Woman living with Lyme disease shares advice after 16 years of misdiagnosis
While outside this spring, it's easy to forget about a small biting inconvenience. But May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about Lyme disease, its symptoms and the importance of tick bite prevention.
The Minnesota Department of Health says ticks can be found in every county in Minnesota. Immature ticks are considered more of a disease risk because they are smaller and harder to notice. That's why this time of year, the odds of contracting the disease are greater.
Many people are misdiagnosed and have not started getting the help they need to ease the symptoms of the uncurable disease.
Symptoms can include sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, heart palpitations, vertigo, migraines and arthritis.
For Lisa Najarian, she suffered for 16 years with symptoms and misdiagnosis before a blood test confirmed she had the disease.
"I was bedridden for an entire month with vertigo. We could not get rid of it," Najarian said.
After her diagnosis, Najarian and her husband, financial expert and former NFL player Pete Najarian, founded the Twin Cities Lyme Foundation. It is now which is now being rolled into the Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
"We had to hand this off to them because I am not in a position any longer to give 100% of my efficiency to people who need it," said Lisa Narajian.
She says anyone with doubts should make sure their doctor is someone with training in Lyme disease.
