Lyme documentary scratches beneath the surface - Darien News

In this part of the country, specifically in this state, the term "Lyme disease" is a familiar one.

[Phillip Moore]

One thing your article fails to mention is the fact that many of the so called "Lyme Literate" doctors are deliberately tweaking tests to show false positives for lyme. Don't let these doctors make you think they are in this for the welfare of their patients. They had at one time discovered a cash cow, which was a disease that is difficult to diagnose, easy to misdiagnose, and long term, expensive IV antibiotics were being covered by insurance. Now that this cash cow is being threatened, they are fighting for the standard of care to be changed in their favor. I was misdiagnosed with Lyme. Almost every patient that was sent to this particular doctor with unexplained symptoms was diagnosed with Lyme, as long as they could pay for the treatments. I went through months of expensive IV antibiotics that weakened my immune system, and caused me more harm than good. I never had Lyme. Several doctors have confirmed this, and they were all apalled at the amount of antibiotics I was taking. Maybe you should interview dome of these doctors and get their opinion. I simply have Celiac Disease, which can be controlled by removing wheat and wheat gluten from the diet. I also have a connective tissue disorder, but not Lyme. It took several years for me to recover from the overtreatment of IV antibiotics. So, before you deify these doctors, you may want to investigate what they are really up to, and report on the twist to this Lyme story.
Phillip Moore

[Sharon H]

I am sure there are people who are being diagnosed with Lyme when they don't have it. But I have also heard far too many stories from patients whose clear symptoms and even positive blood tests for Lyme were ignored. I was misdiagnosed twice, in CT, even though I had asked about Lyme. I later got my positive blood test from a mainstream lab, but by then an easy cure had become a difficult one. Sadly, some are even less fortunate than I was.

[NoMoreSchoolMold]

The conflicts of interest impacting medicine that actually cause more health problems exist, sadly, in many areas. Mold-related illness, chemical poisonings, and multiple chemical sensitivities are environmental illnesses that, like Lyme, have been ignored and misunderstood by physicians. State medical boards and insurance companies have vilified the only doctors who helped people ... running them out of business. To be sick from an environmental illness is to be a pariah ... those interests who defend against the cost of treatment and liability for these would seemingly have us go untreated, sickened, or die, because that is often the outcome. The heroic physicians who dare treat them are targeted and the rest become afraid. This must stop. There have to be inalienable rights for healthcare so that one cannot be discriminated against due to one's illness or practice of medicine. Visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org for info on mold-related illness including Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. This is an area that needs a movie on the conflicts of interest there. Many are catalogued on our site.

[UKLymie]

Thank you for your considered and responsible article, and for raising awareness of Lyme disease.

Chronic Lyme disease is an international problem, but is being denied by medical authorities world-wide. One frightening aspect is that the bacteria can cross the placenta and affect unborn children.

I have been housebound with a diagnosis of CFS and fibromyalgia for 22 years. My Western Blot test gave a false negative, but from live blood microscopy I now know that my symptoms are caused by Lyme disease and its horrible co-infections.

I cannot obtain the effective treatment - lengthy courses of iv antibiotics. Instead I am being offered cognitive behaviour and graded exercise 'therapies' that make my symptoms worse.

Even if my Western Blot had been positive, I would only have received three weeks of oral antibiotics. This would merely have forced the Lyme bacteria into their dormant form until the course was finished.

These bacteria, which can clearly be seen under a microscope, continue to multiply unchecked in my body and brain whilst doctors treat me, and thousands like me, as a neurotic nutcases.

[Dan Roberts]

I am the oldest known case of ld in ohio
and perhaps one of the longest undiagnosed.
1976 i was bitten and became sick for 42 days.
had the bullseye rash and was treated for the flu.
i was on a school trip in washington dc and was bit.I was treated by more than 11 specialist over the years.A few years back i didnt realize what that tick and bullseye rash meant in 1976.
Untill i ran across a pic and symptoms.I had myself tested with my docs disbelief in someone from ohio could get this ect.. and yup POSITIVE.
Ive been on the news and in the local papers.Helped make ohio recognize May as national awareness month.I am only 1 man and i need the press or anyone else to help me get my word out.
i have written everone from the gov. to the president.
{{{{{hopes no one person ever has to walk a mile in my shoes"""" """"" """"" """"

[Suzy Q]

Dan - Where can I find a Doctor in Ohio that actually knows something about Lymes? I live in Ohio, my father in Fl has been diag w/Lymes, his test came back pos, they gave him an antibiotic and sent him home, he keeps getting worse, a month ago he was walking 5 miles a day, now he can not get out of bed - it is like talking to deaf doctors