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CANADA (ONTARIO)
Shirley Bell - My story is, I
got sick in AZ. USA . my Dr. there (Dr K sent any tests to IgeneX,
IN Palo Alto California which came back positive for Lyme Disese, as
we were nearly ready to come home, the Dr. said we would be better
to come home and start my treatment. Okay I get home to Ont. they
will not take the tests from California and have to do new ones. The
one for Ont. Health Lab comes back negative. A private Dr. does this
test it comes back positive, BUT he can't say nothing because the
only ones in Ont that can give this test is Ont. Health Labs. So I
know I have Lyme, I am getting sicker and sicker and have no place
to go. as there is no place that can treat me because ONT Health
said no., Has any one out there can HELP me or suggest something, I
NEED HELP!!!!! [editor note: she was
referred to canlyme.com and we are following up to ensure she gets
the help she needs as we do all lyme patients asking for help]
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Brad Clark - Here is a letter that I sent off to a local
member of parliment:
Dear Mr MPP;
My name is Brad Clark and I have had for the last 17 years the
misfortune of comming into contact with the Muhammad Ali of
Bacterial infections known by the name of Borellia Burdorferi (Lyme
disease). I went from an active young man to an individual which
could no longer play sports or function in school due to ever
increasing symptoms. From the age of 14 I began suffering from
mysterious and unexplainable health problems which debilitated me to
this very day. These symptoms ranged from ever increasing fatigue
which later on in life would be disabling, arthritis, numbness
(along with many other neurological symptoms) and numerous digestive
symptoms. I felt like a very old sick man at that young age and I am
not the only one who feels this way. I am now on long term
disability and I am fighting for compensation since I am unable to
work since June of '06. It seems that although Chronic Fatigue
(which I have all the symptoms of, I don't even have energy to shave
my own face) is now being more widely accepted as a legitimate
illness. Whereas Lyme is still not being accepted as a long term
disabeling disease. I find this difficult to understand considering
Lyme is the causative agent in most CFS cases. The numbers of
identified cases of Lyme disease in Canada are around 60 per year.
Compared to the United States that have over 200, 000 cases. So
either one believes that Borellia is stopped at the Canada/US border
because it doesn't have proper identification, or you start to
realize that there is a serious problem with diagnostics in Canada
for Lyme disease.
All through Canada and the United States of America an unidentified
epidemic (and Pandemic as this is a global disease) is allowed to
fester. The testing in Canada is extremely innacurate. The
serological testing for this organism is innacurate due to a few
reasons. This bacteria has a DNA composition which truncates after 6
months of exposure. This means that through both DNA and serological
testing it is very difficult to identify. The immune system has
trouble identifying an organism that does this and subsequently can
not produce the antibodies to fight it. This also means that the
antibodies will not be present to generate a positive for Lyme using
the current serological testing. As a highly invasive organism when
in the shape of a corkscrew can penetrate all tissues of the body
including bone, cartilage and brain. This invasiveness also
penetrates a persons red and white blood cells making it difficult
for our immune system to identify and only adds to complicate
further false negative results for testing. One other problem is
that with many infections the antibodies are not found in the blood
stream but are found bound up in the soft tissues of the body
(immune complexes).
I was tested for many diseases by doctors only to have the results
come back negative. I remained silent when a doctor would say to my
face that "there is nothing wrong with you stop feeling sorry for
yourself" I also remained silent when a doctor said to me that I am
a hypocondriac and that I have no "physical" explaination for my
illness. I remained silent when test after test for Mononucleosis
and Lyme disease was completed only too come back negative. I refuse
to remain silent anymore.
Now in spite of the commonly held belief that this bacteria does not
reside in this area of Canada or in ALL of Canada I along with many
others managed to defy this stereotypical belief by contracting this
disease. Even Health Canada thinks that Lyme disease is not a common
infection when hundreds of thousands are suffering from the many
diseases that Lyme can cause.
I am typing this letter dictating through my mom because I currently
don't have the energy to sit at the computer and type. This letter
is sent to you with the residing faith that I have in our government
to show that it is NOT a totalarianistic society which allows the
voices of the people to go unheard. As an MPP and representative of
our society I am begging you to dissallow the anti-democratic
activity of the few medical organizations which are given the power
over the people to dictate how to treat Lyme disease as a trivial
event. One that requires brief and nominal treatment. Please prove
to the people of Canada who have Lyme disease and to those who don't
even know that they are suffering from Lyme disease that you do care
about how people with this chronic disease are treated. For far to
long our needs and immense suffering have been swept asside by a
medical community which is far too often allowed unacountability
when it comes to this and many other diseases.
One does not have to be an MD or a medical researcher to figure out
that chronic diseases of all kinds in Canada are exponentially
swelling out of control. Almost every person in Canada is either
suffering from a slowly debilitatiing disease or knows someone who
is. It should be blatently obvious to the average person by now that
all this disease should not be present in such a medically advanced
country as Canada. Why would Canada one of the world leaders in
medicine have an entire population which is riddled with disease?
While every time we are told by the authorities that there is no
epidemic or that this epidemic is caused by a genetic predisposition
and that there is nothing we can do. Please put a stop to this
nightmare!
Yours Truly,
Brad Clark
* * * * * * * * Keith Poullos - I am like most
who have been kicked around by our medical community for many years
before a veterinarian actually diagnosed me. How is it that vets
know but doctors have no clue. I have had hundreds of redundant
tests after tests, all coming up with one of their fashionable
diagnoses like CFS and Fibromyalgia and just about everything else.
These tests have cost us and health care billions and billions of
dollars and what did it accomplish, nothing. I am now being treated
and I am in about 11 months now and I also am using alternative
treatments like Rife machines and Salt/C protocol while I am on a
drug holiday to see how far backwards I can go. I am the kind of guy
who does not want to or has no time for going backwards. Being
involved in a family business for the last twenty-five years it has
been hard to take any time off. I will say that a good portion of my
own family do not believe in Lyme disease which as most of you
already know is no fun not having support from those who used to be
behind you when you were normal like them. I do not know how this
will eventually end up or how long it will take but we sure have to
keep pushing everyone and anyone who might listen, I do know this if
it keeps on there will be more suffering and deaths if something is
not done, I just keep on fighting and keep bugging governments and
medical institutions and maybe one of us will get lucky and have a
major breakthrough. Soon I hope! Keep trying.
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