Possibly, though I am one of five people in my immediate fa…

Possibly, though I am one of five people in my immediate family that has it, though I was the first of us to get it, so it seems somewhat genetic for us. Oddly, though, we all also test positive for Lyme disease, and we all lived in Lyme tick infested forests in the 1980s, my uncle and cousin especially, as they lived in Connecticut for a few years, immediately before they developed it. I lived for a few years in a Lyme tick infested forests in Atlanta, Ga, although I’m actually English and live in the UK normally.

The locals warned us about the Lyme ticks (but being dumb/arrogant British we ignored their warnings). They knew how dangerous they were before the bacteria had even been named! I spent all my free time in the woods and got bitten a lot. Having said that, I doubt it’s Lyme per se, but some combination of genetics, stress and Lyme. Myself and my brother were given all our childhood vaccinations over again in one sitting once we got to America, before we were allowed to attend school, and it damaged John’s facial nerve and gave him a squint that he had to have corrected surgically, and gave him a series of tics as well (neurological damage). I seemed okay, until I got yet another Rubella vaccine when I got back to England and went into one hell of an arthritis storm that nearly saw me off altogether. I haven’t been able to straighten my arms or turn my palms upward, or crouch or run, and lots of other things, ever since.

I was supposed to be in a wheelchair by 18 though, and I’m still not in one, over 30 years later, so I’m doing pretty well in many ways. But it has never gone, unfortunately. I still have to take several strong meds to keep my immune system from killing me even today. It’s not ideal, but ironically, it made me a lot more laid back. I’m just grateful to be here and see the importance of enjoying every day.