"My Story" prt. 1

                                            My story is like thousands of other stories out there.

       When I think back on where and when this infection must have started, I cannot attribute any specific event, which is the starting point. I remember ticks being an infrequent visitor to our family growing up.  However, somewhere around 1982, I was living in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. When camping on October Mountain one night, I felt something on my leg. I looked down, you guessed it, a tick. This thing gave me the willies. It was a fully engorged tick, the size of a raisin. Just hangin' there. In our greatest cooperative spirit, my friends and I did everything we could to get this thing off. Pulling, cigarettes, fire poker sticks. Yup. We did everything wrong. That sucker must have been stressed, especially after watching how ticks latch on for dear life this weekend. The tick on my leg was eventually removed, all the way or not I do not know, and it was burned appropriately in the campfire. End of story. For many years.

I just got back from the beautiful lake s region of N.H..  A family cottage of nearly 40 years. Here's the deal; halfway through the weekend, our dog has a tick walking across her forehead. I see it and go in for the kill. But, they are fast! By the time I had pushed the fur away, down to the tick, I watched in fascination as it panicked and began to burrow into Hallie's skin! With Russ's help we got the bugger out before it was very far in. I never realized how desperate they are for a meal.

Heat is an enemy to Lyme sufferers. Stay cool, drink lots of water with lemon slices in it, and take your proboitics. If we don't pace ourselves, we end up having to rest or sleep for days on end to recuperate. But the sun is always uplifting, so enjoy. That's all I can do today. Be patient, I am just getting started with this blog. Much, much more to come.

   So, these are spirochetes. Nasty little corkscrew bacteria transmitted from an infected tick to humans. I have had them most of my life, and my story is long and sorted. I'll get to that. I am still in treatment, though under pretty good control right now. I live in the world of the unknown, the controversial, and the misunderstood. Sometimes my world is spinning and sometimes I am paralyzed, literally. I live moment by moment. I take joy from all I can, as often as I can. I hope to enlighten those who are unfamiliar with the complexities of the bacteria and co-infections involved. I also hope to give comfort and support to others like me who live in that same world of Lyme Disease.