Public Service Announcement

I normally don't get on a soapbox too much, but I'm pissed. That's putting it mildly. I live in a wonderful country, Canada, and we have universal health care which is generally pretty good. But when I go to the doctor and tell her that something is wrong with my child, I want the proper medication to make him better. That being said, I should start at the beginning. 2 weeks ago my daughter had a cross county race up at the local lake/camp ground. Somehow my wonderful little boy Griffin (check previous post about him) got bit by a tick. It took me about 24 hours to figure it out though and then I had to take the darn thing out. Kudos to Griffin though, he never screamed while I was yanking it out of his head. Anyways off to the doctor we go with the tick in a baggie. The tick gets sent off for testing and I'm told to watch for fever or a bull's eye rash. Now, the biggest disease a tick can carry is Lyme Disease. If you treat it with antibiotics right away then your chances of it becoming worse are eliminated. So, here I am with the tick and I am given nothing. I go to another doctor and I am told that Lyme Disease is rare in our part of the Country so they won't treat him unless it comes back that the tick had it. We are now playing the waiting game. What will happen first: the results back or that Griffin will get a rash. We got the results back first and the tick was female but they couldn't test it for Lyme Disease because it was dead when I brought it in. They still won't give Griffin anything for it because he isn't showing enough symtoms and because he is only 7. no need to put him through a round of antibiotics if they don't have to. He could just end up with a horrible disease for the rest of his life! So now I am turning to other means to get him treated. We might have to go to the States and get him tested which will cost us lots of money or I'm looking into Naturalpathy, which will also cost us money. I'm so very disappointed in our medical system for failing my child. He very well might be lucky and not have Lyme Disease but there is too much doubt in my mind. He needs to be treated! So, in case any of you ever get bit by a tick, please go to a doctor right away, let them take the tick out so it can be tested properly.

Some Symtoms of Lyme:
Headache, sore joints, dizziness, vomiting, fever, bull's eye rash anywhere on your body, not just at the location of bite. Lyme very often mimics MS, and Lupus.