Living with Lyme - Michigan

georgia · medicine forum Guru Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 505

http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2005/05/23/news/news01.txt

Living with Lyme

By Rick Charmoli, Cadillac News

It takes a regiment of 20 to 30 pills daily for Ed Helsel just to "get
back
and get going."

Helsel is not a drug addict but says he won't quit taking his pills. He
is
living with Lyme disease and the Manton resident said compared to a
year ago
he feels better.

"When I first came down with it, I felt like someone hit me with a
sledge
hammer.

"I would think about it most of the night with intention of putting it
all
behind me and starting fresh the next day," he said. "Then you find
yourself
on the couch with one shoe on and the other lying there, you never went
anywhere. I'm doing a lot better."

While the logger of more than 40 years believes taking the medicines
has
helped to improve his quality of life, they also have a few side
effects.

One pill he takes make him more sensitive to the sunlight and if he is
exposed for too long he will burn to the point of blistering.

Still, he would rather deal with the occasional blister on his hand or
arm
then go back to the way he was when he first started showing symptoms
of the
disease.

"It changes your life. To tell you the truth, there were six or seven
times
I would have rather died. When I was on the couch I wanted to go to
work and
then get there and couldn't do it," he said. "I can handle it better
now.
The medicines are working now and regulating it better."

Helsel's wife, Amy, said it has been about two years since her husband
first
started having symptoms associated with the disease. They believe he
contracted it while working in the woods. The Helsels first noticed
something was wrong when he started having red "bulls-eye" type rings
on
various parts of his body.

Although his wife does not have the disease, it too has taken a toll on
her
as well.

"I would say it impacted me more than the kids because they are grown.
I had
to do more work. The truth is I sometimes get resentful," she said. "I
know
I shouldn't but it changes your life together. It is sort of like I was
married to someone one age and then the next day married to someone 30
years
older."

Besides having an impact on Helsel's health, his wife said it also has
had a
tremendous impact on their finances.

The Helsels do not have health insurance and some of the prescriptions
are
between $200 and $300 apiece. With the amount of medicines needed, the
Helsels started to go in debt.

"Not only do we not have insurance, but when he couldn't work we were
really
screwed. What happens is you get in debt," she said. "I would say the
worst
part besides his health is the financial aspect."

For another Cadillac area resident, Lyme Disease also has played a role
in
their life. Unlike Helsel, Sharon Ulrey has been living with the
disease for
almost her entire life.

Growing up in the Saginaw area, Ulrey said she believes she was
infected
with the disease at the age of 15. Now the 63-year-old said she just
wants
to help others who suffer from the disease.

"Where we live is beautiful but we have ticks. Everyone should have
someone
help with a tick check before they go to bed," she said. "This disease
can
lie dormant. They start having symptoms that are like flu-like symptoms
when
in fact it could be Lyme disease. That is why it is so very hard to
diagnose
and many of the tests come back with false negatives and positives."

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and in
the
Midwest is spread through infected deer tick bites, according to the
Center
for Disease Control. The two tests are the enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay
test or ELISA and the Western immunoblot test or Western Blot. One
reason
the tests are so inaccurate is because there are about 100 strains of
Lyme
disease, Ulrey said.

"My doctor saved my life. I was so bad he actually saved my life. If I
can
help one or two people so they can find out what they really have to
get the
right treatment, it will be worth it," she said. "I was considering
starting
a support group."

Ulrey said May is Lyme Awareness Month and she can be contacted at
775-2549.
Likewise, a person may call the Michigan Lyme Hotline at 888-784-5963
and
ask for Linda Lobes, president of Michigan Lyme Disease Association.

news@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)

Copyright © 2005 Cadillac News.

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