Lymes disease is a condition that, upon hearing it aloud, a lot of us cringe, wince and show hesitancy towards, arguably because a lot of us are aware of how debilitating this disease can be.
For anyone unaware of what Lymes disease is, it is carried by certain ticks (blacklegged/deer ticks) and is transferred from the tick to a human or animal via the tick’s bite. Not all ticks carry Lymes, so they’re not all so terrible, but the ones that do carry this autoimmune disease are real bastards.
The tricky thing about Lymes and properly diagnosing it is how it shows itself in someone who has been infected. Lymes can present itself in so many different ways, making it challenging to identify it in the first place, and it is often misdiagnosed as MS or Fibromyalgia. Further, there is literally zero treatment for Lymes disease in Canada, which to me is incredibly illogical considering how many of these buggars are running rampant here, specifically in Ontario.
Some of the most common symptoms of Lymes disease, when left untreated, include:
- Rash around the bite site (doesn’t always occur)
- Fever
- Headache
- Chills
- Muscle and joint pain and aches
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Numbness, tingling and/or shooting pains in feet and hands
- Brain and spinal cord inflammation
- Dizziness/light headedness
- Shortness of breath
- Nerve pain
- Neck stiffness
- Headaches
- Rash across the body
- Heart palpitations
- Irregular heartbeat
- Pain in bones, muscles, joints and tendons
- Arthritis
- Facial palsy
It goes without saying, but from the symptoms listed above, it is safe to say Lymes disease is a real bitch to deal with, and I’m speaking from experience.
Because Lymes lacks recognition and support in Canada, I encourage you to do some research on the topic yourself. Awareness, support and research are desperately needed to combat this disease, and it will only continue to worsen in this country without any advancements.
ontheedgeofeverything 