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Facing
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by Jentri Anders, PhD
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Many
Lyme symptoms described medically under such headings as neurological,
psychological or psychiatric can be seen by others as negative aspects
of one’s personality. Lyme produces physical and mental symptoms
that hamper the patient’s ability to present herself appropriately
to employers, spouses, friends and even the guy behind her in the ATM
line. It distorts social perception and response, as well as non-social
perception and response. Many Lyme patients will see themselves in the
situation Polly Murray describes:
Lyme disease is horrible not only because of its symptoms, but also because of the effect the symptoms have on how the patient relates to the doctor. The Lyme disease patient may be so profoundly affected with a myriad of devastating symptoms --including some that affect personality, level of anxiety and ability to express and present oneself--that he or she may come across to the physician as fixated on a diagnosis or as having symptoms rooted in anxiety, or psychiatric problems, and be dismissed. Thus, one of the nightmares of Lyme disease is that it can make you sick in a way that makes some physicians not want to treat you as you need to be treated. Polly Murray, The Widening Circle, p.xii
“The effect the symptoms have on how the patient relates to the doctor” is only one side of problem. The other is the doctor’s reaction to the patient’s symptoms and how that reaction affects the patient. That side is made much worse by the narrow sociological pool from which doctors are drawn and the rigidity of their education.
Here’s how it works on the ground. I’m making the doctor male in this scenario because, until recently, most doctors were male and gender bias has always been an issue in my case. In the 30 years I have been infected, I have seen more doctors than I have the energy to count, as new symptoms appeared and old ones got worse. As long as the symptoms could be called physical, I could accept whatever the doctor said, even when they began to pile up for no apparent reason. When psychological/sociological explanations began to creep in, the doctors were treading on my professional turf as a psychologically-oriented social scientist and I was justifiably skeptical. Doctors have not been trained to deal with justifiably skeptical patients, especially female ones, so bad scenes ensued. Because of those, I greatly fear doctors. My Lyme-exaggerated fear response kicks in the moment the doctor enters the room, flooding me with adrenalin, raising my heart rate,putting me in panic mode. All my Lyme-caused thinking problems are then magnified. I can’t concentrate, can’t prioritize information in order to describe my complex problems. I use the wrong words or too many words, can’t remember when things happened, stammer, hesitate and get my tongue tangled. Hearing myself, I know I ‘m doomed, that I will leave the office a crushed person and I am helpless against the lump in my throat.
The doctor responds to me by becoming impatient, insistent, patronizing, defensive, sarcastic and authoritative, according to his personality. If I have arrived with a written symptom list, or a note explaining my communication difficulties and emotional lability, the doctor may well throw it back into my face, literally or figuratively. If I say, “let’s consider Lyme disease,” “patronizing” and “sarcastic” start immediately, along with blatant efforts to throw me off. One doctor asked smugly, “When was your negative test? 1981? Impossible, the test was not invented then.” I was too far gone to answer, “Well, gee, doc, my memory for numbers doesn’t seem to be working right. Maybe that’s a symptom?” First I’m frustrated, then panic-stricken, then despairing and finally, too distraught to benefit in any way from the doctor’s expertise.
Were the doctor as knowledgeable about the mental aspects of Lyme disease as I am, the picture I am presenting would be a diagnostic clue in itself. But, in all but a handful of cases, all but two of them female, the doctors could not see me clearly through their own prejudices, starting with sexism. It was bad enough when they saw me as a neurotic professional woman inflicting pain on herself because of her alleged guilt over being a bad wife and mother. But, when I had the temerity to diagnose myself and started acting like I knew more about that particular disease than they did (which I did) and then dissolving into sobs of despair, I really opened myself to a full blast of prejudice disguised as learned opinion. next
Lyme disease is horrible not only because of its symptoms, but also because of the effect the symptoms have on how the patient relates to the doctor. The Lyme disease patient may be so profoundly affected with a myriad of devastating symptoms --including some that affect personality, level of anxiety and ability to express and present oneself--that he or she may come across to the physician as fixated on a diagnosis or as having symptoms rooted in anxiety, or psychiatric problems, and be dismissed. Thus, one of the nightmares of Lyme disease is that it can make you sick in a way that makes some physicians not want to treat you as you need to be treated. Polly Murray, The Widening Circle, p.xii
“The effect the symptoms have on how the patient relates to the doctor” is only one side of problem. The other is the doctor’s reaction to the patient’s symptoms and how that reaction affects the patient. That side is made much worse by the narrow sociological pool from which doctors are drawn and the rigidity of their education.
Here’s how it works on the ground. I’m making the doctor male in this scenario because, until recently, most doctors were male and gender bias has always been an issue in my case. In the 30 years I have been infected, I have seen more doctors than I have the energy to count, as new symptoms appeared and old ones got worse. As long as the symptoms could be called physical, I could accept whatever the doctor said, even when they began to pile up for no apparent reason. When psychological/sociological explanations began to creep in, the doctors were treading on my professional turf as a psychologically-oriented social scientist and I was justifiably skeptical. Doctors have not been trained to deal with justifiably skeptical patients, especially female ones, so bad scenes ensued. Because of those, I greatly fear doctors. My Lyme-exaggerated fear response kicks in the moment the doctor enters the room, flooding me with adrenalin, raising my heart rate,putting me in panic mode. All my Lyme-caused thinking problems are then magnified. I can’t concentrate, can’t prioritize information in order to describe my complex problems. I use the wrong words or too many words, can’t remember when things happened, stammer, hesitate and get my tongue tangled. Hearing myself, I know I ‘m doomed, that I will leave the office a crushed person and I am helpless against the lump in my throat.
The doctor responds to me by becoming impatient, insistent, patronizing, defensive, sarcastic and authoritative, according to his personality. If I have arrived with a written symptom list, or a note explaining my communication difficulties and emotional lability, the doctor may well throw it back into my face, literally or figuratively. If I say, “let’s consider Lyme disease,” “patronizing” and “sarcastic” start immediately, along with blatant efforts to throw me off. One doctor asked smugly, “When was your negative test? 1981? Impossible, the test was not invented then.” I was too far gone to answer, “Well, gee, doc, my memory for numbers doesn’t seem to be working right. Maybe that’s a symptom?” First I’m frustrated, then panic-stricken, then despairing and finally, too distraught to benefit in any way from the doctor’s expertise.
Were the doctor as knowledgeable about the mental aspects of Lyme disease as I am, the picture I am presenting would be a diagnostic clue in itself. But, in all but a handful of cases, all but two of them female, the doctors could not see me clearly through their own prejudices, starting with sexism. It was bad enough when they saw me as a neurotic professional woman inflicting pain on herself because of her alleged guilt over being a bad wife and mother. But, when I had the temerity to diagnose myself and started acting like I knew more about that particular disease than they did (which I did) and then dissolving into sobs of despair, I really opened myself to a full blast of prejudice disguised as learned opinion. next
Ticks carry more than just
Lyme disease! Including:
0 -Ehrlichia;
o -Bartonella;
0 -Babesia;
o -Q- Fever;
0 -Tularemia;
o -Tick-borne Encephalitis;
0 -Mycoplasma;
o -Relapsing Fever;
0 -Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and others.
Never WAIT and SEE about a tick bite, please! Quickly and properly treated infections are less likely to progress to later stage or chronic disease.
Sometimes tick bites are
mistaken for spider bites!
Some diseases may be spread by animal bites or scratches and from mosquitoes, fleas or lice.
There is still so much to learn about Lyme disease and related infections.
Sometimes Lyme disease and related infectious diseases are undiagnosed for years, even decades!
Watch closely for symptoms after tick bites. Some never see a tick or a bulls-eye rash.
Don't ignore tick-borne disease symptoms!
If you feel sick, ask a doctor!
SYMPTOMS may include:
0 -Tick bites;
o -Fever; Flu symptoms;
0 -All kinds of Rashes;
o -Muscle; Joint; Neck Pain;
0 -Body Aches; Weakness
o -Light /Sound Sensitivity;
0 -Bells Palsy; Nerve pain;
o -Insomnia; Poor memory
0 -Headaches; Numbness;
o -Mood disorders; Confusion;
0 -Extreme Fatigue; Exhaustion
Never let tick-borne diseases progress!
Lyme and associated diseases are often MISTAKEN FOR OTHER ILLNESSES, Including:
0 -Chronic Fatigue;
o -Fibromyalgia;
0 -Hypochondria;
o -Multiple Sclerosis;
0 -Lupus;
o -Rheumatoid Arthritis;
0 -Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS);
o -Alzheimer's and
0 -Parkinson's disease
******************
Don't be fooled about ticks and their diseases.
******************
Directly affecting humankind, worldwide:
W H A T H A P P E N E D
when the U.S. Senate addressed the Centers for Disease Control regarding Lyme disease?
Consult a good doctor!
Visit ILADS, LDF, LymeNet or LDA to find a specialist in your location.
Protect your children and your family.
Learn about ticks and their many diseases.
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TICK
BYTES:
- TICKS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES -
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly in many countries across the world -not only in Scandinavia, UK, Hungary, Scotland, USA, France, Germany, China, and Australia.
- ONE BIG PROBLEM WITH TESTS -
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease test currently available to detect infection or cure. more...
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Ticks can be found in and around leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur; bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel, and other small animal habitats.
- HOW TO REMOVE TICKS -
There is only one right way. Promptly and properly remove ticks to avoid infection. Here's how...
- TICKS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES -
Tick-borne diseases are spreading rapidly in many countries across the world -not only in Scandinavia, UK, Hungary, Scotland, USA, France, Germany, China, and Australia.
- ONE BIG PROBLEM WITH TESTS -
There is NO 100% accurate Lyme disease test currently available to detect infection or cure. more...
- WHERE TICKS LIVE -
Ticks can be found in and around leaf litter; grass; logs; animal fur; bird feeders; and deer, mice, squirrel, and other small animal habitats.
- HOW TO REMOVE TICKS -
There is only one right way. Promptly and properly remove ticks to avoid infection. Here's how...
How
to Properly Remove A Tick
Never let tick-borne
infections progress !
Tick-borne diseases can
affect any body part,
organ, and any system
of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
Never let tick-borne
infections progress !
Tick-borne diseases can
affect any body part,
organ, and any system
of the body.
Lyme disease and Syphilis are both caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Tick-borne diseases can KILL!
Ticks travel on mice!
ALWAYS Get Ticks Tested!
Lyme Disease Foundation
Lyme
rashes have been
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Ticks
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