Lyme disease journey more than difficult

Editor:
I read Dr. Jody Bowle-Evans’ article in The Echo this week with a sense of relief.
My partner, Don Miller, had been seriously ill since October of 2018 (mildly ill since May of 2018) with undiagnosed symptoms that perplexed us and the various doctors we visited who ran scads of tests.
We had heard of Lyme Disease, and Don received the Canadian test for this in November and again this June, receiving negative results (a non-diagnosis) both times.
After every other disease/condition had been ruled out, we met with a Naturopath in Richmond Hill and determined to pay for blood tests sent to Germany.
The result: Lyme.
The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and some additional co-infections – which make the disease hard to pinpoint because it can represent differently depending on the bacteria/virus mix received in a tick bite – were indeed present.
Thankfully, with treatment, improvements are beginning to emerge.
But I think I can speak for both of us when I say this journey was more than difficult.
We wish there was a vaccine for tick bites to protect people from all the potential health complications an infected tick can deliver.
We wish testing in Canada was sophisticated enough to identify the bacteria, rather than seek elusive antibodies.
And articles like “About Ticks and Lyme Disease” submitted by Dr Bowles-Evans can alert people to be wary – and concerned – as ticks travel on mice, or birds, into new habitat.  A useful book for us was Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change, by Mary Beth Pfeiffer, which offers an engaging overview of the current global situation.
Thanks very much, Dr. Jody Bowles-Evans, for sharing this information.
Laura Wark,
Creemore.