Dr Phil discussing Lyme disease and chronic illness on FRIDAY

[jazzlover]

This should be good!! (I hope)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPTZWk6J4co&feature=share

I apologize if it's not OK to put this link here. I have no clue.

[gardenlover]

Thanks...I'll tune in!! 

[stephL]

I'm a little wary of Dr Phil's stand on chronic illness. I will never forget an episode where he featured his own sister as a guest and discussed her extreme fatigue in terms of her just needing to get physically fit. He said her lack of physical fitness had gotten to an all-time extreme, pointing out that she leaned on the shopping cart while grocery shopping. She seemed ashamed and on national TV! I don't think Dr Phil realized at the time that some ppl can wait much of their adult lives before their doctors can find a diagnosis. I stopped watching his show after that episode. So sad. I hope he has a better understanding of the suffering people are going through with these "medically unexplained" illnesses.

[gardenlover]

That is aweful!!  I haven't seen the show in years but hopefully he has become "enlightened"!

[jazzlover]

It was great!!! I'll be back with a link. His producer has Lyme, so he "gets it." He showed a healthy skepticism, but all in all he handled it very well!

We lyme patients were happily surprised... we're not used to respect!
--

http://www.drphil.com/slideshows/slideshow/6835/?id=6835&showID=1826

Dr Phil "uncensored':

http://drphil.com/uncut/page/uncensored/

[jazzlover]

You can watch the entire show here, in three clips:

http://lyme-aware.org/news/lyme-news/1352-dr-phil-show-segments-of-deadly-consequences-lyme.html

[stephL]

jazzlover, thanks for the links, I agree it was well done and I'm glad Dr Phil stuck his neck out to present this topic. I'll bet he catches some heat from his colleagues   but I'm sure he feels it was worth it.

[gardenlover]

Is the only way to get this from ticks?

[MissyLouWho?]

Wow that really hit home and has me wondering now.  I first went to see my rheumy about 3 years ago and he did blood work.  I called for the results and the office person said they were all normal and no follow up was needed.  I went back to see him about 6 months ago and he wanted to know why I hadn't come back to get treated for my positive Lymes disease???  He repeated the test with a more sensitive one and it said I was now negative.  I had never been on anything that would have treated the Lymes though.  I called my pharmacy and they went over my past medications records.  So either I had a false positive first, or a false negative now, or it cleared up on it's own??  Wondering if my recent spinal tap will show anything related to it (either never had it at all, or do have it, or don't have it but did).  I have I think ALL of the symptoms with the exception of seizures and paralysis that they mentioned, but I think with lupus and sjogren's, we all have most of them. 

I'm really glad Dr. Phil did a show on this.