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TOUCHED BY LYME: CDC fires another salvo against “chronic Lyme”
[CanLyme note: There are no human tests for many of the borrelia species of bacteria that cause Lyme disease, yet they have perhaps convinced this poor gentleman he did not have Lyme disease. There is nothing in what they have reported that would rule out Lyme disease… so why is a government agency so willing to mislead the public? So many good questions were simply not addressed by the CDC in this fear-mongering video.]
By Dorothy Kupcha Leland lymedisease.org
The CDC has launched yet another volley in its continuing propaganda war against the Lyme community. This time, it’s a new anti-chronic Lyme video posted on YouTube and the CDC website.
The video presents the case of “Robert,” who had a lot of bad symptoms for which his doctors couldn’t find a cause. Headaches, joint pain/stiffness, memory loss, and numbness and tingling in both hands. As Robert describes it, “a lot of medical professionals were confused by my health condition.” Many doctors even said it was “all in his head,” presumably dismissing him without looking further.
Eventually, a doctor diagnosed him with chronic Lyme disease and began treatment. We are not told how this diagnosis was made. Positive lab tests? Clinical symptoms consistent with Lyme disease? History of a bull’s-eye rash? One assumes such findings would factor into the diagnosis, but the video is silent on this.
According to Robert, in the midst of Lyme treatment, he suddenly lost vision in one eye. An MRI showed that he had a tumor on his pituitary gland, which evidently caused the problems with his eyesight and (the video implies) all of his other issues as well.
The lesson the CDC wants us to take from this? That if only Robert hadn’t been diagnosed with chronic Lyme, he wouldn’t be in a world of hurt today. The CDC bluntly states: Robert now has permanent heart and kidney disease, joint pain, and severe obstructive sleep apnea as a result of the incorrect diagnosis and treatment. The strong implication is that the doctor who diagnosed Lyme ruined his life. (How about all the “confused” physicians Robert consulted first, who also failed to diagnose the tumor? Do they share blame? The video is silent on that, too.)
The CDC goes on to ominously warn that “an incorrect diagnosis can lead to permanent damage or death.”
Now, wait a gosh-darn minute, CDC…
I have had Lyme disease for over 16 years. (Since 1999) I was 57 years old (male) when I got nailed by 12 ticks in Arkansas. I am now 75 years old. Nobody has a clue what hell is like to have Lyme disease unless you’ve had it. It seems every case is different but every one is hell. The best thing that could happen is for every CDC official who thinks he/she is so smart and has all the answers, needs to experience Lyme disease. They need to experience the fear that literally engulfs you. Many a night I have cried on my dear wife’s shoulder in fear and in pain, wondering if I would live many years of tortuous pain, only to die in despair. These smart CDC officials need to experience uncontrollable body spasms. They need to experience in their own bodies seizures that last from 45 minutes to an hour. They need to know what it`is like to not have a mind `and literally pace back and forth like a caged animal. I have just slightly scratched the surface. CDC if you folks are so smart why don’t you do something productive with all the time you waste coming against all the poor people who aren’t as fortunate as you and not catch Lyme. By your uncouth remarks it is very evident that you are a bunch of brainless people who don’t have a clue about what you are talking about. Maybe you will b fortunate at some point in time to have Lyme and experience it first hand, then and only then will you understand how ridiculous you are.