Lyme Disease is on the rise, with Environment Canada stating that this year will be the worst for ticks in both metropolitan and suburban areas. Given changes in climate and what seems to be a new migration of ticks through birds and deer, it is important that one proceeds with caution when venturing into bushes, tall grasses and any wooded areas. Dear Ticks, or Blacklegged Ticks have been spreading to new areas of the province rapidly, and the Summer months are when the most cases of this infectious disease cause by the Borrelia bacteria are spread by ticks.
The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation has an extensive list under their Symptoms of Lyme Disease:
Head, Face, Neck
- Unexplained hair loss
- Headache, mild or severe, seizures
- Pressure in head, white matter lesions in brain (MRI)
- Twitching of facial or other muscles
- Facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy, Horner’s syndrome)
- Tingling of nose, (tip of) tongue, cheek or facial flushing
- Stiff or painful neck
- Jaw pain or stiffness
- Dental problems
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- Sore throat, clearing throat a lot, phlegm (flem), hoarseness, runny nose
Eyes/Vision
- Double or blurry vision
- Increase floating spots
- Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
- Oversensitivity to light
- Flashing lights, peripheral waves or phantom images
Ears/Hearing
- Decreased hearing in one or both ears, plugged ears
- Buzzing in ears
- Pain in ears, oversensitivity to sounds
- Ringing in one or both ears
- Digestive and Excretory Systems
Body
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping) or interstitial cystitis
- Upset stomach (nausea or pain) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Musculoskeletal System
- Bone pain, joint pain or swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome
- Stiffness of joints, back, neck, tennis elbow
- Muscle pain or cramps, (Fibromyalgia)
- Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
- Shortness of breath, can’t get full/satisfying breath, cough
- Chest pain or rib soreness
- Night sweats or unexplained chills
- Heart palpitations or extra beats
- Endocarditis, heart blockage
- Neurologic System
- Tremors or unexplained shaking
- Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
- Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, weakness, peripheral neuropathy or partial paralysis
- Pressure in the head
- Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
- Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
- Increased motion sickness
- Light-headedness, wooziness
- Psychological Well-being
Emotional
- Mood swings, irritability, bi-polar disorder
- Unusual depression
- Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
- Feeling as if you are losing your mind
- Over-emotional reactions, crying easily
- Too much sleep, or insomnia
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Narcolepsy, sleep apnea
- Panic attacks, anxiety
- Mental Capability
Cognitive
- Memory loss (short or long term)
- Confusion, difficulty thinking
- Difficulty with concentration or reading
- Going to the wrong place
- Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
- Difficulty finding commonly used words
- Stammering speech
- Forgetting how to perform simple tasks
- Reproduction and Sexuality
- Loss of sex drive
- Sexual dysfunction
- Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
- Unexplained breast pain, discharge
- Testicular or pelvic pain
- General Well-being
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Phantom smells
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Extreme fatigue
- Swollen glands or lymph nodes
- Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
- Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
- Symptoms seem to change, come and go
- Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
- Early on, experienced a ‘flu-like’ illness, after which you have not since felt well
- Low body temperature
- Allergies or chemical sensitivities
- Increased effect from alcohol and possible worse hangover
Lyme Disease symptoms can appear 3 to 30 days after a bite from an infected blacklegged tick. While the initial onset of infection can be successfully treated with antibiotics, if left untreated, Lyme disease can last for years and can include long-term debilitating effects both physically and mentally. In some cases, Lyme Disease can even result in death.
Symptoms & Disability for Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease can often be experienced mildly with fatigue and a reoccurring headache. Managing these symptoms while having the demands of a job has been a noted struggle for many Canadians; there has been an increase in short-term and long-term disability claims (most often in the preliminary stages when a diagnosis has yet to be confirmed). Since these symptoms seem vague to most insurers, and since Lyme Disease takes extensive testing and review to be properly diagnosed, many people in Ontario are faced with denied disability claims. But, even without a proper diagnosis, the symptoms and struggles that these people are facing are real, and are grounds for disability leave; they do interfere with ones ability to carry out their employment tasks, let alone their day to day life.
Lyme Disease Prevention
Since Lyme Disease is “newer” to Canada, awareness is limited. Many people are un-accepting of their diagnosis, and health care professionals who specialize in Lyme Disease prevention and management are few in numbers. While there is a growing increase in awareness, insurance companies are stubbornly behind in their acceptance of disability claims based on Lyme Disease. This does not mean they are right though. The Supreme Court of Canada as well as the Human Rights Tribunal are firm on their belief that disabilities cannot be discriminated against, and that chronic pain is a distressing reality that patients do suffer from; their disability is real.
Denied Disability Long Term (Lyme Disease)
If you are facing a rejected disability claim for symptoms you believe are related to Lyme Disease, or if you have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and have received a denied short-term or denied long-term disability claim, please contact a disability insurance lawyer. TSF Law is well versed in your legal rights, as well as the ongoing struggles you may be dealing with upon submitting a Lyme Disease disability claim. Our team of lawyers and legal professionals are knowledgeable and ready to be always there for you.
