Tuesday, August 5, 2014

It's LYME not LYMES!

One of my BIGGEST Lyme pet peeves is when someone calls Lyme Disease "Lymes Disease." Sorry, but Lyme is a four lettered word.  Everyone let's spell it together! L-Y-M-E! I don't know how many times I begrudgingly bite my tongue or pretend not to roll my eyes when I hear someone says "Lymes."  It instantly makes my spirochetes have a field day!  I am confused as to why people call it "Lymes Disease."  Is it because they assume I have other co-infections too?  Let's do the math.  Lyme + co-infections DOES NOT EQUAL LYMES!!!



Sometimes innocent people or family and friends make an honest mistake and just assume that Lyme is called "Lymes."  I feel bad because it is not my intention to make people feel bad, so when someone asks me how my "Lymes treatment" is going, I'll be sure to emphasize the word Lyme.  I try to get my point across without letting my inner Lyme Betch come out. Despite my best attempts though, sometimes people don't get my drift and "Lymes Disease" it shall stay.  



Why does it annoy Lymies so much when we hear "Lymes?" Well, because that's not the name of the chronic illness we are fighting! If our doctor can get it right, so can everyone else! I would love to know how this absurd trend started because I don't know any other disease where the name is pronounced wrong.  Maybe when a patient is diagnosed with Lyme, every doctor should say it's Lyme NOT Lymes. Well, progress has to start somewhere right?