Many people have commented to be about one of my recent posts: Sometimes I Wish I Had Cancer. Telling me about how they, as Lyme patients, feel the same way in that they wish the ‘system’ understood Lyme Disease and offered adequate testing, screening, and treatment for Lyme, like they do for Cancer. Unfortunately those of us with Lyme aren’t that lucky…Yet. We are gaining ground. The media is starting to notice us. As a good friend told me recently, it will only take 1 big name celebrity to be diagnosed for this whole thing to go mainstream and for funding to start flowing towards proper Lyme testing and treatment.
However, that day is not today.
Today I am envious. Envious of an old friend who recently received the news she had been hoping for since being diagnosed with Cancer in 2011: she is in remission. If she stays clear for 5 years, they will consider her ‘cured’. I’m over-the-moon happy for her as she is one of the nicest people in the world, but at the same time it makes me sad. My day for ‘remission’ or a ‘cure’ may or may not come…Ever…I hope and pray that in my lifetime proper testing will be developed, but until that day comes, I will be solely relying on my symptoms to tell me if my body is in remission or not. I may never feel the sense of relief of being told that I’m cured since testing for the Lyme bacteria is not accurate enough to determine that.
Today one person celebrates their victory over Cancer, while another ponders when it will be her turn for a victory in the battle against Lyme Disease…
Lyme101 