I began this blog when I was spending 24 hours a day in bed because of Lyme and other infections I got from tick bites. I was infected in the backyard of my Northern Virginia home, and reinfected in another hot-bed of infected ticks, southern Maryland.

I’m not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly half a million Americans are infected yearly with the most common vector-borne illness in the US. 

Do the math: 5 million per decade.

Now consider this: Those numbers are likely quite low because of misdiagnoses and gross under-reporting (if you don’t know, half of negative test results are wrong with currently available testing). Some scientists suggest the number could be ten-fold higher.

Now imagine global numbers, and you see we’ve got a crisis. There’s lots of misinformation online about Lyme. Many doctors have no answers.

I’m not a doctor, but I am someone who knows what it’s like to live with this illness. I’ve learned a thing or two. I’ve endured symptoms ranging from excruciating 24-hour physical pain to severe, Alzheimer’s-like cognitive deficits—I’ve had more than 40 of the possible symptoms through the years.

I missed out on the high school and college years of my son and daughter, and wasn’t able to travel to see my mother the last years of her life. I’ve been through job loss twice, a fight for disability income, downsizing and moving from home home of 23 years for financial reasons, and the loss of friendships because some can’t abide dealing with chronic illness. I’ve lost many years of job income and benefits plus spent tens of thousands in savings on medical treatment not covered by insurance.

And I’m not alone.

I’ve also gone from bedridden to getting out in the world again on better days, and I hope new treatments soon bring remission. Research is finally ramping up. This is a time to be hopeful. I and countless others want regain a normal life, and be productive members of our communities again.

I’ve been reading about, researching, and living with Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses for more than a decade. Here I’ll share

• research
• patient stories
• essays
• videos

Whether you are a patient or a caregiver, relative or friend, I hope I can answer some of your questions, or point you to a helpful source.

Or maybe just let you know this:

You are not alone.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is, Take care of more than the medical side of things. Lyme can strip away critical, sustaining connections to life around you.

Don’t let it happen.

Remember that you are not Lyme disease. You are still you.

Do your best to hold onto the meaningful people and things that connect you to life and love. That’s why I write about the good things in life, the love I feel from people and nature and my wonderful Portuguese water dogs Charlie and Franklin.

Caregivers, family, and friends: You have a critical role to play with your loyalty and support. We need you so much! Just a phone call can make a terrible day bearable.

Please see the “Categories” button to the right to find the topics that might interest you most. Share your comments, knowledge, stories, humor, love… and help spread the word about the dangers of infections spread by ticks.  The right information could easily save a life, or, at the very least, improve one.

Wishing you good health!

Contact: LifeLoveLyme@gmail.com