection. She had severe fatigue & really bad cognitive deficit. Went from a straight A student to special ed student who missed all but 4 months of high school. Was also an ODP soccer player & lost it all because of Lyme. Finally after 5 yrs of aggressive treatment she got enough better to go to college & graduated with a 4.0. Now has two healthy boys & a third on the way but still suffers with fatigue & some cognitive issues but has a quality of life we never thought she'd have. Hikes 4000 footers & keeps active. Lyme is not something to be taken lightly. I have done Lyme patient advocacy for 19 yrs now. I've given 50 Lyme lectures across New Hampshire in an effort to educate the public. Have facilitated support groups in CT & NH. First thing to know about Lyme is that the tests are highly unreliable plus doctors often misinterpret results. The 5 band criteria is a surveillance criteria & not meant to be used for diagnosis. Two bands positive means you have Lyme. Even the CDC says Lyme is a clinical diagnosis based on history of a bite & symptoms. Negative blood test does not rule out Lyme. Early diagnosis & treatment is the key. The sooner you get on treatment the better. If not caught early & treated properly, it can be a highly debilitating disease that can last for years. Most establishment doctors ieven in endemic areas like CT lack the knowledge & understanding to properly diagnose & treat Lyme & the other tick-borne diseases. Best advice I can give is to see a Lyme literate doctor & not put your faith in your PCP or any infectious disease doc or rheumatologist your PCP refers you to. They don't really know Lyme & will undertreat. [/QUOTE]

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