Guess who (had) Lyme disease?

[Buttons2]

Am I the only one that reads the news? Just out on MSNBC that Bush was infected with Lyme last year! He had the bulls-eye rash so no blood tests were taken. There's also an article for 8/07/07 Newsweek in the health section about the Lyme controversay.

I know we can't get political on here,but this is the honest truth: I've been commenting about him possibly having Lyme for a long time to my housemate! Neuro-Lyme that is:rolleyes:

This was kept from the public cause his 2006 physical was just prior to the bite,however it did come up this year in his physical as health history.

Now what do you think this will do for the Lyme sufferers? I'm betting people will sit up & take notice!

Hope I don't get banned brom BT for bringing this up!
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[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.iht. com:80/articles/ ap/2007/08/ 08/america/ NA-GEN-US- Bush-
Physical-Exam. php

Bush has his annual physical and is pronounced "fit for duty,"
spokesman says

The Associated Press Published: August 8, 2007

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush was treated for Lyme disease
last August, the White House announced Wednesday after failing to
disclose the problem for nearly a year.

The treatment was disclosed only when the White House on Wednesday
made public all the results of Bush's annual physical exam. The
disease showed up in the "past medical history" section and in the
summary along with other skin conditions.

Bush was treated for what his doctors described as "early, localized
Lyme disease" last August after developing the characteristic
bullseye rash. The doctors said he has had no recurrence.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the disease was not
disclosed earlier because it happened after he had his last physical,
on Aug. 1, 2006.

"It was a rash," he said. "It's not uncommon for the president to
have tick bites when he's out biking."

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that, if left untreated, can cause
arthritis and other problems. Symptoms include lethargy, joint pain,
fever, limping and loss of appetite, and the antibiotics to treat it
also can cause fatigue. A bacterial disease, it can be eradicated
with antibiotic treatment in early stages but can recur in some
patients.

The president's main form of exercise and recreational activity is
biking. His doctors advised him to wear long pants and long-sleeved
shirts and use bug spray when in risk-prone areas, such as Maine,
where the president is spending a long weekend starting Thursday at
his parents' summer home on the East coast.

Last year's presidential physical was conducted as usual on a visit
to the National Naval Medical Center. This year's took place in a
series of exams at the White House starting July 17 and ending
Tuesday night. The exams were not revealed until Wednesday. Doctors
pronounced the 61-year-old president healthy overall.

"Doctors have determined that the president remains in superior
fitness for a man his age — anybody who's seen him on the bike or out
and about certainly knows that — and that he is fit for duty," press
secretary Tony Snow said.

As part of the physical, Bush had a colonoscopy last month at his
Camp David mountaintop retreat. Five small growths were removed from
his colon but doctors determined that none of them was cancerous.

A total of 11 doctors were involved in the exams, overseen by White
House physician Richard Tubb and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the president of
The Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. The group included skin,
hearing, heart, eye, neurological and sports medicine specialists.

Each signed a statement saying that "within the scope of my
specialty" he found Bush "fit for duty" with the expectation that he
will remain so for the duration of his presidency — standard language
used after presidential physicals.

A four-page medical summary that accompanied the brief doctors'
statements said Bush remains in the "superior" fitness category for a
man of his age, in the 97th percentile, thanks in part to a six-day-a-
week exercise regimen.

Bush's overall cholesterol count is at a healthy level, dropping
slightly to 170 from 174. There was a small drop in his high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) count, or "good" cholesterol, and a smaller rise in
his low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol.

The president's medical profile shows a low to very low risk of
coronary artery disease. His resting pulse rate rose to 52 beats per
minute from 46. Well-trained athletes typically have resting pulse
rate of between 40 and 60 beats per minute.

Doctors made Bush run on a treadmill for more than 25 minutes as part
of a test that evaluates the performance of his heart. His heart beat
reached 184 beats per minute; no signs or symptoms of cardiovascular
problems were noted.

[Sonsie]

what do you think this will do for the Lyme sufferers?
It will hurt us, of course. If the President, who supposedly receives the best care the medical profession can provide, got treated inappropriately, people will nonetheless believe that he was treated correctly. This provides other doctors evidence that we are crazy for wanting proper treatment. :( :eek: :mad:

I wonder who the genius was who doesn't understand that the lifecycle of ticks is more than three weeks? I also wonder what brilliant strategist came up with the term "localized" infection. Huh? :confused:

I predict that within 10 years, assuming no one provides a smarter diagnosis and proper treatment, his health will be much worse. Too bad! I wouldn't wish my kind of life on my worst enemy.

[Erin]

I read in my local paper some more info about Bush's health.

Apparently he's been having vertigo off and on the last few weeks. (hmm...I know how he feels)

They said it's vestibular neuronitis...his doctors are claiming that's been caused by a virus and that it has nothing to do with him being treated for Lyme last year.

Vestibular neuronitis causes vertigo, and it's located in the same area where the 8th cranial nerve is. (same place that MS and Lyme vertigo comes from)

Makes you wonder, doesnt it?

[Buttons2]

Viral infection-yeah right! Plus his hearing,sinus infection,etc. Remember when he fell off the Sedgeway? (I think that's what the little bike was called). And his speeches have reminded me of myself-tripping over words,trying to FIND the word I wanted to say. Yada yada.

I also wouldn't wish this disease on my worst enemy & doubt this news will be helpful to the Lyme community.....but the potential is there! I seriously doubt he's "cured". Hopefully someone will interview him & we will find out if he was ever tested for co-infections & what treatment he had (or is still having).

He's the head of our government,so I'm assuming his health care goes right in line with the CDC......that's unfortunate to say the least! The hope for us is that funds will be readily available to get accurate testing! It's beyond common sense that this has to be such a political issue & after all these years there's still no definitive test methods!

Erin, I only suffered from the vertigo for several days,this was years ago when I was having the severe myoclonic jerks,I literally was holding onto walls & had to crawl up stairs! I hope your vertigo will clear up!

Buttons

[Erin]

So far I've only had 3 bouts of vertigo since getting treated with a prednisone taper. (hits me suddenly, goes away after 5 minutes to a half hour) I had the steroid taper about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

The steroid made me feel much better, it helped a lot of my problems, like my back pain I've had for the past 5 years, and my numbness lessened a LOT! I'm not having as many blasts of vertigo since then, altho I'm still getting it. Last summer the vertigo was so much worse than it's been this year. Last year, I staggered from place to place, and I couldnt walk down stairs without feeling like I was going to fall. I would sit down and go down the stairs like a toddler does...on my butt.

[Sonsie]

vestibular neuronitis...his doctors are claiming that's been caused by a virus and that it has nothing to do with him being treated for Lyme
Like I said, his doctors who don't understand Lyme disease at all. Sad. :(

LD is a neurological disease. It attacks our nervous systems. It leaves us very vulnerable to illnesses that affect our nerves: shingles and Bell's palsy are perhaps the most commonly recognized of the viral diseases that are secondary to LD. All of this, including the timing of symptoms onset, seems SO VERY consistent with what I know about Lyme and vertigo that I cannot believe his doctors' conclusion.

Again, lest anyone doubt, the way to deal with these other illnesses is to treat for LD as well as with anti-virals.

[blimeyitslymie]

Lyme Group Warns Bush May Not Be Out of Woods

The California Lyme Disease Association warns that President Bush may
not be cured of Lyme disease. Although he finished one course of
treatment, symptoms can return months or years later.

Ukiah, CA (PRWEB) August 14, 2007 -- The California Lyme Disease
Association has some advice for President George W. Bush about his
recently disclosed bout of Lyme disease: Don't be too quick to
dismiss the threat it can pose.

"We hope for his sake it was caught early and treated sufficiently, "
says CALDA president Phyllis Mervine. "Unfortunately, that's not the
case for many people who contract tick-borne infections."

Even with prompt treatment, Mervine said, up to sixty percent of
people infected with Lyme disease can relapse after a standard course
of antibiotics. Additionally, Lyme disease symptoms can recur months
to years after the original exposure. "Regrettably, there is no
definitive lab test to prove the disease has been eradicated from the
body," she said.

According to Mervine, untreated or undertreated Lyme disease is
famous for mimicking many conditions including viruses, attention
deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple
sclerosis, Lupus, dementia, Parkinson's, ALS, autoimmune diseases,
and other health problems.

"There are two standards of care for Lyme disease. We endorse the
guidelines of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society,
which call for individualized treatment," said Mervine. "There is
plenty of evidence that more antibiotic treatment can help people
with chronic Lyme. However, insurance companies don't like to pay for
it."

Lyme disease is spread by ticks that can be as small as a poppy seed.
Their bite is usually painless. "Approximately 50 percent of people
with Lyme disease don't recall a tick bite and less than 50 percent
report the typical bull's-eye rash," Mervine said. "Prompt and
adequate treatment early in the course of the disease is the best way
to prevent future complications. "

Congress is currently considering legislation to provide $100 million
for Lyme disease research and education over the next five years.
Mervine hopes President Bush's experience will lead him to support
the bills. "Lyme disease affects millions of Americans," she
said, "and receives hardly any government funding."

Lyme-carrying ticks can be found throughout the United States.
Hikers, campers and others who spend time outdoors are most at risk
from the disease.

For more information about Lyme disease, go to
www.lymediseaseasso ciation.org.

###

[blimeyitslymie]

(UK)

Comment from Rick at Lyme Info:
comment and analysis on the web. It is a collective group blog,
bringing together regular columnists from the Guardian and Observer
newspapers with other writers and commentators representing a wide
range of experience and interests. The aim is to host an open-ended
space for debate, dispute, argument and agreement and to invite users
to comment on everything they read.

Bush and Lyme disease: what's the secret?

by Dean Baker and Helene Jorgensen
August 13, 2007 4:10 PM

The White House reported last week that President Bush was treated for
Lyme disease last summer after he discovered the bull's eye rash
associated with the disease on his leg. According to the spokesperson,
Bush's doctors determined that he had fully recovered from the disease
in his annual physical earlier this summer. However, the spokesperson
refused to disclose the treatment that Bush had received, citing
doctor-patient privilege.

While Bush has the right to keep details of his medical treatments
private, this is certainly a sharp contrast with how the White House
dealt with Bush's recent surgery. The public got the play-by-play on
the operation in which several polyps were removed from the
presidential colon. By comparison, the course of treatment for Lyme
would appear to be G-rated.

Read the remainder of this powerful opinion piece here: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dean_baker_and_helene_jorgensen_/2007/08/bush_and_lyme_disease_whats_th.html
or
http://snipurl.com/1pitl

To find out how to contribute to the discussion go here:
http://commentisfree.guardian. co.uk/about. html

[Buttons2]

Hopefully he will become an advocate for Lymies! Just watching him talk tells me he's not cured! I actually feel sorry for the man now.

What's kinda weird is that Laura Bush had a bandaid on her leg last year to cover a bug bite? I recall.....she's in the same areas he's in!I wondered at the time why she wasn't wearing slacks as she often does-cause the cameras were on the bandaid & then she had to explain it. Sure wouldn't care to have my entire life on display like they do!:eek:

The sad thing is that he'll be trusting his doctor's & believe whatever they say,he surely will have no idea of the controversy(sp) regarding Lyme do you think? There's a REASON this was keep quite for a year folks!

Buttons
thanks for the links

[Erin]

Maybe this is the thing that Lymies need to get some real discussion (and hopefully good results) about the Lyme controversy. I dont know how to go about doing that, but maybe if someone who is better at writing than I am could write letters to newspapers and tv stations to get discussion going. Maybe they could get Congress to enact some legislation or something to keep insurance companies from denying treatment to Lyme patients.

I was going to say something else, but apparently the (brain) fog has rolled in for the day. (I hate when that happens!!!)

[tmptmp]

There are many doctors who are not up on Lyme, I doubt
that Mr. Bush's doctors fall into that category.

None of my doctors are or have been Lyme specialists but
they have been up-to-date and accurate about Lyme; know about
co-infections and that a negative test does not mean there
is an absence of Lyme.

I would bet the house that a top-of-his-Harvard-class doctor
will know what's what. Talent does not have to be a specialist
in the Lyme community of doctors -- Bush has access to the
most talented doctors in the country.

And, he has always mangled the English language all on his
own. He doesn't need an illness to explain it. I would not jump
to any conclusions except that his medical care it top-tier.

[Buttons2]

In my Lymie brain he can REDEEM himself somewhat for all the pain he's cause others these past years if he's suffering from Lyme!

But he does seem to have his fair share of just plain old LUCK!

You have no idea what it's like to mention Lyme to someone and have them say so-and-so had that & they are cured (as they watch me hobble around,see that I've gotten fat,and notice I trip over my words),it's just one more stab in the back to me!

I've learned for my own sanity to just keep my mouth shut,let people wonder what's wrong with me.....after 9 yrs you have to chose your battles ya know?

Erin, rest assured there are many people doing just what you suggested,this isn't the only Lyme forum afterall. It's an opportunity that can't be missed. And Blimey is kind enough to keep us informed of some of what's going on.

I'd like to see a high profile person misdiagnosed with MS speak about about Lyme but I've yet to see that anywhere.....


T-I'm sorry if I stepped on some toes just now, I realize you are one of the few I've encountered that is cured & did it quickly. You were also lucky! Unless there's a miracle of some kind myself & many others will never be cured. And I'm glad you point out you didn't see a LLMD,there are people lurking here that are as poor as I am & simply cannot afford the option of getting that treatment. Or are allergic to anti-biotcis,whatever. We all just have to manage the best we can.

However,in my opinion,Bush still shows signs of Lyme. I'd rather feel sorry for him than hate him as I've done all these years! Hate is an ugly emotion ya know.

Buttons

[tmptmp]

Would that political outlook could change just by
contracting Lyme. It doesn't work like that. Mr. Bush
and Co. are doing what they do and what they do has
nothing to do with Lyme or not Lyme.

As for Lyme, if he was as ill with Lyme as I'd been
he could not keep the schedule he's keeping, or even
leave the house, or eat, and forget excercise, I needed
help to walk down the block -- those were some of
the better manifestations. Other's were terrifying
and life threatening and they all made my work and
its schedule as far beyond me, as going to the moon.
Bush is far too healthy to have the Lyme I know.

In my Lymie brain he can REDEEM himself somewhat for all the pain he's cause others these past years if he's suffering from Lyme! Buttons

[Ginny43]

Bush has one other advantage. If he tells his doctors that something isn't right, they'll listen. He won't get the "it's nothing" or you're just a hypochondriac responses. Just my thought for the day.

Ginny

[tmptmp]

True! And everyone should expect that from a good doctor.

Ginny wrote:
Bush has one other advantage. If he tells his
doctors that something isn't right, they'll listen.
He won't get the "it's nothing" or you're just a
hypochondriac responses.

Ginny

[Buttons2]

Well a good start at any rate! Being a middle-aged post menopausal woman was my first disadvantage! Then having the audacity to ask questions & refuse some meds.....asking questions,seeking answers.....looking back this was the worse thing I could have done! But I learned my lesson after several years.

Yes, he would have gotten the very best of care @ the first sniffle!

T-you do have a good point,but then maybe HIS Lyme was neuro but never went to the nerves? I sure don't wish him bedridden but I do think the possibility is still there. Stubborn me,I know!

You've never revealed much about yourself,I'm so sorry to hear how badly this hit you & I'm sure it turned your life upside down.

Sometimes I vent when I get too involved with Lyme forums, I find I actually feel better when I try to push it all out of my mind. I get this flashbacks of running into people cured & alot of ugly memories pop up. And I owe you an apology for saying you were lucky. There's no luck with Lyme,it's just different for everyone-what symptoms they suffer & which treatment works.

Anyone else ever notice how many views we have on here compared to the number of people posting? Probably the lurkers see me as the bitter old witch!

Buttons

[Erin]

Anyone else ever notice how many views we have on here compared to the number of people posting? Probably the lurkers see me as the bitter old witch!

Buttons

You're not the bitter old witch...

that would be me, it just doesnt show up in my posts much (or does it?) and you would need to replace the "W" in "witch" with the letter "B" and that's me.

[tmptmp]

It stopped my life.



. . . I'm sure it turned your life upside down.

[Buttons2]

That's been one of the most difficult things to cope with,losing my personality,my ability to work,drive,just go out for lunch with a friend & not have to suffer for days from the excursion,etc.

I was thinking this morning how my Dad keeps making snide remarks how I'm too young to have bad arthritis, he even made the nasty comment one day that there is no such thing as Lyme (so I never,ever mention it now). My entire family thinks I'm a lazy bum now (including my 2 grown sons). I've learned to let it slide,their reactions/comments are par for the course.

Whenever I feel like I'm the poor misunderstood person,I just read some Lymie stories & at least know I'm not alone!Misery loves company & all that.

Bush is coming to Seattle today,hopefully some of the crowd will be displaying their Lyme bracelets,T-shirts or whatever!Seems like he's losing all his friends also.....

I wish I had the energy to be an advocate (and the brains I used to have). Kudos to all those Lymies that do whatever they can to get the word out!

Buttons