https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/7/3/95

Comment; Interesting progression, sad situation in which families are disrupted, possibly ruined by Lyme. Once Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) takes hold, there’s a higher incidence of divorce/fractured families. Difficulty in diagnosis compounds the issues.

Emilie M. Gaudet 1

,Odette N. Gould 1,* andVett Lloyd 21Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1C7 Canada2Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1G7 Canada*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.Healthcare20197(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7030095Received: 30 June 2019 / Revised: 1 August 2019 / Accepted: 3 August 2019 / Published: 8 August 2019(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lyme Disease and Related Tickborne InfectionsFull-Text   |    PDF [548 KB, uploaded 8 August 2019]   |    Figure

Abstract

Increasing numbers of Canadians, including children and adolescents, are being infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and contracting Lyme disease. In the present study, we provided a qualitative analysis of written correspondence produced by 23 parents of children and adolescents with Lyme disease. The goal of this study was to investigate how medical and psychological issues were highlighted by parents describing their family’s Lyme disease experiences. The results suggest a series of four stages in these families where satisfactory treatment had not been obtained over months or years. The experiences of parents evolved from feelings of worry for the child to frustration with the lack of a helpful treatment, to mistrust of physicians’ actions, and, in some case, to a rejection of the conventional health care system as a whole. Improved diagnostic testing and treatment guidelines, as well as family-centered practices of medical care were proposed as important features for improving the experiences of families living with Lyme disease.

https://www.mdpi.com/healthcare/healthcare-07-00095/article_deploy/html/images/healthcare-07-00095-g001.png

Dr. Raymond Oenbrink