You Have Got To See...

Instead of sitting in the heat watching a fantastic fire works show, I decided to sit home and watch a few documentaries. I randomly picked one about Lyme Disease, and I could not be happier... and disturbed... and outraged, all at the same time.

The movie is called, "Under Our Skin,"  written and directed by Andy Abrahams Wilson. It chronicles the journey of a handful of patients suffering and living with Lyme Disease.

Look, to be honest, I do not know anyone with Lyme Disease. I spent my summers working in the woods at a Girl Scout camp in Middle Georgia and I can definitely share my "war wound" stories about tick bites, however I was never infected (to my knowledge) with Lyme Disease.

When I moved out to my mom and dad's house in the country last year, I noticed my niece would come in from playing outside in the woods with a dozen ticks crawling on her. I would always tell my family to place the tick in a plastic bag and monitor the bite spot. They did so and as far as we can tell - so far so good.

Then I watched this documentary. 
I think EVERYONE should see this film. If you live in America and you ever walk outside - you need to be aware.

Take a look at this map:

I see thousands of reasons to watch this film.

Before I actually share the trailer for the movie, I would like to share with you the signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease.

General early signs & symptoms:
-EM (bull’s eye) rash at bite site (less than 50%), other types
- Cardiac/Pulmonary chest pain or rib soreness, shortness of breath, heart
palpitations, pulse skips, heart block, heart murmur or valve prolapse.
- Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting, difficulty eating, change in bowel function
( constipation, diarrhea), gastritis, abdominal cramping, irritable bladder or bladder

dysfunction, cystitis.

- Musculoskeletal: joint/muscle pain in feet, swelling in toes, balls of feet, ankle pain, burning in feet, shin splints, joint pain and/or swelling, stiffness of the joints, neck or back, muscle pain or cramps that may migrate, neck creaks and cracks, neck stiffness,

TMJ.
- Neurological: twitching of the face, eyelids or other muscles, headache, tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy), dizziness, poor balance, increased motion sickness, light-headedness, wooziness, difficulty walking, tremor, confusion, difficulty in thinking or with concentration or reading, forgetfulness, poor short term memory, disorientation (getting lost, going to wrong place), difficulty with speech, double or blurry vision, eye pain, blindness, increased floaters, increased sensitivity to light or sound, buzzing or ringing in ears, ear pain, deafness, seizure activity, white matter lesions, low blood pressure.
- Neuropsychiatric: mood swings, violent outbursts, irritability, depression, disturbed sleep
- Reproductive: testicular pain / pelvic pain, menstrual irregularity, milk production (lactation)


Other: fever, sweats, or chills, weight change (loss or gain), fatigue, tiredness,

hair loss, swollen glands, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, swelling around the eyes.

much, too little, early awakening), personality changes, obsessive compulsive

disorder, paranoia, panic anxiety attack, hallucinations, sexual dysfunction, loss of libido

(rash at other than bite site signals disseminated disease),  and flu-like illness.
 
Don't just scan this and move on. Folks - this disease is debilitating. Also, you will notice in the movie, one of the researchers found a common link between MS, ALS and Alzheimer's.
 
NOW.. watch this short trailer:


 
 
 

I hope you take some time this weekend and check out this documentary. It's important and it could save someone's life.

Again - never down play what you hear about Lyme Disease. This is one scary bacteria that can attack anyone at any time.