Take a Bite out of Lymes #TBT 3/24/15

I have been blessed with a "Friend of a friend" that has become so dear to me! My friend, Erin, has Lyme's disease, but is one of the most uplifting people I've "met".  She has such a love for the Lord and sweet disposition, that everytime we "talk" I am immensely blessed.  March  was Lyme's disease awareness month, and to raise awareness, you needed to take a "bite out of Lyme's" and then post a picture.....here's ours:

And my Man turned a pen out of the Lyme's color for me to send to Erin:

Isn't it gorgeous.

Here's some facts about Lyme's Disease:

http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-quickfacts.php

1. Lyme disease is a world-wide infectious disease and has been reported in all 50 states, 25% of the reported cases are children. Lyme disease had been found on every continent but Antarctica.
2. Typically Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from an infected deer tick. These ticks, often the size of a poppy seed, can leave an undetectable bite.
3. Fewer than 50% of people infected get the bull’s eye rash. Some develop flu-like symptoms a week or so after becoming infected, however, many people are asymptomatic but can develop Lyme symptoms months, years or decades later.
4. Common Symptoms include: fatigue, neck stiffness or pain, jaw discomfort, muscle pain, joint aches like arthritis- typically in the knees, swollen glands, memory loss, cognitive confusion, vision problems, digestive issues, headaches and fainting.
5. The Lyme spirochete bacteria is hard to detect and hard to kill. Lyme disease is growing at epidemic proportions in the United States.
6. It is called the great imitator; looking like many other health problems (Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Bells Palsy, ADD, MS and Lupus).
7. The medical community is divided over the diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Health insurance often doesn’t cover the treatment for Chronic Lyme disease.
8. The standard and most commonly prescribed for diagnosing Lyme test is the ELISA test. This test, often not sensitive enough to detect Lyme, can produce a false negative. The more sensitive test is called the IgG and IgM Western Blots test. The preferred testing lab is IGeneX Lab in Palo Alto. www.igenex.com.