I applaud your various articles over the past year or so, relating to Lyme and associated tick-borne diseases and your latest on songbirds as vectors was no exception.
Lyme wasn’t on the proverbial Canadian radar 2 years ago and now everyone’s talking about it. I can tell you first hand it’s a hideous and crippling disease. Hideous in that it is often mistaken for MS, ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Crippling, well that’s self-explanatory. Left untreated can leave the sufferer permanently crippled or worse death. It is only overshadowed by our healthcare systems refusal to properly acknowledge it or treat it.
I was originally told “Lyme doesn’t exist north of the border, that it’s too cold in Canada for it’s survival” and now you mention in your article they have antifreeze-like compounds in their blood! Luckily, organizations like Can Lyme and Lyme Ontario are making Lyme a common household word. My Lyme came from a “wee Scottish tick” whilst hiking their Highlands with my son in 2014. Although we both contacted “ticks”, (fortunately) I was the only one who tested positive. I went undiagnosed for nearly 4 months (no thanks to my GP) and it was at the height of my suffering that a visit to an Osteopath, who had no previous contact with me, suggested Lyme within the first 5 minutes of my appointment. And even when I suggested Lyme to my GP, she still pursued avenues completely unrelated to the disease. All the while letting the disease take firm hold. Finally, a naturopath had my blood sent to a top level lab in Palo Alto California and 4 weeks later I was positive.
The sad part of this story was not getting the disease (I wouldn’t trade that day with my son for anything), but getting proper treatment. I had to resort to the US for initial treatment, but due to the nature of Lyme had to go to Plattsburgh, N.Y. this year for further treatment for Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Yes, it does reoccur. To that end, what you might want to consider are stories on what to do if you have Lyme. It’s funny, but once folks heard I have Lyme they are very interested, yet terrified, but want to learn as much on the disease as they can. Since we live in a rural area we are especially prone to exposure and articles on prevention and/or treatment would be undoubtedly welcomed by your readers. I’d be more than willing to help in anyway I can… Thank you…
BRETT DAVIS