Lyme Disease – Mysterious and Misunderstood
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“You’ll be dead by Monday unless you have a heart transplant” is what Dr Neil Spector was told on Friday. But he knew in his gut that the doctor was wrong in his diagnosis. He had had these strange heart palpitations for the last 16 years … That’s how Dr Spector’s memoir, Gone In A Heartbeat: A Physician’s Search for True Healing starts off. He turned out to have Lyme disease, but that’s far into the book I’m reading just now, as recommended by a friend with Lyme disease. I’ve just been thinking that Dr Spector represents the very best in the medical profession, and I wish everyone in my family and all my friends could find a doctor like him. Whether or not you know anyone with Lyme disease, I’m sure you’ll find this book a compelling read.
The Canadian medical establishment is still reluctant to entertain the diagnosis of Lyme disease,[1. See, for instance, this article from Aug 27, 2017,”Lyme disease on the rise in Canada, but doctors still confused about diagnosis” and “Doctors failing to treat Lyme disease: B.C. victim’s family.”] I know because it’s happened to a family member.] and many cases do not get diagnosed until it’s too late for a cure. The consequences can be and often are not only debilitating, but also life-threatening. The situation in the United States doesn’t appear to be a lot better, even though there are more doctors that are knowledgeable about the disease.
With more education,[2. See the Government of Canada page on Lyme disease.] we hope the situation will change. There’s some evidence that the Canadian government is encouraging research into this most mysterious and misunderstood disease. [3. See Federal government spends $4M to fight Lyme disease] But it is still often true that the patients who have had to deal with the disease are more informed than their doctors.
More on this later .. . This post is still “under construction.”