Your link does not work.

I am attaching a link to the Documentary I think you are talking about.

To attach a link in the original message - you have to "preview" your message and down below you will see a spot for the URL and a spot to put the name of the link in.

When replying to a post - the spot for the link/name are below the text box - you don't have to preview to see it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Under Our Skin

Thanks, Iowagirl. You know, I've used the link box before and didn't see it this time--I thought maybe they took it out when they made the recent changes. I had to edit a bit so perhaps I needed to go back to the original message box in order to post the link. Yes, that is the one.

It's strange, sjerin - if you are the original poster, the link box doesn't show until you preview the message. But if you post to a thread after that - it is there. Confusing!

I hope to catch that documentary sometime. We don't have the deer tick in our area - but it could be.

Scary thing!

I haven't seen it yet (I got TV reception in 2012), but when I learned about the film I put it on my Netflix Instant Queue. I want to watch it, and I dread watching it.

The situation with tick-borne illness is so awful, so vast, and so poorly addressed--I know that's what this documentary is about. And since it was produced other discoveries about tick-borne illness have been made. It just gets scarier and scarier.

I still have lingering symptoms following getting sick from tick bites in 2010 and 2011 (and I was bitten in 2012 as well). One of the symptoms is that most mornings I break out in a sweat as soon as I awaken in the morning. I suspect I'm carrying around babesiosis, described recently in a medical journal as ".....currently the most common infectious disease transmitted by blood in the United States."

Babesiosis is a big problem for the Red Cross right now because they don't have a good way to test donated blood for it. I tried to get tested myself, and learned the test would cost about $3,000. Of course my insurance wouldn't pay.

Last year I spoke on the phone to the lead babesiosis researcher at the Yale School of Public Health. He was very nice, and wanted to be helpful, but he said it was unlikely I had babesiosis because there were no reports of the illness in my area. I explained to him that of course there would be no reports because a) most of the local physicians never heard of it, and b) there's no reasonable way to test for it.

It's all very discouraging. I wonder if the documentary offers any hope. I guess I'll find out. Thanks for reminding me to watch it, Sjerin.

Oh, Susan, I feel a little badly bringing this up since you are dealing with it. What strikes me more than anything is the infectious diseases group and some doctors denying that chronic lyme exists, and yet those who are on long-term antibiotic are doing better, in some cases much better. Does your doctor subscribe to the idea of long-term treatment? Here's another article on pediatric lyme, which I don't think will be difficult to read (plus comments) on one of the doctors they keep trying to discredit:

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2011/04/05/amid-medical-controversy-children-saved/

I won't mention what one of the researcher has been looking into, but it's VERY interesting. I do hope you're able to see the movie soon, even though it will be a little scary for you, understandably.

Very interesting what you have written about Babesiosis. Truthfully, I would be leery about talking to anyone at Yale since their researchers have taken an opposing position, unless something has changed since this documentary was aired.

Oh, please don't feel bad! It makes me feel good to know someone "gets" it. The whole situation is such a mess. Yes, the Yale man expressed the academic viewpoint. Maybe I'm deluding myself, but I think he might be open to considering data that contradicts it.

The consumer groups trying to educate the public sabotage themselves sometimes, I think. After hanging out on their message boards for some time I backed off because it's hard to know what to believe. They often blame everything on ticks. They may be right, but it sounds like lunacy at times. Also, they place a lot of importance on going to Lyme-literate doctors (LLMDs).

Unfortunately, anyone can call himself--or herself--an LLMD. I discovered that the ones in my area (within 100 miles, none close) don't take insurance, and all charge big bucks. And I didn't see anyone posting about being cured. Post after post talked about switching meds, adding meds, trying a new med, going for IV meds, adding supplements, giving up certain foods, exercising, reacting to meds, feeling better, feeling worse, noticing no changes, etc. It was dizzying.

My own doctor is a good guy. He admits he doesn't know much about tick-borne illness, but he reads what I give him and trusts my judgment. So I learn all I can (which is how I found myself talking to the Yale researcher), but there are no clear answers. I was on Doxycycline a total of 5 months. Doxy is the least risky of the recommended antibiotics. I'm sure I'll be on it again this spring or summer. It helps, but it's not a cure.

The best book I read on the subject is Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic. The author, Pamela Weintraub, is an experienced medical journalist whose family was severely affected by Lyme and its co-infections. She goes on antibiotics periodically as symptoms return.

Yeah, I knew the story was one-sided but it made a heck of a lot of sense to me and frankly, what do these patients have to lose in taking a much longer course of drug? The insurance companies lose, and that's what's important to them. Gosh, looking at that picture of Dr. Jones, it's hard to think he would overcharge--silly, I know. I'm glad you have a good doctor who will really listen to you, Susan and I wish you much luck in licking this darned thing!

Here in New England they're very common, my back yard is full of them so we have to be careful. I just don't go in the yard but I've taken so many off my husband plus he's come up positive four times but the medical world here is very cognizant of the repercussions of the disease and treat it well with doxicycline for several weeks. So far he's been fine.