BRATTLEBORO—Spring is finally here. We can emerge from our houses, go for hikes, take walks, and stroll around in the woods.

But we should avoid getting bitten by a deer tick.

Deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) live everywhere in the country, including here in Windham County. many deer ticks now carry Lyme disease, as well as four other bacterial infections: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis.

Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete (spiral-shaped bacteria) borrelia burgdorferi, which is similar to the syphilis organism.

This disease is becoming known as the “Great Imitator,” because its symptoms mimic those of many other illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other non-specific musculoskeletal and neurological diseases.

Half the people infected with Lyme disease get a characteristic bullseye rash (Erythema Migrans, or EM). Some of the other most common signs and symptoms of an acute infection with Lyme disease include headache, muscle aches and pain, heart palpitations, stiff neck, and joint pain (usually one-sided and in a large joint, like a knee of hip).

However, the list is much longer, and often overlaps with the symptoms that one might have with a cold or flu. This is where the tragic problem of chronic Lyme disease begins, when the infection is overlooked and dismissed.

Lyme disease, and especially the notion of “chronic Lyme disease” is an area of contention among many doctors. This debate is driven by a number of factors, including science, politics, and the insurance industry.

The controversy becomes very heated and emotional for people, especially those who are struggling with their health and who suspect Lyme disease as the cause of their illness.

Over the past decade, two opposing camps have emerged in the battle. one camp is represented by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), led by a group of academic researchers. This group maintains that Lyme disease is “hard to catch and easy to halt” (according to an oft-quoted New York Times story on the research) because the infection is “rare,” easily diagnosed, and treated with two to four weeks of antibiotics. This group also claims that chronic Lyme disease is rare or nonexistent.

This group of researchers has written the guidelines that most physicians refer to when treating Lyme disease. but here’s the catch: The IDSA guidelines’ authors have significant conflicts of interest that have biased their treatment and diagnostic recommendations, including:

i found out i have chronic lyme disease feb 11th, started treatment the 12th… i have all the the terrible symptoms: Migranes, dizziness, eyes hurt, feeling dioriented, like im a whole different person, flu like symptoms ect… it also affected me mentally making feel a depersonalization kind of feeling… will i feel completly back to normal once the disease is gone??

my friend got lyme disease about 3 years ago. he was fully treated and all that good stuff and said that the symptoms go away but they will relapse, but not as bad as before. sorry i couldnt be more help

Chronic Lyme disease doesn't exist.

If you had an actual, undiagnosed case of Lyme disease, then some damage may be permanent even in the complete absence of the bacteria. this is referred to as Stage IV Lyme disease.

i was treated for Lyme'sfor about a year, I had all your symptoms and more but the migraines were the worst for me. I know how you feel, I felt really weird while sick. and believe me its gonna take a long time to get back to normal, I finished my treatment about a year ago and the only symptom that i still have is the occasional mmigraineand headache. it took very long time for the headaches to calm down and become mmanageable I think I suffered some permanent nerve damage as well. you need remember that lymes devestates your immune system and wipes it out, it takes a long time to rebuild it. and one other piece of advice is to make sure your treated by a lyme literate doc who will stick with you and see it through to the end