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Subscribe to RSSPatients suffering from Lyme disease often complain that the crushing fatigue, joint pain and neurological symptoms are not taken seriously.
Getty Images / Getty Images
A close-up of an adult female and nymph tick.
That could change with the bacterial infection’s link to the JPMorgan Chase’s multi-billion dollar financial meltdown.
Amid the finger-pointing for the bank’s trading loss, a recent New York Times story noted that senior banker Ina Drew, the executive most often blamed for the bank’s financial meltdown, had suffered Lyme disease since 2010.
Drew lost so many days at work after contracting Lyme that she didn’t realize her underlings were running amok and betting billions on bad investments, the newspaper reported.
While any chronic illness might have had a similar effect, experts say that Lyme can indeed wreak havoc in an individual’s life, especially if it’s not caught and treated early. The problem is, many patients – and even doctors – don’t know Lyme’s early signs and symptoms. What's worse, the tick that carries the bug can often bite you without your ever noticing it.
“If you catch it early and give the appropriate antibiotics, then there’s a relatively quick recovery,” said Dr. Andrew Nowalk, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh. “If the disease progresses, then it becomes more serious.”
The longer Lyme lingers in your system, the worse the outcome, Nowalk explained. As months go by, the bug can inflame joints and even cause mental disorders, if not treated.
Many experts now think that people who continue to have symptoms after long courses of antibiotics aren’t suffering from an ongoing infection, but rather, are dealing with the damage wrought by the bug before it was stopped.
The third stage of Lyme is very much like an autoimmune disease, with the body’s immune system attacking joints, brain and nerves, said Dr. Otto Yang, professor of infectious diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“This type of damage is often irreversible,” Yang said. “These stages are very similar to those of syphilis, which is caused by a cousin of the bacteria causing Lyme disease.”
Which is why nobody should be surprised that people with long undiagnosed Lyme end up with lingering problems.
“Just like syphilis, you can have it for years,” Nowalk said. “You give an antibiotic and you get a cure 100 percent of the time. But nobody is surprised if you end up with symptoms from syphilis for the rest of your life because it damages so many organs so dramatically. It’s the same concept with Lyme.”
The main protection against Lyme infection is to know the symptoms.
While it would be nice if you could count on spotting the deer ticks that carry the disease, that’s unlikely, said Nowalk. “The tick is well designed to avoid your notice,” he explained. “It is extraordinarily small -- smaller than the point of a pen -- when it’s not engorged. And it has a little anesthetic in its bite so you don’t feel it.”
James Gathany / AP
In this CDC photo, the Lyme infection rash is seen in the bulls-eye pattern, which appeared at the site of a tick bite.
Nowalk suggests dousing yourself -- and your kids -- with insect repellant before going for a walk in woods and fields frequented by deer.
The blacklegged ticks need to be attached at least 36 hours before they can transmit the disease, which is why it’s so important to check for them promptly after being outside.
If you or your kids develop a bulls-eye rash – which may gradually expand over several days -- that’s a clear sign of Lyme infection, Nowalk said. But many people either don’t get a rash or don’t see it. So you need to be tuned in to other early symptoms, like muscle stiffness and fatigue.
“Unfortunately a lot of the symptoms of Lyme sound like a really bad case of the flu,” Nowalk said. “You feel really tired, you’ve got swollen glands, headaches, a low-grade fever. You might also have muscle weakness and big swollen joints.”
As we enter high Lyme season -- a warm, wet spring could make it worse than usual, experts suggest -- the disease seems to be on the rise in some parts of the country.
“Our own hospital has seen a 10-fold increase in cases from 2008 to 2011,” Nowalk said of western Pennsylvania. “It worries me a little when we start seeing this many cases ... I hope it’s not making its merry way to other parts of the country.”
Just because you’ve had Lyme once doesn’t mean you can’t get it again, Nowalk warns. If you live in an area where there are lots of deer – and hence lots of deer ticks -- you need to be alert for the symptoms and realize that not every doctor will be as educated about the disease as you might like. Some may even not know you can get it more than once.
“You know, the American dream is often about a big house in a nice suburban area with a deck from which you can watch the deer idyllically trotting around,” Nowalk said. “To me, that’s become a nightmare scenario: all those deer carrying ticks that are jumping off the deer and making their way to you.”
For more on Lyme disease, visit the CDC
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To find corrections to errors in article, seek out detail at the sites for ILADS.org and LymeDisease.org
Lyme rarely travels alone, there are often coinfectiions. A tick need not be attached for 36 hours, transmission can occur the instant of a bite if that tick has just bitten an infected host for a partial meal and has moved on to a new host. Treatment often is too short and not total.
Whatever . . . I guess Lyme Disease will be the new 'Twinkie defense' for Wall Street parasites.
My mother-in-law developed 2 different types of seizures from contracting Lyme's . She was hallucinating from frontal lobe seizures, and thought she went insane. It also effects her judgement, her speech, and sometimes she doesn't remember what she had said. However, if this person was having issues this bad, she should have stepped down, and another person, who was capable, shoudl have taken over. There is no excuse for what her "underlings" have done, and they should be put in prison, as well as have their personal assets seized.
Just goes to show what happens to us at work when we get sick, no help or sympathy there. Having dealt with both Epstein-Barre and a long-term spinal injury, I know. We just get kicked to the curb and replaced. That's years of the GOP agenda in action.....
Well, wall street is a place of blood sucking parasites. Sure keeps the GOP going though.
Thanks Tia for pointing out some errors and providing more accurate information. I was infected with Lyme disease from a tick and it had been on me less than 36 hrs. Fortunately I had an excellent Doc who didn't want to take chances or waste any time when the symptoms started to appear for a couple of weeks. So far, (knock on wood) I have not had any long term side effects from the experience.
My daughter just finished a 21 day round of antibiotics from Lyme. Luckily the tick was still attached and she was sporting the first signs of the bullseye. I've had Lyme twice and each time the bullseye was the tip off. Probably see it because of being fair skinned. The doctors here, in MN, take Lyme disease very seriously. We had an appt on a Sunday and antibiotics that night. Because of our mild winter and warm spring the deer ticks, and other ticks, are out early so it's important to really check.
I think this article is misleading. The ticks also use mice as hosts, not just deer. It is found in most states and in foreign countries as well. Most doctors do not know enough about Lyme Disease and the tests for it, if the bulls-eye rash is not present, are very inaccurate. Many people are referred to psychiatrists rather than internists because the symptoms are so peculiar. If you suspect you are not getting the care you need, look for "Lyme Literate" physicians.
My father who died of ALS had a fellow veterinary colleague who contracted lyme disease and it took several years before his MD`s would take his symptoms seriously.He ended up dying and i talked to him several months before his passing and he told me that he now understood how my father had suffered with ALS, because he basically suffered the same symptoms..So horrible that a dose of antibiotics could most likely prevented his terrible demisegiven at the right time...
There's a doctor that has actually linked MS, ALS, and Lyme...all are related to syphillis. There's a great, sad documentary on lyme disease called "Under Our Skin".
I have read that Lou Gehrig (for whom ALS was named "Lou Gehrig's disease) vacationed near Lyme CT most summers as a child. More than likely, Lyme Disease IS ALS...
What do you two think,Emily and Lyme Mom think I wrote earlier this after noon!Post #6?.
Lyme Disease is not ALS it Mimics ALS.Please don't confuse that! I know what you're talking about!Go to Lyme- Borreliose- Informationen! Type that in.You'll get a lot of information!
The Documentary Under Our Skin is a Great Documentary!
I will have to watch that documentary!
WAKE UP! The programs for following lyme disease in this country are LAME! Most of these doctors have not got a clue as to what the hell they're they're doing!
Even though you have had antibiotics for a month that may not be enough to destroy this bacteria.It hides,and then comes back to haunt you at some later date so if you think you're all right after taking short battery of , antibiotics like for 21 days,you may not be.
One other thing to remember the tests given to you about 60% of the time comes back with a false negative!They have not been perfected these tests in 25 years.They'll tell you the western bloc test is full proof, and it's not!
Lyme disease, comes back disguised as chronic fatigue,ALS,Multiple Scerolosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and the list goes on.When lymn comes back at a later date in these disguises,most doctors are hell bent on saying these are the diseases you have,come hell high water,instead of rechecking for Lyme.The people smart enough to do so usually wind up finding out that they have Chronic Lyme, and not the so called disease they supposedly diagnosed!
I give your doctor credit for being smart enough to give the antibiotics,but many times as I said 21 days is not long enough to stop it! As I said it may show up at a later date!
I Should Know, I've been there and back!To the point of walking with a cain and almost winding up in a wheel chair! Oh and yes despite what has been said,You can die from lyme disease!
Lyme disease is real. Though, I don't think JP Morgan should be using this disease as a facade. What?!?! They employed a Lyme disease patient for 2 years and let her control several billion $$$ ? Imagine if JP Morgan has used alcoholism or Lyme Disease to excuse a male executive for losing $$$.
I was laid off after 6 weeks on disability from a small company while dealing with a horrific flare-up of my stage 3 Lyme disease in 2009. I can't believe a multi-billion dollar company kept her employed for 2 years.
I would doubt the validity of an article that can't even spell the name of the city correctly from which its expert is from. Pittsburgh has an 'h' on the end of it. Great journalism.
You have a pretty bizarre set of priorities! Spelling errors invalidates the entire article? Seriously, do you know how stupid that sounds? Everyone else does.
Isn't that supposed to be Ketohio? Invalidates the entire post.
if what this article says is true than anyone with this sickness should not be allowed to hold a job problem solved
Look...I'm not saying that Lyme's isn't serious. But to blame Lyme's on a near-bank failure is just stupid.
J.P. Morgan's two billion dollar loss...maybe 3 billion...was due to greed, dishonesty, and stupidity.
But, just in case...I would suggest that the government allocate 2 billion dollars..maybe 3 billion...to stamp out Lyme's. Or at least to be funneled, in a non-traceable method, back to J.P. Morgan.
There's no way I'm sending my money to JP Morgan because JP Morgan employs Lyme Disease patients.
Yes, blame the ticks instead of the rats.
I was thinking the same thing. If she was so sick/tired she risked 2-3 billion of other people's money, then perhaps she should have stepped down, quit or gotten fired just like any other employee. 2 sets of rules. One for the working schmucks, and another for these folks.
Lyme disease, finances turf toe... or as the rest of us know it, BS.
Flames-429,
Easy to say, just fire them for having a disease. What about someone who has cancer? Should we fire them as well? Let's get real here, if someone has a disease, or is crippled by an accident, then they should not be able to hold a job? Glad you want to support them with welfare checks and pay their medical bills...or are you saying something else...?
I agree that someone who has a serious disease should take a medical leave, and have someone else cover for them. Having a disease is not a crime, but using it as an excuse is not acceptable. Unfortunately, it seems the Lyme is not considered a crippling, serious disease by a lot of the medical community, hence most employers won't consider it as disabling either.
Sarcasm. The word is in the dictionary.
Rob-that's the problem. If this was a schmuck working the line at some factory making whatever, would the company be understanding? Oh no, we're sorry you have Lyme disease/cancer/heart problems. You just go ahead and take off 6 months to a year. Employers are hating the fact that they are required to hold positions for deployed soldiers.
You're absolutely right! I was in the midst of a horrible chronic Lyme flare-up in 2009 and was laid off from my job at a small company after 6 weeks on state temporary disability.
Wow msnbc....how much were you paid to spew this sorry a$$ propaganda.
Greed caused this...plain and simple.
Lyme Disease??...you gotta be f*cking kidding me.
The black legged ticks need to be attached for 36 hrs!WRONG WRONG AND WRONG!Who ever this Dr.Norwalk is he hasn't a dam clue of what the Hell he's talking about!NONE!
Lyme disease can get into your system within hours once a tick attaches itself to you!One more thing this article misstates, you can ALSO get lyme disease from field mice!The ticks are on them.That's how I caught it!The ticks on the deer get on to the field mice.
Michael the government doesn't want to allocate jack crap or money for lyme, because the disease was spread from a place called Plum Island, off the coast of Conn. Plum Island is a Federal Research center for animal diseases.That's no BS or conspiracy theory either!It's the TRUTH!
I'll say it ONE MORE TIME You can DIE from Lyme Disease!
Those damned, infectious, disease-carrying, bloodsucking parasites! But I'm sure not everyone at JP Morgan is corrupt! Oh yeah, ticks suck too.
So they are going to blame a tic? For loosing $2 Billion. A God damned tic? Really? I mean REALLY?
Huh.
And here I thought it was that they were just greedy bastards try to steal someone elses money. You do know that they make a commission on each sale. Even if they loose money?
So how is this about some damn tic. Instead of the real problem?
They are just GREEDY BATSARDS!
"I am not a crook"(Nixon). "Iran-Contra, I do not recall"(Regan). "Read my lips, no new taxes"(Bush 1). "BinLaden was assisted by Iraq, AND they have WMD's" , "Mission accomplished" "I am not getting us into country building"(Bush 2). "I take credit for saving the auto industry"(Rommel, ooops Romney). "Trickle down works"(Regan, Bush, Bush, Romney). "it wasn't the thieving, lying repukelicants working at Chase that lost $3billion of OTHER PEOPLES MONEY, it was a tick....OMG. people still buy their lies. I was a repub til Bush invaded Iraq against all intelligence, lost $4billion in cash taken over to bribe people who wiped their butts on the first batch of bribe money, and gave ALL the re-build Iraq business to Haliburton with a no-bid policy. Real republicans from a century ago are spinning in their graves.
All of that stuff is true, but what does it have to so with this article?
Putting blame for this failure of oversite on one person bitten by a tick? Just another lie.... even if she really was sick. No "checks & balances"? Please.
I was born in Hawaii Not Kenya!!!!
Hope and Change!!!
I will VETO the NDAA!!! (Opps, I signed it into law on NEW YEARS EVE while no one was looking)
I will let all Bushes Executive Orders Expire!!! (Opps, I signed them all back in for a Extention)
You F*&^in Uneducated Sheep!!!
What an absolute bunch of hooey.
Mt Girlfriend has Lyme Disease, so i am all too familiar with it, but i have to say if all it takes is one Manager to be out sick for a Bank to lose BILLIONS, something is desperately wrong with this woman's managerial skills AND with the abilities of those she manages. If one manager being out can cost BILLIONS, imagine a couple senior Vice Presidents getting cancer, would they blame the failure of the entire Banking system on it?
This is the most idiotic reason for the loss of money they could have made up. it cant POSSIB LY be inept management and moronic investments?
Blame it on the ticks...... Why was this woman left in charge of billions of dollars, when they knew she was sick?
so many inaccuracies in this article. Linda, you need to research Lyme a little better. #1. it has been in other parts of the country & on 4 other continents for many years. #2. doctors are not allowed to properly treat Lyme because it would hold the us government liable. they created it & let it go!!! #3 many other ticks can also infect you & they do not need to be on you for any length of time to do so. this is a bunch of government propaganda to give Lyme patients a bad name!!
5,300 year old Otzi the Iceman had Lyme disease, which proves that the US Government has been responsible for thousands of years of suffering.
So it wasn't incompetence, lack of morals, no ethics. general disregard for others, narcissism, sociopathic personality and greed of Ina. it was a tick bite that precipitated the destruction of the worlds economy. Well well who would have guessed, in that case all is forgiven.
I am one of the two experts who gave information about Lyme for this article. I was horrified to see that the other "expert" called this a "deer tick" and stated that deer carry these ticks around to infect people! These ticks (in New England) are carried by the "white footed deer mouse," which is in fact not a deer but a small rodent. I would never have made this mistake, and am absolutely mortified to see my name attached to an article with that type of mistake.
Don't worry about it,nobody will blame you! What you just put in your post was very informative.I also pointed it out above that the ticks are on the mice.
Great Post sir!
It is great that there is increasingly public awareness of Lyme and how serious it is. It would be even better if the information that were being disseminated were actually accurate, particularly coming from doctors!!! There are so many errors in this article. Three members of my family have had chronic Lyme. First, more people get the bull's eye rash on the east coast. On the west coast only 35% have it. So if you don't see the tick or get a rash only the early symptoms are a sign and they are variable. The idea that a short course of antibiotics is a cure is ridiculous and totally wrong! If 65% don't have a rash and/or don't know they are bitten, the microorganism can spread for months before symptoms are noticeable and biy then it is chronic and will require years of treatment for recovery. Yes ticks are spread by birds, in this area especially robins, as well as deer. There are many dangerous micro-organisms in ticks and borellia (Lyme) is only one. Most people also get bartonella, babesia (like malaria) mycoplasma fermentans, XMRV virus, and several others-- as many as a dozen in my area of the country. And the doctors are asking what will happen if this spreads-- uh, it already HAS spread to all states except desert areas. It is also NOT true that the resulting symptoms and ongoing suffering happen because of permanent damage and that the organisms are gone after antibiotic treatment. They are absolutely still there which is why sufferers turn to alternate medicine include homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies, rifing, Doug coil and ozone treatments among others. If a treatment is begun or continued and results in a Herxheimer effect it is still there because this is caued by die-off reactions and you can't have die off unless you have them. Killing them is Not easy when they are everywhere-- in bones or brain or eyes and also in other forms like cysts or cell-wall deficient forms. If doctors would only do more research and become more informed themselves, millions of people would be suffering a lot less and be able to get back to healthy normal lives. With proper support there need not be deaths or permanent damage. Finding that help is difficult but it is important to start with a Lyme Literate MD or naturopath and to become informed from the online forums. My heart goes out to everyone with this horrible illness that is spreading so rapidly and being treated so poorly.
Have you seen the Documentary Under the Skin? Your's is Very informative post!The doctor I see is in New York he is combo Naturapathic/Conventional MD,and is one of the top leading lyme experts in the country.The man literally saved my life!