Lyme in Nova Scotia
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Nova Scotia Lyme Disease Association
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Information on this page supplied by Canlyme.org
Symptoms of Lyme Disease
- The Tick Bite (fewer than 50% recall a tick bite or get/see the rash)
- Rash at site of bite
- Rashes on other parts of your body
- Rash basically circular and spreading out (or generalized)
- Raised rash, disappearing and recurring
- Head, Face, Neck
- Unexplained hair loss
- Headache, mild or severe, Seizures
- Pressure in Head, White Matter Lesions in Head (MRI)
- Twitching of facial or other muscles
- Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
- Tingling of nose, (tip of) tongue, cheek or facial flushing
- Stiff or painful neck
- Jaw pain or stiffness
- Dental problems (unexplained)
- Sore throat, clearing throat a lot, phlegm ( flem ), hoarseness, runny nose
- Eyes/Vision
- Double or blurry vision
- Increased floating spots
- Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
- Oversensitivity to light
- Flashing lights/Peripheral waves/phantom images in corner of eyes
- Ears/Hearing
- Decreased hearing in one or both ears, plugged ears
- Buzzing in ears
- Pain in ears, oversensitivity to sounds
- Ringing in one or both ears
- Digestive and Excretory Systems
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping) or Interstitial cystitis
- Upset stomach (nausea or pain) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Musculoskeletal System
- Bone pain, joint pain or swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome
- Stiffness of joints, back, neck, tennis elbow
- Muscle pain or cramps, (Fibromyalgia)
- Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
- Shortness of breath, can't get full/satisfying breath, cough
- Chest pain or rib soreness
- Night sweats or unexplained chills
- Heart palpitations or extra beats
- Endocarditis, Heart blockage
- Neurologic System
- Tremors or unexplained shaking
- Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
- Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Weakness, peripheral neuropathy or partial paralysis
- Pressure in the head
- Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
- Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
- Increased motion sickness
- Lightheadedness, wooziness
- Psychological well-being
- Mood swings, irritability, bi-polar disorder
- Unusual depression
- Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
- Feeling as if you are losing your mind
- Over-emotional reactions, crying easily
- Too much sleep, or insomnia
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Narcolepsy, sleep apnea
- Panic attacks, anxiety
- Mental Capability
- Memory loss (short or long term)
- Confusion, difficulty in thinking
- Difficulty with concentration or reading
- Going to the wrong place
- Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
- Stammering speech
- Forgetting how to perform simple tasks
- Reproduction and Sexuality
- Loss of sex drive
- Sexual dysfunction
- Unexplained menstral pain, irregularity
- Unexplained breast pain, discharge
- Testicular or pelvic pain
- General Well-being
- Unexplained weight gain, loss
- Extreme fatigue
- Swollen glands/lymph nodes
- Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
- Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
- Symptoms seem to change, come and go
- Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
- Early on, experienced a "flu-like" illness, after which you have not since felt well.
- Low body temperature
- Allergies/Chemical sensitivities
- Increased affect from alcohol and possible
The Great Imitator
Lyme Disease ( commonly misspelled as Lime or Lymes ) symptoms may show up fast, with a bang, or very slowly and innocuously. There may be
initial flu-like symptoms with fever, headache, nausea, jaw pain, light sensitivity, red eyes, muscle ache and stiff neck. Many write this off as a flu and because the nymph stage of the tick is so tiny many do not recall a tick bite. The classic rash may only occur or have been seen in as few as 30% of cases (many rashes in body hair and indiscrete areas go undetected). Treatment in this early stage is critical. The Lyme Rash
If left untreated or treated insufficiently symptoms may creep into ones life over weeks, months or even years. They wax and wane and may even go into remission only to come out at a later date...even years later.
With symptoms present, a negative lab result means very little as they are very unreliable. The diagnosis, with today's limitations in the lab, must be clinical.
Many Lyme patients were firstly diagnosed with other illnesses such as Juvenile Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Infectious Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, Raynaud's Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Interstitial Cystis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Fifth Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, scleroderma, lupus, early ALS, early Alzheimers Disease, crohn's disease, ménières syndrome, reynaud's syndrome, sjogren's syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, prostatitis, psychiatric disorders (bipolar, depression, etc.), encephalitis, sleep disorders, thyroid disease and various other illnesses. see -- Other Presentations and Misdiagnoses
If you have received one of these diagnoses please scroll down and see if you recognize a broader range of symptoms.
If you are a doctor please re-examine these diagnoses, incorporating Lyme in the differential diagnoses.
The one common thread with Lyme Disease is the number of systems affected (brain, central nervous system, autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, musco-skeletal, etc.) and sometimes the hourly/daily/weekly/monthly changing of symptoms.
No one will have all symptoms but if many are present serious consideration must be given by any physician to Lyme as the possible culprit. Lyme is endemic in Canada period. The infection rate with Lyme in the tick population is exploding in North America and as the earth's temperature warms this trend is expected to continue.
Symptoms may come and go in varying degrees with fluctuation from one symptom to another. There may be a period of what feels like remission only to be followed by another onset of symptoms.
Current Events
Doctor Ernie Murakami
Will be giving a lecture at the Strait area college
November 4-5 at 10am
Lyme Disease is Here…..Let’s Get Educated
"Under our Skin"
Tibecca film festival documentary on Lyme Disease
Free presentation
Many Lyme patients were firstly diagnosed with other illnesses such as Juvenile Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Infectious Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, Raynaud's Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Interstitial Cystis, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Fifth Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, scleroderma, lupus, early ALS, early Alzheimers Disease, crohn's disease, ménières syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome
Sunday, November 16, 2008
2:00 pm
The Maritime Inn – Port Hawkesbury
For More Information, Feel Free to Contact:
1-902-829-2006
On September 14, 2007 “The Wall of Hope” was held in
Doctors from
More will be published on this event in the near future.
On August 16, 2006 there was a meeting held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This was the first of its kind in Nova Scotia. It was a huge success and the start of change in this province.
People with lyme disease from all over Nova Scotia attended the meeting. Many issues of concern were addressed.
Our Next meeting is to be held in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, October 12, 2006 then Halifax October 13, Guest Speaker at these meetings will be world renowned Dr. Ernie Murakami, B.A., M.D., of Hope BC, who will be in the area for several days. There will be a "Meet and Greet" with Dr. Murakami during this time.
Just YouTubed for the first time and uploaded these. Here they are, please pass it on:
Lyme News CBC_BC Feb 26, 2008 http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NPwQRKqw_aw
Lyme News GlobalTV_BC Feb 26, 2008 http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=fOmxonJg6A0
Lyme News GlobalTV_BC Feb 27, 2008 http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=YJYbtbLQbVA
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