LYME DISEASE – OUR FIGHT TO PAY IT FORWARD
June 30th, 2015
My family’s fight against Lyme disease is relatively new, but we learned quickly of the controversy surrounding Lyme Disease. Three months ago, my wife (Theresa) was bit by a tick in our backyard in Calgary, Alberta (Canada). At the time, we didn’t realize what we were dealing with. After a rapid decline in health, my wife was diagnosed with Lyme Disease by a University Research Lab in the United States.
That’s right, we live in Canada, but my wife’s diagnosis came from the United States.
Further, we only received that diagnosis because we independently sent her blood upon recommendation from a Canadian doctor. This is when the controversy became extremely apparent. Let me back up a bit…
The “Read Full Article” isn’t working, I’d really like to read the full article. Please fix the button or email me the article. Thanks so much!
thanks for the heads up – should work now
Read Full Article link above still doesn’t work. We would very much like to read this article.
The link is working. It may be on your end? If anyone else is having a problem let us know.
How long can you have Lyme disease my Dr refuses too test me I have had chronic joint pain since small child and now it’s got me totally disabled since 2001 and now I don’t have energy too have a life at all I’m 62 with no life he says if I had it that would new before now but did no test acts like too late to test for it but I have everobe of symptoms for it and when I get sick and need antibodies I can tell it makes my joint pain less any idea as what should I do plz terribly sick need help
Here is a copy of the letter I sent about my Lyme experience to the Quebec Prime Minister, the Maria Hospital, and the Maria Tourism board. I never got a reply from anyone.
Salut
Pardonne mon horrible français. L’anglais suit. J’ai eu une morsure de tique et les symptômes de Lyme (fièvre, frissons, etc.) Le Guide d’information de Maria m’a dit d’aller à l’hôpital de Maria–et qu’il n’y avait pas d’autres choix, pas de médecins privés, pas de dispensaires sans rendez-vous, aucun moyen de voir un professionnel de la santé à tous de ne pas payer pour une visite de salle d’urgence. Comme j’ai une autre maladie rare qui implique de nombreux symptômes de Lyme, tels que hyperacousie, j’étais terrifié d’obtenir des symptômes encore pire avec Lyme. J’ai vraiment besoin d’empêcher ça.
Parce que je n’avais pas d’autre choix, j’ai payé $761 pour la visite de la salle d’urgence, qui consistait uniquement d’une infirmière qui a pris ma température et la pression artérielle, et d’attendre 4 heures dans un couloir. J’ai ensuite payé un supplément de $50 pour voir le médecin. Après avoir rappelé le personnel que j’étais toujours là, j’ai eu un Rushed et harcelé 2 minutes de visite avec un médecin (nom et numéro d’identification disponible sur demande) qui n’a pas écouté mes préoccupations à tous. Elle n’a même pas la peine de regarder le site de la morsure ou mes photos précédentes. Au contraire, elle m’a dit que si je ne produisait pas la tique réelle, alors je ne pouvais pas avoir de Lyme. Cela ressemble à dire que si vous ne pouvez pas produire le crotale réel, vous n’avez pas été mordu et vous serez très bien. Même vos sites Web et toutes les informations disponibles dit différemment. Ainsi, j’ai gaspillé un jour et tous mes vacances $ sur une opinion inutile et mal informée. J’ai immédiatement conduit au Nouveau-Brunswick, où je suis allé à une clinique sans rendez-vous, a payé $100 et a obtenu la prescription que j’avais besoin pour empêcher d’autres complications de Lyme.
Donc, ma demande pour votre gouvernement du Québec, l’hôpital, et le journal/Bureau de tourisme est de deux fois:
1) s’il vous plaît développer un système de “soins urgents/Walk-in/médecins privés sur appel ” ou un autre système où les touristes, les personnes ayant des demandes non urgentes peuvent aller plutôt que d’un hôpital. Cela permettra de sauver votre système hospitalier beaucoup d’argent, et cela signifie que les touristes peuvent obtenir de l’aide pour une entorse à la cheville ou de Lyme ou d’une autre urgence sans dépenser leur argent de vacances entière sur une visite inutile de salle d’urgence. Voir le temps de se concentrer sur l’amélioration de la valeur service d’urgence plutôt que de décourager les visites des services d’urgence
2) s’il vous plaît éduquer votre personnel. Ils pourraient aller à un grand cours de ILADS sur la maladie de Lyme, ou ils pourraient simplement lire votre site Web de santé canadien, pour les professionnels de la santé: la maladie de Lyme-Canada.ca qui énonce, en partie:
Tous les patients ne développeront pas de symptômes perceptibles. En tant que tel, il est important de:
Rappelez-vous que les tiques peuvent être trouvées en dehors des zones à risque actuellement identifiées
Demandez aux patients s’ils ont voyagé ou vécu dans une région où les tiques tiques sont établies ou émergentes
… Les patients présentant des symptômes clairs de la maladie de Lyme localisée tôt devraient être diagnostiqués et traités sans confirmation de laboratoire. C’est parce que de faux résultats négatifs sont possibles au stade précoce de la maladie de Lyme.
Pour les professionnels de la santé: la maladie de Lyme-Canada.ca
Par l’âge de la santé publique
J’aurais dû être traité correctement au Québec. Je n’aurais pas dû être obligé de payer $766 pour un rejet incorrect et potentiellement dangereux de 2 minutes de mes inquiétudes.
S’il vous plaît laissez-moi savoir ce que vous ferez pour remédier à cette situation.
Merci,
Deena Larsen 303-445-2584 3205 West Kentucky Ave Denver Colorado 80219
Hi
Please forgive my horrible French. English follows. I had a tick bite and Lyme symptoms (fever, chills, etc.). The information guide at Maria told me to go to the hospital in Maria–and that there were no other choices, no private doctors, no walk-in clinics, no way to see any medical professional at all without paying for an emergency room visit. As I have another rare disease which involves many Lyme symptoms, such as hyperacusis, I was terrified of getting even worse symptoms with Lyme. I really need to prevent this.
Because I had no other choice, I paid $761 for the emergency room visit, which consisted solely of a nurse who took my temperature and blood pressure, and waiting for 4 hours in a hallway. I then paid an additional $50 to see the doctor. After reminding the staff that I was still there, I got a rushed and harried 2 minute visit with a doctor (name and id number available on request) who did not listen to my concerns at all. She did not even bother to look at the site of the bite or my previous pictures. Rather, she told me that if I did not produce the actual tick, then I could not have Lyme. This is akin to saying that if you can not produce the actual rattlesnake, you have not been bitten and you will be just fine. Even your websites and all available information says differently. Thus, I wasted a day and all of my vacation $ on a useless, uninformed opinion. I immediately drove to New Brunswick, where I went to a walk-in clinic, paid $100 and got the prescription that I needed to prevent further complications of Lyme.
So my request for your Quebec government, hospital, and newspaper/tourist bureau is two fold:
1) Please develop a system of “urgent care/walk-in/private physicians on call” or other system where tourists, people with non-urgent requests can go rather than a hospital. This will save your hospital system lots of money, and it will mean that tourists can get help for a sprained ankle or Lyme or other emergency without spending their entire vacation money on a useless emergency room visit. See Time to Focus on Improving Emergency Department Value Rather Than Discouraging Emergency Department Visits
2) Please educate your staff. They could go to a great course from ILADS on Lyme disease, or they could just read your Canadian Health website, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/lyme-disease/health-professionals-lyme-disease.html which states, in part:
Not all patients will develop noticeable symptoms. As such, it is important to:
remember that ticks can be found outside currently identified risk areas
ask patients if they have travelled to or lived in an area where blacklegged ticks are established or emerging
… Patients with clear symptoms of early localized Lyme disease should be diagnosed and treated without laboratory confirmation. This is because false negative results are possible during the early stage of Lyme disease.
I should have been treated properly in Quebec. I should not have been forced to pay $766 for an incorrect and potentially dangerous 2-minute dismissal of my concerns.
Please let me know what you will do to address this situation.
Thank you
The “Read Full Article” still doesn’t work. I would really like to read the article, please fix the link or email me the full article. Thank you!
I just tried it and it was working fine. Here is the direct link
http://www.pushing-past-excuses.com/2/post/2015/06/lyme-disease-our-fight-to-pay-it-forward.html
Jim
my brother-in-law has lyme disease . For the past month he has been taking medicine. He went to the doctor last week and the doctor just sent him home. He had a hip replacement this summer. His hip is sore, he is in lots of pain, he is swollen and red. My husband will be taking him back to the hospital on Monday because on the weekend there are no real doctors that know about this problem. He is 70 years old. I cannot believe that Canadian doctors do not know how to treat this problem. Does he really have lyme disease or was it a false positive? Canada needs to get more information. Learn what the USA is doing and ask for help. How many people have to suffer!!!
Yes it can be lymne years later. Use igenix lab it’s more sensitive. They will mail you a kit and computer will mail it to them after drawing your blood.
Not working for me either I’d like to read the full article
Should be working now.
Lyme is easy treatable with the right antibiotics, good dosage at the right time. The biggest problem is that almost all doctors (99%) are not competent regarding Lyme and are not capable to treat, based on symptoms only. Even infectious disease doctors and microbilogists are not good enough to treat the Lyme disease. They do not know that Lyme is complex disease and it is crucial to start treatment a.s.a.p. in order to cure the patient, otherwise Lyme disease can become chronic and difficult to treat, even deadly if not treated promptly.
Can anyone suggest a doctor in Calgary or Alberta that is knowledgeable in diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease
Alberta College of Physicians as well as our family physician (who recommended that we go to the US) were not able to help us
My wife has Lyme disease symptoms (including heart disease) and we have a lab test from Germany with +ve results for Lyme disease
We don’t know how to contact a doctor knowledgeable in Lyme disease.
Any suggestions really appreciated as disease appears to have gone to her heart
I’d like to live in Alberta as I’m Canadian but have no support here. I’ve had lyme 7 yrs and relapsed past 2 months. It’s a lonely existence and an extreme struggle to even cook for yourself. I don’t even know where I’d start to be able to live in Calgary.
Is there a list of info on what we can do to obtain disability and afford to survive so we can try to get some recovery underway?
We need healthy food and home support.