Transcript Slide 1

A Presentation by Michele Moynihan
It was 8 months before I was properly diagnosed
with Lyme disease and treated with antibiotics.
By different doctors, I was told I had Chronic
Mononucleosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and a possible
tumor on my optic nerve.
Since I went so long without treatment, I am still
on strong antibiotics. It has now been a year and
a half since I first started on medication.
I know I am not a doctor.
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Yourselves
Your Family Members
Your Pets
Your Friends and Neighbors
Your Colleagues
• Your STUDENTS
Why and How Lyme Disease
Can Be Misdiagnosed
The Symptoms of Lyme Disease
How to Protect Yourself from Ticks
How to Remove Ticks
Over 50% of Lyme victims DO NOT
remember being bitten by a tick.
WHY???
A tick bite DOES NOT HURT due
to the anesthetic it injects upon
puncturing the skin.
PLUS...
Lang, 16
Ticks are TINY and hard to detect on the
body. Some nymphs are the size of a small
mole or a period at the end of a sentence.
The time lapse between a tick bite and
the emergence of symptoms can be
weeks or even months!
Type of symptoms and severity of
symptoms can vary in everyone.
100 Strains
300 Strains
The blood tests are NOT
RELIABLE!
“Generally accepted testing procedures have
had a 30-40% reliability rate, at best” (Lang, 16).
This means...
There is a 60-70% chance you could
have a “false negative” result.
If a person is currently on or has recently
taken antibiotics, it can reduce the body’s
production of Lyme antibodies.
The Lyme bacteria, called the
“spirochete” can hide in the body by
shifting and changing to avoid
detection by the immune system.
The Controversy
ELISA
Western Blot
CDC says
you must
have 5
bands!!!
But I only
have 2!
And I feel
lousy!
“Several studies have shown that sensitivity and
specificity for the…Western Blot ranges from 92%
to 96% when only two specific bands are positive”
(National Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme Disease, 3).
Western Blot Panel
IgG- 10 bandsolder infection
IgM- 3 bandsrecent infection
“Called the ‘Great Imitator,’ Lyme disease,
because of its myriad of symptoms, can mimic
two hundred other illnesses” (Lang, 33).
What are the
symptoms of
Lyme
disease?
Because of this, Lyme is frequently misdiagnosed as…
• Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Rheumatoid
Arthritis
• Lupus
• Thyroid Disease
• Depression
• Chronic
Mononucleosis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Alzheimer’s
Disease
• Lou Gehrig’s
Disease
• And more…
One of the first symptoms of Lyme Disease can be
what is called a “Bull’s Eye” rash.
There are 10 documented variations of
rashes associated with Lyme disease, and
not all of them look like a “Bull’s Eye.”
Many rashes may resemble a spider
bite, ringworm, blisters, hives, or
even cellulitis or shingles.
Lyme Rash
Lyme Rash
Lyme Rash
Shingles
Lyme
Shingles
Ringwor
m
Lyme
Lyme
Even though the rash is a tell-tale
sign of Lyme disease...
Over 50% of
victims DO NOT
exhibit any rash
at all!!! (ILADS, 2)
RASH (but over 50% don’t get one)
Joint
and/or Muscle Pain
(with or without swelling)
Neck
Back
Elbows
Feet
Ankles
Knees
Flu-like symptoms
Wrists
Hands
(with
or without
fever)
Unusual
Fatigue
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Frequent Headaches
Dizziness or Vertigo
Lightheadedness
Frequent Nausea
Gastrointestinal Problems
Ringing or Pounding in Ears
Blurred Vision
Burning Eyes
Numbness, Tingling, or Burning
Heart Palpitations
Chest Pain
Excessive Sleeping or Insomnia
Extreme Fatigue
Poor Memory & Concentration
Brain Fog
Irritability
Anxiety
Sadness, Crying
“Lyme disease is a CLINICAL diagnosis and test results should be
used to support rather than supercede the physician’s judgment”
(National Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme Disease, 1) .
*Clinical Diagnosis = Diagnosis based on symptoms, not just
blood tests that can often yield a “false negative” result.
Male
How can you
protect
yourself
from ticks?
Female
Lonestar Tick
Male
Female Dog Tick
Female
Male Dog Tick
Blacklegged Deer Tick
Thumb Tack to Pin Head
Cm
Cm
Tick
Larvae
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On Pets
On Birds, Squirrels, Chipmunks, etc..
In Wooded Areas
Overgrown Areas
Shrubs/Flower Beds
Grass (tall or short)
Ticks climb to the tips of grasses
and weeds and lay in wait for their
next host to brush against them.
Ticks are most active between May and
November, but studies have proven that
ticks can be found “questing” all year round
at temperatures as low as 38 degrees F.
Nothing’s a 100%!
is a THOROUGH physical inspection
Tick Fangs
Engorged Tick
•DO NOT touch the tick
with bare hands.
•DO NOT twist or jerk
the tick.
•DO NOT squeeze,
crush, or puncture
the body of the tick.
•DO NOT put alcohol,
nail polish, or Vaseline
on the tick, and DO NOT
burn the tick.
•Infective agents may enter
through mucous membranes
or breaks in the skin.
•Mouthparts of the tick may
become imbedded, increasing
the risk of infection.
•The tick’s saliva and gut
contents may be released,
increasing the risk of infection.
•This may cause the tick to
regurgitate its stomach contents,
increasing the risk of infection.
The most important aspect of tick removal is to
make sure the mouthparts do not remain in the
skin. If the tick is a nymph, it may be harder to tell
if the mouthparts have been removed.
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Use a tick removal device such as Ticked-Off, Tick Nipper,
Pro-Tick Remedy, or De-Ticker. You can Google search these
and find them on-line.
If no other tool is available, use a fine-point tweezers.
Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and gently
pull straight upward; do not twist or jerk.
Put the tick in a plastic bag with the date, and then put it in
the freezer for later identification.
Wash the area with a disinfectant.
Seek immediate medical attention.
An infected tick can transmit Lyme
bacteria after being attached for only
4-24 hours (Lang, 12).
School Nurse Supply
1-800-485-2737
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Why and How Lyme Disease
Can Be Misdiagnosed
The Symptoms of Lyme Disease
How to Protect Yourself from Ticks
How to Remove Ticks
Bock, Steven J. “The Integrative Treatment of Lyme Disease.” The
International Journal of Integrative Medicine. 1/11/07
<http://www.avonhistory.org/bug/l14.htm>.
Cameron, Daniel. “Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Management of Lyme
Disease.” 5/19/07 <www.lymeproject.com>.
Cameron, Daniel. “Lyme Disease: What You Need to Know.” New York:
National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2007.
“Facts About Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.” 5/19/07 <http://www.badauk.org/facts.html>.
“Home of the De-ticker.” 5/19/07 <http://www.deticker.com>.
International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS). “Basic
Information about Lyme Disease.” 5/19/07 <http://ilads.org>.
Lang, Denise. Coping with Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide to Dealing with
Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Owl Books, 2004.
“National Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme
Disease.” 5/30/07 http://ilads.org/guidelines_ilads.html.
“Ticks and Lyme Disease.” 5/19/07 <http://www.arun.gov.uk>.
“Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Texas.” 5/22/07 <http://ticktexas.org>.