Forget about going to the gym, despite the fact that I had been an athlete growing up.
Then there were the cognitive issuesmemory lapses,brain fog, confusion.
I couldnt remember my friends names, Adams says.
My best friend would say to me, where do you want to go to dinner?
An endocrinologist diagnosed Adams with Hashimotos thyroiditisan autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidismbut treatments didnt help.
Then her OB/GYN suggested a Lyme disease test.
director of rehabilitation innovation for Mount Sinai in New York City and a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance
Adams tested positive, and in 2005 her OB/GYN diagnosed her with late-stage Lyme disease and prescribed antibiotics.
Too often, these patients are getting left behind by the health care system.
For many folks who suspect they have lingering Lyme symptoms, this is the only option, she adds.
We have these big cracks in the medical system, and people are falling through.
The tide may be turning, though.
We are only just starting to see some really exciting work emerge now, because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Lyme can also be tricky to detect sometimes.
The hallmark symptom is arashthat gradually expands from the site of the tick bite over several days.
And about20 to 30 percentof infected people never develop a rash at all.
director of rehabilitation innovation for Mount Sinai in New York City and a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance
Less commonly, some folks have no symptoms at all.
Its Amazing How Its All Connected.
The chronic Lyme controversy
Researchers dont fully understand what causes lingering symptoms after a Lyme infection.
And the bacteria that cause Lyme can be sneaky.
All the time they see it, Putrino says.
Part of the chronic Lyme controversy may hinge on testing.
But this process isnt perfect, and false positives and negatives are known to happen, the CDC notes.
But some doctorsarguethat the accuracy of these tests hasnt been adequately studied.)
Enter: issues with Lyme treatment.
For five years, Adams took supplements and cycled through antibiotics.
By 2010, though, Adams was able to go off antibiotics.
Ive been able to sustain my remission.
Im really thankful for that, she says.
The CDC also says that patients with lasting symptoms usually get better on their own, given time.
Its hard to know whats really going to help these individuals who are clearly ill, Dr. Robinson says.
Whats more,Mount Sinai,Yale, andMITnow research and treat chronic Lyme alongside long COVID.
Scientists have also made progress on a number ofnew Lyme disease vaccines.
And experts say new diagnostics and treatmentsare now within reach.
Shes also looking into sex differences in immunity.
[Women] are 51 percent of the population.
We cant just disregard diseases that primarily affect women.
Long COVID is getting these other diseases a lot of desperately needed recognition.
Im extremely hopeful for the chronic Lyme community, says Putrino.
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