TOUCHED BY LYME: “IDSA guidelines, will you please go now!”
This is a re-play of a blog I wrote four years ago. I thought of it this week when I heard that the National Guidelines Clearinghouse had de-listed the IDSA Lyme guidelines.
When my kids were little, we loved to read Dr. Seuss’s “Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now!” Marvin was a funny little guy who had overstayed his welcome, and needed suggestions on ways to get out of town fast. The book title popped into my head this morning, when I was thinking about how long the IDSA Lyme guidelines have been making life miserable for Lyme patients. I was inspired to pen the following…with apologies (and appreciation) to Dr. Seuss.
IDSA Guidelines, will you please go now!
The time has come. The time is now.
Just go. Go. Go! We don’t care how.
You can go by foot, you can go by cow.
IDSA Guidelines, will you please go now!
You can swing on a PICC line.
Or crawl on your knees.
Use walker or wheelchair.
But please go, please!
We don’t care, just take a hike.
You can ride on a psych-bike, if you like.
If you like you can go in a Lyme green shoe.
Just go, go, GO! Please do, do, do, DO!
IDSA Guidelines, we don’t care how.
IDSA Guidelines, will you please GO NOW!
You can go on crutches.
You can swim with the fish.
Fly a medical copter, if you wish.
If you wish, you may go by fence-lizard’s tail.
Or stamp yourself and go by mail.
IDSA Guidelines, don’t you know
The time has come to go, go, GO!
Get on your way! Please IDSA!
You might like going in a one-horse shay.
You can go by floo powder, or broomstick.
Or…
Ride a white-tailed deer or a side-ways door.
You can go by paddleboat or jet.
We don’t care how you go. Just get!
IDSA Guidelines, we don’t care how.
IDSA Guidelines, will you please GO NOW!
We said GO and GO we meant.
The time had come
So . . . Guidelines WENT.
TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s VP for Education and Outreach. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org. On Twitter, she’s @dorothyleland.
Ha ha love it!
And the CDC guidelines for testing and treatment can go along with them.
I tell my stinkin bugs that they insist on staying around, they need to pay rent. They don’t seem to listen. Little true monsters!!!
Great post. I really Rockin Cowgirl’s addition.
My husband was treated for Lyme disease in the late 70s from a tick bite! He had a young doctor who ran he tests that showed traces of the parasite and gave him tetracycline for 14 days! He had no problems until Two months ago when he started to get swelling and pain in one knee. Now both knees and his hands and wrists along with his ankles swell and cause him unremitting pain. It keeps him awake at night. He also was on a BP med called Losartan for several years which has a rare side effect of joint pain and swelling.
Has anyone heard of this reaction to Lyme after 30 plus years?
texaspolishgrandma, These symptoms sound almost identical to the symptoms I had when Lyme really started to act up about 18 years ago. Flairs at first, then the symptoms came to stay and I could no longer ignore them. Still took over 3 years to find out what was causing the problem. Dx’d 2002 by LLMD we fortunately saw on public television who described my symptoms so we got in touch with him. I started on ABX, intramuscular, then IV ABX which nipped until 2008/2009 when treatment was jerked. I would never give up those 7 years of continued living. Sounds so familiar. I do hope you get the help you need. Not pushing IV ABX by any means, that is just what my LLMD used. It is a long complicated story. I hope your story ends up better than mine. My experience is that my oral/gum/jaw bone/bum infections was not treated. Maybe if it had been while I was on Lyme treatment, I would be OK now. The infection has had a long time to re-establish, so I am back to 24/7 torture. But, many of my symptoms, I mean, lots, went away and the re-infection stared in my mouth. Very frustrating. Oh how I wish you well.
Seusian is so appropriate for the absurdity that is the IDSA. Excellent! Thank you!