Originally posted by Computer Games:
[qb]I really hate giving blood so I would much rather do a urine test if that's available. I guess I'll see what they say when I call in the morning.[/qb]
Ask your doctor if the lab he/she uses has the urine test for lyme available...hopefully it will be! Otherwise, I don't remember it being a huge amount of blood required for the test--1 vial, if memory serves <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
[qb]
So there's a certain period of time that they can 'cure' you in and after that you're stuck? Did it end up causing you real harm or it more of just an annoyance?[/qb]
Yes and no. Yes, there's a certain time in which they can 'cure' you--this never used to be true, we were always told once you have Lyme, you always do. The feeling has since changed, that you can be cured immediately (i.e. within the first couple months of treatment) if you catch it early. Which is good news!!
It did cause me real harm, my mother two. We both have lesions on our brains, her moreso than me. I have arthritic joints now. If left untreated for a long time it can mimic alzheimers, destroy heart tissue, and generally shut your body down. It's a very serious disease in the longrun. My mother and I "relapse" every few years, but the rest of the time it's dormant--thank goodness!
I don't mean to scare you. Certainly some Lyme cases never get that serious <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's just the facts--it's a nasty disease--but thankfully we have treatment and now it's believed we have the cure--early treatment!