If someone were to overhear a conversation about Lyme, they might assume the other person was talking about limes, not Lyme disease.  Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that is more common than most people think.

 “Mine [case of Lyme disease] affected the vestibular nerve, which caused a fainting feeling for me,” said junior Claire Altman, dispelling the common misconception that all cases of Lyme are the same. According to WebMD.com, the disease comes from ticks who are carriers, and they thrive in grassy areas.  With symptoms like fatigue, fever, chills body aches, and more, it is very easy to mistake Lyme for the flu; however, not all of these symptoms are present in each case of Lyme disease, which was previously stated by Altman.

  Altman has been living with Lyme disease since last May.  Before then, she had noticed odd symptoms and had gone to the doctor right away, not knowing what was going on at the time.

 “I felt relief [when diagnosed] because I had been going through other tests beforehand and there weren’t any answers,” said Altman. With a disease like Lyme, it is important for the people to keep their strength up, as well as surrounding themselves with a group of people who support them, which Altman has done, by letting her friends know what has been going on and using them as a support group in addition to taking medicine to cope with the illness.

 Among the negatives, Altman finds positives to life with Lyme.  She plans on continuing to play soccer for the school, a pastime that she has enjoyed for as long as she can remember.  To Altman, Lyme disease is just another obstacle that she needs to overcome to get to her goal. Altman has found that basic tasks have become more difficult than they were before.  After her diagnosis, she noticed that she was getting tired quicker than before, which has affected her soccer playing.

 “Because it affected the vestibular nerve, I had really bad balance issues. I would feel  [when running]  like I was falling and it was a really scary feeling, like I was fainting.”

   Before being interviewed, Altman was enthusiastic about voicing her experience because she felt that people should be more aware of what Lyme disease is and take it a little more seriously than brushing it under the rug with the stamp that it is just another disease.

 “Some people don’t realize how serious it is,” said Altman. The severity of Lyme disease goes as far as problems with the heart, nervous system, and joints.  The problem with these symptoms is that they often go unnoticed for weeks, even years.

  Because of how serious Lyme is, it is important to take special precautions, especially when heading into wooded or grassy areas, which is where the ticks thrive.  According to WebMD.com, the best thing to do is to cover up, making sure to wear long sleeved shirts and long pants. Wearing light clothing is also advised since the light color makes it easier to spot ticks. If there are any pets in the house, it is recommended that the owner do a thorough check to make sure the pet is not bringing infected ticks into the house.