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Hello everyone,
Since this is nearly the end of Lyme Awareness Month worldwide, I’ll share a post. Our family had one member bitten by an infected tick about 25 years ago in Byron Bay, while bushwalking. Within a few days the effects of the bite were felt. Diagnosis for years was “registered as” chronic fatigue, but I must say the symptoms were debilitating. About 10 years ago we had a prompt from a friend who suggested that we look into Lyme disease…which we did and were then able to confirm with a test house in NSW as a clear “positive”. Yes, she has Lyme Disease! 

The lesson learned was ‘learn and know how to properly remove a tick when you are bitten’. 

To our entertainment, we once heard a discussion group on a TV program talking about Lyme disease, but an elderly chap seemed to be proclaiming that there was no Lyme disease in Australia. We soon found that for some, seemingly guarded reason, medical treatment for Lyme disease was being blocked and denied in Australia. Heading overseas to Germany, Cyprus, or US specialist clinics was the general talk regarding treatment among some patients, but we were on our own when it came to finding comprehensive medical help for a Lyme/tick bite infection. 

We took advantage of some of the contacts in those clinics, as we had few contacts and had some confidence in relying on their experience. This took a lot of reading, listening, talking, thinking, and deciding. The medical care being offered was quite varied, so our homework was critical for making decisions for our own health. Clearly, our health was in our own hands. We say that this was a good decision as the medical fraternity here showed “indifference” for anything “Lyme disease”. 

Now, 25 years after the initial tick bite, our family member suffers dreadfully as the disease worsens, and clearly she cannot get any help from Australian medical practitioners. The herbal approach is now our basic path. 

Particularly, our Lyme/tick bite victim remains in weekly contact with other Lyme or suspected Lyme/tick bite disease patients. This is via Tuesday Lymie Lunches, sponsored by the Lyme Disease Association of Australia. 

If you know someone with a lifelong critical disease like Lyme disease, stay in close contact with them, they need a heart to share, a heart that can hear them and hang in there with them. Even if it’s only a short phone call or visit, they will know that you are open to understand and sincerely care. 

Thanks for listening.
RR