Living with Lyme NewsChannel 9's Nicole Sommavilla opens up about her health journey
- 5 years ago
Up to 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the United States every year, with New York state accounting for thousands of cases alone.
Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and that tell-tale "bullseye" rash, but only a small number of people ever see it, leaving many completely unaware they've even been exposed.
That's exactly what happened to NewsChannel 9's Nicole Sommavilla, who is now opening up about Living with Lyme, and her four year search for a diagnosis.
Living With Lyme: Some helpful resources from NewsChannel 9 reporter Nicole Sommavilla - Getting a Lyme diagnosis is only half the battle of getting healthy. Blood tests are not very accurate, because they test for the antibodies of the organism, not the organism itself.
The more accurate blood tests are more expensive, but they're worth it. I used IGeneX in California to find my diagnosis and the co-infections.
Once you have a diagnosis, your hunt begins for a LLMD, or what's known in the Lyme community as a "Lyme Literate Medical Doctor."
There are differences between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society about the depth of the disease, how to diagnose it, and how to treat it. These differences make it hard for patients to get on the right path and navigate the healthcare system.
Some doctors don't believe in late-stage or chronic Lyme, they only believe in acute treatment. But as more research is done, more and more doctors are beginning to understand its depth and learn how to target the spirochete, or corkscrew shaped bacterium called borrelia burgdorferi that burrows into cells with a bio-film around it, making it hard for antibiotics to attack.
As more doctors begin to learn about the disease and the bacterium that causes it, the medical community is beginning to better understand how to treat patients and manage the vague symptoms like chronic fatigue, headaches, joint pain, muscle spasms, sore throats, brain fog, and night sweats.
So how do you find a good doctor or the right doctor for you? Well, you have to hunt for someone who is "Lyme literate." Organizations such as the Global Lyme Alliance can help patients find a doctor and learn more about the disease, proper blood tests, and get financial advice.
Lyme is an expensive disease. From oral antibiotics to a picc line to herbal supplements, there are different ways to treat it. It's challenging because Lyme affects each person differently, so an antibiotic that may work for one patient might not be as effective for another. Some of the treatment is trial and error, using medications that kill Lyme bacteria in the test tube, hoping that success translates in patient care. Read full article here: ttps://www.localsyr.com/news/health-news/living-with-lyme-some-helpful-resources-from-newschannel-9-reporter-nicole-sommavilla/1857847633
Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and that tell-tale "bullseye" rash, but only a small number of people ever see it, leaving many completely unaware they've even been exposed.
That's exactly what happened to NewsChannel 9's Nicole Sommavilla, who is now opening up about Living with Lyme, and her four year search for a diagnosis.
Living With Lyme: Some helpful resources from NewsChannel 9 reporter Nicole Sommavilla - Getting a Lyme diagnosis is only half the battle of getting healthy. Blood tests are not very accurate, because they test for the antibodies of the organism, not the organism itself.
The more accurate blood tests are more expensive, but they're worth it. I used IGeneX in California to find my diagnosis and the co-infections.
Once you have a diagnosis, your hunt begins for a LLMD, or what's known in the Lyme community as a "Lyme Literate Medical Doctor."
There are differences between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society about the depth of the disease, how to diagnose it, and how to treat it. These differences make it hard for patients to get on the right path and navigate the healthcare system.
Some doctors don't believe in late-stage or chronic Lyme, they only believe in acute treatment. But as more research is done, more and more doctors are beginning to understand its depth and learn how to target the spirochete, or corkscrew shaped bacterium called borrelia burgdorferi that burrows into cells with a bio-film around it, making it hard for antibiotics to attack.
As more doctors begin to learn about the disease and the bacterium that causes it, the medical community is beginning to better understand how to treat patients and manage the vague symptoms like chronic fatigue, headaches, joint pain, muscle spasms, sore throats, brain fog, and night sweats.
So how do you find a good doctor or the right doctor for you? Well, you have to hunt for someone who is "Lyme literate." Organizations such as the Global Lyme Alliance can help patients find a doctor and learn more about the disease, proper blood tests, and get financial advice.
Lyme is an expensive disease. From oral antibiotics to a picc line to herbal supplements, there are different ways to treat it. It's challenging because Lyme affects each person differently, so an antibiotic that may work for one patient might not be as effective for another. Some of the treatment is trial and error, using medications that kill Lyme bacteria in the test tube, hoping that success translates in patient care. Read full article here: ttps://www.localsyr.com/news/health-news/living-with-lyme-some-helpful-resources-from-newschannel-9-reporter-nicole-sommavilla/1857847633