British Columbia, Canada: Tick borne disease was misdiagnosed for two decades
Julie Bertrand / Oceanside Star
November 13, 2014 12:00 AM
Qualicum Beach resident Sue Aldous discovered she had Lyme disease through a chance encounter in a Surrey grocery store.
Aldous had suffered chronic health problems since 1984. She had headaches, frequent insomnia and digestive issues.
Because of her poor health, she lost her job, her home and most of her friends.
“Some people thought I was faking it,” Aldous said. “My friends got tired of me not being able to do anything.”
Over almost two decades she consulted more than 20 doctors but found no answers.
One doctor told her she might have fibromyalgia.
One day in 2004, Aldous started making small talk with a woman in the vitamins and natural supplements aisle of a grocery store. “She could see I was in pain. I was leaning on the shopping cart,” Aldous said. “She asked me if I was familiar with Lyme disease. She encouraged me to find the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation website and look at the symptoms list.”