Under Our Skin

Older Comments on Under Our Skin

• Posted 02/11/11 by Jennifer
  Hey, nonbeliever: If I had never been exposed to lyme, I would probably feel the same as you. However, my life was taken away from me seven years ago.. You see, I am no longer a person; but a host for a very exacting master. I was once VERY healthy and active. I worked out and acheived my personal trainer certification as one small goal on my list of dreams. I ate a very clean diet and actually went years without even drinking a soda. I would chide others for not taking better care of themselves and while believing that my lifestyle kept me immune from illness. Then I contracted Lyme Disease. I lost everything: my health, my job and my home in that order. I went from lifting weights 5 days a week and working circles around other people, to almost not being able to get out of bed. I felt as if I were being slowly poisoned to death. Not to be overly dramatic, but that is the only way to describe this illness. I was in EXTREMELY good shape until my body was hijacked by this stealthy parasite. If the government were attempting to create a bioweapon that could fly under the radar and morph into a cell-wall-deficient or cyst form while cloaking itself with the hosts macrophages, they could not have done a better job....Imagine, a bacteria that uses vitamin D (the most readily available vitamin) to create a by-product that suppresses immune function while allowing the bacteria to thrive. Imagine, suppressed immune function which prevents the bacteria from being detected on lab tests. To see (feel) Lyme Disease in action is to believe. Right now no one would ever believe I was a personal trainer not that long ago. But more than just that one achievement, I miss having a choice in what I accomplish. I miss the positive, energetic person I once was. I miss feeling as if I havw a future and my life has possibilities. I have fought for seven years to find answers, healing, myself. At my worst, with my depleted brain chemicals, loss of everything I worked for and the full-body pain which I have worn like a second skin, I sought relief by way of an overdose. I went from being in the best physical/mental/financial shape of my life to having my stomach pumped in the ER. So don't judge: listen; learn. Proceed with an open mind and don't dismiss the truth when it is right in front of you.
• Posted 01/29/11 by keir farnum
  Hey Disbliever, Opioids actually have a neurochemical basis for use in hyperalgesic conditions in which excitotoxic brain damage from excessive excitatory glutamate/NMDA is the main driver of hyperalgesia (hypersensitivity such as also occurs with meningitis and encephalitis) and the micro-seizure that causes all of the cognitive symptoms and the alpha/delta wave sleep anomaly (both have been found by research on ME patients and Borrelia can have very similar effects.) Like other NMDA antagonists (such as Dextromethorphan, Cannabinoids, etc.) and GABA agonists (such as Neurontin and Lyrica) which have all been found to be helpful in clinical trials with ME and FM patients, opiates are one of the principle antagonists for glutamate/NMDA and since studies have shown that ME, FM, and post polio patients are all endorphin deficient, it's an extremely reasonable hypothesis that opioid administration is actually having a strong neuroprotective effect against glutamatergic excess and is in essence normalizing the sensory dysfunction (a breakdown of sensory gating) that is hyperalgesia. Increasing evidence is showing that transient ischemia in the spinal horn (from vascular damage and heart dysfunction such as with viral with ME and direct infection by pathogens such as with Borrelia) leads to this type of condition. It is no coincidence that autopsies done on ME patients have shown inflammation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, this is the part of the spinal cord through which sensory information passes to the brain and is also known to be affected during meningitis and encephalitis; again showing how the similarities between these more conventionally understood conditions and conditions such as viral ME, Borreliosis, post polio, organophosphate ME, can be understood in terms of the now known physiology of hyperalgesia. Endorphins are part of our natural sensory gating system at the normal baseline levels and they produce a "pain killing" effect only when produced by the body in excess and considering this, you can begin to wonder what happens when your brain is permanently endorphin deficient. No amount of exercise will ever feel good and produce an endorphin response. It's likely that not all subsets of the ME/CFS/FM/Lyme continuum are specifically endorphin deficient since there are a number of ways that excitotoxic damage can occur and some subsets/individuals may not be able to tolerate opiates and may need other glutamate antagonists.
• Posted 01/21/11 by Dan
  Hey Disbliever, I guess it's easy to be smug when you haven't lived it. I'm a 45 yr old firefighter who spent nearly two years in false-negative / mis-diagnosis hell, before by pure chance found a doc who diagnosed me. He put me on long term anti-biotics, mostly oral Doxy, Cipro and Flagyl, and it pretty much saved my life. There is nothing science fiction about that.
• Posted 01/03/11 by Disbliever
  Nice bit of Science Fiction. This may be a post infectious inflammatory process, but our local LLMD - aka Quack gives everybody opiods, SSRI's, and benzodiazepines. I'd feel better too!
• Posted 12/14/10 by swamp
  Hey Folks, the film is available at Netflix. Not sure if you can watch it instantly but they have a free trial month offer right now and you could have it sent directly to your home.
• Posted 10/19/10 by justin oresik
  keep fighting baby dont give up. im a junior in collge byt im sensing my lyme disease if comming bcak and idont know who to handle it. guees jus one medication at a time and i will finally defeat that #### lyme disease. stay strong babe. man will prevail over some god#### virus
• Posted 10/12/10 by kristen
  I have been clinically diagnosed with chronic lyme. I have been to nuerologists, cardiologists, They thought I had, had a stroke. I am 39 years old living in Maine, and the actual film depicts exactly what is happening here in Maine. My nuerologist put onto my medical records that the diagnosis for lyme is not probable due to two lyme disease tests coming back negative. My insurance company is giving me a hard time with my diagnosis. I have been on antibiotics now for over 30days with no improvement at this time. Good news is I am not getting worse. If this had continued I would have been in a wheelchair. The brain fog is horrendous and my husband does not know what to think. I have always been an extremely hardworker and now I have to push myself everyday to do the simple things I have always done like foodshopping. My Dr. is sending me to a Dr of Infectious disease in Boston, to stop the insurance company from causing more stress on a daily basis. This is very sad, the movie explains many things that people really need to know. The pain is excrutiating and you pray everyday to feel better.
• Posted 07/22/10 by Kathryn
  My 10-year-old daughter has all the symptoms of recurrent Lyme: severe, unremitting headaches, joint pain in her wrists, knees, and ankles, belly pain, tremors during her "sleep," and inability to get comfortable. The six doctors we have seen say that she should see a therapist for "stress." She already saw a therapist that said that this is not a psychosomatic illness, she is really sick. We live in a deer tick-infested area. She was tested for Lyme 4 years ago when we brought in the tick that caused a bullseye rash. It was shown to be Borrelia Burgdorferi, the Lyme disease-carrying spirochete, and yet now every test for Lyme shows that she is Lyme-negative. The doctors are talking about doing a spinal tap, an overnight observation for epilepsy, and administering steroids. An Infectious Disease specialist informed me that if she decides to treat my daughter for Lyme, she will give her IV antibiotics for no more than 30 days. I do not know if that treatment will cure her.
• Posted 07/20/10 by George
  I have had Lyme disease for 30+ years. I have seen it and this is a great film. However if the site says you can watch the entire movie for free you should be able to. Otherwise it should state watch a preview or exert. It ticks me off that I was trying to figure out how to watch it for free so I can send it to other people. That is wrong. Please fix it one way or another. Sick people do not have the energy to try and figure out how to do something that can not be done...That is cruel. The IDS and CDC are way off on their recommended treatment... It is critical to find an ILADS trained doctor and to use a lab that specializes in tick born diseases.
• Posted 05/13/10 by Susan Gougeon Klein
  The teaser said watch the entire film....I seriously doubt that a 13 minute clip is in anyway considered as the entirety for a 90 minute film. Shame on you for lying to sick people who are trying to gather information........
• Posted 04/26/10 by Combray
  Not only in America..... i'm struggling with lyme now for 3 years. I live in the Netherlands (Europe) and it's the same here, 1 month doxycycline and your're curred... The estimated numbers in the Netherlands for infected people with lyme is aprox. 22.000. If i'm right the Netherlands fits 3 or 4 times in the state of New York. talking about an epidemic... and no help. What is wrong here??
• Posted 04/18/10 by ellen scheppke
  I am wondering why I cant find the movie Under Our Skin anywhere! I would love to see it, it looks very informative. Here is my story: "I have had 3 lymes infections in the past 3 years, 2007 was the 1st time, I keep getting it back, once last year, now this year. Feeling crappy! Even after antibiotic therapy, and i am suffering with these symptoms eve after the antibotic is finished.. What is a LD-educated doctor?. And how can i rule out LD and co-infections. Are there more blood tests that my doc. can give me, if so what are they called so I can ask for them when I have my physical. I think she gave me 2 stage test. Wow, sick of feeling this way!!" Thanks, Ellen
• Posted 01/29/10 by Carolyn DeWeese
  Great film but I just wish it gave out more information on where to go for help. Are there other sites to view regarding Lyme.
• Posted 01/08/10 by Tick bait
  Everyone should watch this. Only in America can people suffering cause contraversies. Tick bourne illness need great respect and understanding.
• Posted 11/08/09 by Truthaboutlymedisease.com
  Donna, sorry to hear that IV has created a worse scenario. I have heard of this happening in a few instances. Head pressure can be built up of spinal fluid. I am not a doctor, but I know 2 people that were in treatment that this happened with and they had to have repeated lumbar punctures to relieve the head pressure. I would see a lyme literate neurologist. Call ILADS.Org - go to their site and click on the contact link their number is there. They can help you find a LL neurologist or another LLMd that give you another opinion. I wish you the best and pray you feel better. God bless.
• Posted 11/04/09 by Donna H.
  I have had severe head pressure that started after going on IV antibiotics, which initially just started as headaches before starting treatment. After two and half months of treatment, the head pressure became so bad that I informed my doctor I must stop for treatment for awhile. Since I have stopped, I thought I would get better. However, the head pressure has increased. Has anyone experienced this? What should I do? Now I also have nerve pain in arms and legs, and I'm losing function and mobility of these extremities. My doctor doesn't want to resume antibiotic treatment. She thinks I might have Chiari. Please, any information or advice is greatly appreciated!
• Posted 10/20/09 by Kris
  I agree. It is absurd to complain about the cost of the film. These are people who have to work as well. They cannot work for free any more than you should be expected to work for free. I am grateful to all of the people who worked so hard to put this film together. I purchased several copies to give to my doctors. I saw between 10-15 doctors before I was diagnosed and ultimately I had to diagnose myself which was backed up by blood tests. I am forever grateful that this movie is out there raising awareness for Lyme disease. Educating the public is the job of every Lyme patient, in my opinion. However you choose to do that is up to you. If you can't afford to buy the DVD then provide the link for others to view, share the information you learned. As someone with Lyme disease, I feel if I do nothing but complain about my having Lyme disease then I have literally done nothing to raise awareness. I don't want to put myself in the same category with Shapiro, Wormser, Steere, and their co-conspirators. Many of us Lymies would not be where we are today if these men had the courage to speak the truth early on. We might all have been diagnosed and treated early. If I can help one person avoid this disease, then even that is enough to make me feel I made a difference. I already have Lyme. The question now is, what am I going to do about it? Well, I'm not going to sit and rot. If I go down, then I go down fighting.
• Posted 10/17/09 by noreen
  I think it is absurd people would complain about having to purchase this film. The time effort and money spent in production needs to be recouped so as to be able to produce more necessary films such as this. One should be thankful the people involved cared enough to help all people affected by this horrible disease. I for one am happy to pay the the $34.95 to access the stories and pertinent information on the film. I would also like to say thank you and keep up the good work to all involved in the project.
• Posted 10/08/09 by Scott McCall
  This film could be used to broaden public awareness of Lyme, but no. Like the rest of Lyme bottom feeders a trailer is released to tease you into spending even more money for no results, cures, and certainly no public awareness without paying the pimps for another scary movie. I'd like to say more but i'm sure profanity would be considered 'inappropriate' and my post unseen
• Posted 10/07/09 by gale
  I went to a presentation of the full length film over the summer in Wisconsin. A woman with Lyme's bought it & organized a presentation in her town. It's sobering & scary. About a month ago, my husband became ill. 4 blood tests, one ultrasound & one chest x-ray later - we had no answers, but we did know that Lyme's test #1 came back negative. TONIGHT we just learned that test #2 came back positive... Doxycycline has been called into the pharmacy, and we will go pick it up shortly. I'm grateful that the doctor DID order the drug recommended in this film, but the doctor ordered a 2 week supply - and the film, I believe recommended longer treatment - maybe up to 6 weeks. He will be tested a third time in a month. I'm praying this won't turn out like the poor people we watched in the film.
• Posted 09/19/09 by Tommy Clonts
  Very relevant information. Ironically, the last portion of the film highlights the problem of information hoarding for profit motive, while this 'film' is itself barely a teaser to lead you to purchase the DVD. This information could save lives. I suppose if I was trapped in a hopeless situation with no help in sight I would snatch this up, however since I am not, I can't justify the purchase.
• Posted 09/07/09 by Excerptophobe
  This is not the documentary, it's a teaser trailer and is only an ad for the DVD. The page's HTML <title> tag states "Under Our Skin - Watch the Documentary for Free", the blurb above states "this eye-opening new film", and "this film". All suggest the viewer will see the full documentary, and all are false. SnagFilms is supposed to be a "full length documentary site" according to all the press and reviews. However, this is supered at 0:09 as "Excerpt from Under Our Skin", and the length is only 13:31. It's an embarrassment. Please either 1. Require the filmmakers to upload the full documentary (104 minutes), or 2. Re-title this "Under Our Skin(teaser trailer)" throughout the site, or. 3. Remove this thing from Snagfilms until the filmmakers can get their act together. Filmmakers should not get a full ad revenue share for 1/8 of a film. Filmmakers should not upload excerpts without prominently titling them "TRAILER" or "EXCERPT" and truthfully stating the time of the uploaded video. (Oh, and votes shouldn't be tallied unless the whole video's been watched. This will reduce the gaming obviously going on.)
• Posted 08/07/09 by Joe
  Feels like there was no conclusion to the documentary.
• Posted 08/02/09 by Open Eye Pictures
  The following are relevant journal articles for review. Best of luck. Under Our Skin http://www.underourskin.com Phillips, MD on Bb Persistance: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15064 Stricker, MD on inaccuracy of Lyme testing: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15074 Liegner, MD on treatment failures: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15060 Luft, MD on Late Stage Lyme manifestations http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15062 Allison DeLong on statistical flaws in the Klempner Study http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15048 Fallon on helpfulness of long term abx on neuroLyme: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15052
• Posted 08/02/09 by Open Eye Pictures
  Here are some links to journal articles. This would be a good place to start: Phillips, MD on Bb Persistance: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15064 Stricker, MD on inaccuracy of Lyme testing: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15074 Liegner, MD on treatment failures: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15060 Luft, MD on Late Stage Lyme manifestations http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15062 Allison DeLong on statistical flaws in the Klempner Study http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15048 Fallon on helpfulness of long term abx on neuroLyme: http://www.idsociety.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15052
• Posted 08/02/09 by Marc D Hiller DrPH
  Is there any peer-reviewed journal articles to which one can be referred to support the claims made in this film. I teach a course in public health and might like to buy the video to show my students, but first need to validate the arguments voiced in the film. Has any comment about the film been made by CDC? Please send any response to me at the email address included in this comment. Thanks!
• Posted 08/02/09 by Marc D Hiller DrPH
  Is there any peer-reviewed journal articles to which one can be referred to support the claims made in this film. I teach a course in public health and might like to buy the video to show my students, but first need to validate the arguments voiced in the film. Has any comment about the film been made by CDC? Please send any response to me at the email address included in this comment. Thanks!
• Posted 07/20/09 by joraeme1@yahoo.com
  This film should be shown in all the jr. and senior high schools thru out this country
• Posted 07/20/09 by charmaigne
  Betsy: You need doxycycline ASAP....please make sure you stay on it long enough to COMPLETELY kill all hidden spirochetes...no less than six weeks. Find a good eastern medicine doctor as well to keep the bacteria from penetrating into your body tissue and hiding there. You may need a course of CEFTIN as well. DO NOT stop the antibiotics until at least two weeks AFTER you feel completely cured.
• Posted 07/15/09 by Twice Shy
  Lyme disease is a spirochete. This is a very dangerous and hard to kill bacteria. It's closest "cousin" is Syphilis. The big difference is how much easier Lyme disease is to catch. Can you just *imagine* treating syphilis with SALT and VITAMIN C*???? Look up Tertiary Syphilis. Both Lyme and Syphilis advance to various organ systems, so they present in unpredictable ways. The bottom line is that they are both malignant and terminal if not treated. Our suffering and deaths are the ugliest truth of a system where health care is a commodity and not a human right. Because Lyme disease mimics other illnesses, by the time we're at death's door, they can say it was something else that took us, but they know. There's a short version of what is going on with Lyme & Money, and an awesome macro zoom pic of an embedded deer tick at www.tickedoffliterally.blogspot.com Join LymeNet and the others will help you along, like they did for me. Get to an LLMD. Take good care of yourself, and know that the others are pulling for you. P.S. On the day you typed this, I could neither walk, nor hold my head up. It goes in cycles, and it's terrifying because you never know if one of the worse phases is where you'll be permanently stuck. Get help.
• Posted 07/11/09 by betsy
  I was diasnosed with lyme two days ago. (For the past 16 days I was on Tamiflu for my "flu" but things did not get better - because I did not have the flu(?)......I was unable to get an appointment with rheumatologist until August 20. I am panicking. Shouldn't there be immediate treatment. ? Many out of town internet promises for cures but I do not feel comfortable just picking a # out of the phone book.
• Posted 07/05/09 by deborah
  i too have lyme....must see a lyme literal medical doctor. talk to your local lyme disease organization. they should have a LLMD to refer. most likely you will have to travel. i just came across a website, www.lymephotos.com. so i am trying the salt and vitamin c. i am using himalayn salt. look up himalayn salt and sole. if anyone else has suggestions please post. it is very upsetting that this has to take place in the united states. it is disgusting how this is not being looked at. it just gives me an indication of really how the government plays such a part in our medical field, whether it is lyme or cancer. from my research on lyme, i question now if every disease is diagnosed and treated by medical guidelines whether it be the medical association or the CDC and the insurance companies. when a doctor says there is nothing more than can do...are they saying they can't because it goes beyond those guidelines and they don't want to jeapordise their medical license? i have a huge feeling that is the reason. why are hands tied on treating this disease? i don't understand.
• Posted 07/02/09 by Julie
  I've had lyme for 5 yrs. The last year or so I've been taking immune26, a supplement. It helps the immune system work properly. I've had considerable change in symptoms since being on it.
• Posted 06/29/09 by robert andersen
  vikingbob9@aol.com i woud like to know wat $15.00 Rx this person needed
• Posted 06/29/09 by jan argyle
  my family has been sick for 35 plus years. my husband just died. i have 5 children all have lymes. they have suffered so much. most of the suffering is being told your craxy and thinking you are crazy. hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent with no results. the community i am from and my husband are very sick. town of 500 people and their children are also sick. what do we do???
• Posted 05/21/09 by Teresa
  I have just been diagnosed with Lyme. They think i have had it for at least 2 years. I am in deep depression for this reason. I also was told I was crazy. More information needs to be put out to the public. This is something i heard about but never knew how serious it is until I got it.
• Posted 05/21/09 by ps
  If it hadn't been for my 4th swollen knee episode, so filled with fluid that I could not walk, and a Western Blot test to finally confirm it, my diagnoses may still not have been made. I had Lyme for well over a year and no one knew it. 8 months prior, half a day in the emergency room trying to find out why my knee was swollen resulted in much money spent for nothing. A $15.00 Rx was all I needed. NO ONE EVER ASKED ME ABOUT MY LIFESTYLE. I'm outside all the time gardening. Duh!
• Posted 05/18/09 by Lynn
  The film, Under Our Skin, will be showing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from August 6 - August 13, 2009. A very good friend of mine has also experienced many of the same issues as Kim. Some of the most serious issues are that many doctors are not Lyme-Literate. The normal protocol for treatment is antibiotics for 3-4 weeks. This treatment is effective if caught during the early infection period. Health Insurance companies are not covering other treatments or prolong antibiotic treatments. There are very few doctors who are willing to treat patients who have had Lyme Disease after the initial infection. Those that do often don't accept health insurance and if they do, they get flagged for over-treating patients. The Lyme test is also provides many false negatives results. If you experience flu-like symptoms a few weeks after being bitten by a tick or after being in a tick infested area, insist on being treated with the Lyme Disease Antibiotic protocol. Often you don't know you have been bitten, the bulls-eye rash won't appear or you could contract other similar diseases to Lyme from the tick. Save the tick for testing if you have it. May is national Lyme Disease Awareness month. The baby ticks (nymphs) are out now and are the most likely carriers of Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is one of the fastest spreading diseases. Insurance companies are restricting treatments and very little money is being dedicated to Lyme Disease treatment. The award-winning documentary, Under Our Skin is now in theater distribution and is trying to build awareness to this silent epidemic. Not only are people not getting better, medical health insurance companies are trying to prevent new protocols for treatment.
• Posted 05/16/09 by Nancy
  So all of these people that have contracted lyme disease have been bitten by a tick? Or are there other ways to get this disease?
• Posted 04/22/09 by kt
  i am 24 years old and struggling with lyme. the film was upsetting to me not in the fact that i did not like it but that i felt as though other people are going through the hardship i am facing myself. my mother was diagnosed a few years back after going to every possible doctor and them telling her that she was crazy for thinking there was something wrong with her. This went on for years. Finally, she found someone that was treated by this doctor several hrs away. As a last resort she called and got on the waiting list to see this dr. yadayadayada....takes her 3 years to get treated and in the middle of all that my brother(in middle school) was having "problems" and went to see her....she tests for everything and found he had lyme and then i got tested and i have lyme. come to find out we were born with it and since we had it for years our problems were major. i sympathize with every last person that has or had lyme. no one truly understands how bad this is until you are living it. it is almost like a secret that no one talks about bc other people/drs. think its no big deal or have no knowledge about what a nightmare lyme really is.
• Posted 04/02/09 by Kim
  The University of NH in Manchester, NH is screening "UNDER OUR SKIN" on campus. We are also hosting a lecture about Lyme disease and the medical controversy. Both events are free and open to anyone. No rsvp is required. UNH Manchester, 400 Commercial Street, Manchester, NH, Third floor auditorium Lecture: Debunking the Myths Surrounding Lyme Disease (Thursday, April 9 at 6 PM) A great deal of myth and misunderstanding surrounds Lyme disease, both within and outside the medical community. Many people are misdiagnosed with other chronic ailments such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis because of the lack of understanding regarding the far-ranging nature of Lyme symptoms and the inaccuracy of the testing. Learn more about the many aspects of Lyme disease, from prevention to diagnosis to treatment protocols. Film Screening: UNDER OUR SKIN, 2008 (Thursday, April 16 at 6 PM) A dramatic tale of microbes, medicine and money, this eye-opening documentary film investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are "all in their head." Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of our health care system and its inability to cope with a silent terror under our skin. A frightening expose about how the medical system is failing to address one of the most serious epidemics of our times. David Hunter will facilitate questions and answers following the film screening. The film is 109 minutes in length.
• Posted 03/26/09 by Gus Gusmer
  I was bitten on Oct,1991 on FL on a Boy Scout campout. After thtee mounths, I felt thatI had aged from 49 to 89 yrs. old.I already hed developed neurologal problems. When my labwork came back from Igenex, I had far more bands then"survilance" hich was to only track the spread of lyme. This bimproved ecame the "golg standard" for the doctors, even when the CDC said it should NOT be used as a basis for diagnosis, the symptoms are are to be useds. After extensive treatemt I improved in the aches and body pain. I used to train firefighters to operate fire frucks and aerial trucks. Now I can't safely drive a car. I feel half dead all the time. With pain killers I am able to feel better.My mind is such that I cannot tell what day it is, what month it is and a few times what year it is. I can't tell you my age without figuring it. I'm slowly getting worse like dimentia, and don't think I will stand too much more of it. Half alive, and wanting to do the things I used to do, and half dead trapped by Lyme. Do I think about death? Many, many times every day. Tried it once but was found just in time. I only hope the Anti-Lime doctors get it themselves, and then try to fix themselves, when the useless tests will not pay for their treatment. Only then will they change their minds.
• Posted 02/25/09 by nancy
  This is a well done video that shows the politics of medicine and ravages of this unrecognized disease. This video does an excellent job showing the difficulty in getting diagnosed and getting treated because of the heritics of Infectious Disease MD's. However, this video does not go far enough in teaching the public as to the long list of possible symptoms, what tests to ask the doctor to do and credible labs, email references for more information, and is slanted toward the antibiotic approach. There are other wholistic treatments for this illness that was not addressed at all. This information is vital for the public to get fully educated. Please send the video to all news stations, Oprah, Dr. Oz, Obama, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Infectious Disease doctor's need to be sued and put in jail for violating their hippocratic oath!! NR MS, RD, LN
• Posted 02/12/09 by rookie
  Tanya, I too have children and struggle to care for them with lyme. Can you look on the lyme disease organization websites and search for a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor LLMD, it is not easy to find them, contact the Lyme Support Groups and ask them what you should do? With antibiotic care, strong care, time...you can improve. Drink tons of water, work on getting the co-infections out of your body, try to exercise, hot sauna and baths to help the toxins release, find a very good herbalist that deals with lyme (look on web for this), take two or more cloves of garlic..fresh each day, to help your body. Keep fighting and searching, ask a family member or friend to help you search. You can find someone to help. visualize that your body is healing, and keep looking for antibiotic and supplemental help. god bless.
• Posted 01/29/09 by Tanya Mueller
  I am hitting a brick wall every time I seek out a Canadian Lymes specialist... Are there any??? My daughter was raised in day care because I was so sick. Night sweats, fever, joint & muscle pain, tremors, Chrones disease! I was diagnosed with ms... but because of a western blot in the us, I discovered that it was infact lymes, after 10 years of useless injections & prescriptions. At the age of 6 years old I remember playing with a bump on my wrist for a week or 2 before I actually went to my parents to show them. I remember my father burning the bump with a cigarette and watching the tick back track. I have been sick for 30 years, and our medical system doesn't care! Please someone help me!!!!! I don't know how much longer I can live like this! My children need me, and I am always not feeling well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Posted 01/27/09 by forrest vreeland
  Would it be possible for you to send a copy of the preview dvd to Barrack Obama and request that he veiw it with his family? If you send a complete movie chances are he would not take thetime to view it, with his busy schedule.Our government imported the disease, enhansted it at there bological facilities, and accidently or purposely set it loose on the population, and now it is time to step up and correct the problem. F L Vreeland
• Posted 01/26/09 by jessica
  This movie is great with the exception of segment with the woman who consistently gets pregnant knowing that her baby will likely be born with Lyme disease and either die or live a completely painful, debilitating and short life. Instead of wanting children that look like her, she should adopt one or two of the thousands of children that desperately need homes. Pro-creating infected children is abuse. Plain and simple. This aspect of the film detracts from the overall message of Lyme disease, a serious life-threatening epidemic that is ignored by the medical community purely for economic reasons.
• Posted 01/25/09 by caryn
  The worst part of lyme disease epidemic is what it is doing to the children born with it. It's called autism. 1 in 150 kids. Again, this disability is not considered medical and these children are deprived of proper medical intervention. Parents are told by their medical doctors to get their children behavioral modification therapy. Last time I checked, bartonella was listed as a known cause of encephalitis and causes neurological symptoms. Every child that I know with autism that was tested by a lyme literate practitioner tested positive for borrelia and bartonella.
• Posted 01/19/09 by Sandy
  Thank you for creating this film. We have been in the dark about this horrible condition and finally I have information to share with my friends and family. Many thought me "crazy," including an MD who announced to my former spouse and my adult daughter that I just needed pyschiatric help. It's been a hellish trek, but finally after 7 years I seem to be coming back. With the help of essential oils, Chinese herbs, IV therapy and body work, I'm finally coming back to life. Because I was undiagnosed for the first 6 years of my battle I was a nonfunctional being. Can't wait to live again. I love the film and I hope this disease may one day be understood and treated appropriately by Western medicine.
• Posted 01/17/09 by Melinda Nielsen
  After 17 years of dispair, pain and labled depressed, and suffering from FMS I found Dr. Jemsek who is in this film. He started treating me 15 months ago with the IV treatment. I fought our insurance and won. I am a total different person. I am a better person, with more energy and less pain. I am married with 2 children and guess what. They were born with lyme. So for any one out there that doesn't believe that it could happen. It does every day! Thank you for making this film and thank you, Dr. Jemsek.
• Posted 11/07/08 by renee
  I was at your premier in NYC and found the movie to be quite accurate in describing the obstacles of being in the middle of this debate on treatment . I also have been a sufferer of neurological lyme disease and co-infections babesia and bartonella .I have chosen to go the entire route and have made some important gains with the long term antibiotic treatment . Still a ways to go but by far better than what I was, which was barely being able to think walk or talk . I still find it amazing how often physiscians disregard being exposed to a tick bite and the slowly progressing symptoms that accompany it. It makes me so frustrated that 30 years later we are in the middle of this debate . I have been at this long battle for over 2 years after my doctor ignoring me with two different exposures to tick bites for over 18 months . I have been shunned by family and friends for chosing the route I have and very depressed at times with the fallout of the ignorance of people to at least take a look at the options . I am living proof as well that my choice of therapy through Lyme Literate Dr's have improved my chances for recovery Not there yet but not willing to give up yet either. Thanks again for the production of your film on this very important issue. I hope changes will be forth coming. No individual should have to suffer like this and no family should have to stand by and watch it . It is very difficult on all of us. My thoughts go out to all the Lyme Literate Doctors who take the chance to treat their patients accordingly to improve our chances of recovery and quality of life . Up here in NH
• Posted 10/28/08 by Triza Schultz
  It took me years to get accurately diagnosed with neurological Lyme disease. By that time, I couldn't walk and the pain was excruciating. I lost my home, everything, except my spirit! I experienced the same marginalizing and demoralizing scenarios with doctors that your documentary showed, from "it's all in your head", to trying to push narcotices and anti-depressents on me, to "Why don't you find a nice man to take care of you".. The specialists I went to were a reumotologist, internist, neurologist and a neurosurgen - recommended as some of the best in the area I once lived in! They did try to diagnose me with MS and Parkinson's... What was so unfortunate and sad was that none of those doctors was the least bit curious beyond what they believed they knew - no attempts to solve or really discover other potential possibilities because in part, I discovered, they had no time. There were usually several patients waiting, and people were given about a 20 minuute session with the doctor. They seemed to be herding people in and out their doors like cattle, short of a willingness to write a prescription for about anything. So when I found my LLMD's (Lyme literate MD) everything changed! A new world opened up. I was treated with compassion. No one was looking at their watch. "Whole healing" is now in progress. These highly intelligent, knowledgable beyond words, visionary, kind and gentle doctors who don't give up on you, whose thirst and desire for information/knowledge, and who use of an integrative approach with medicine, are indeed the pioneers of the future. These doctors are the cutting edge of a healthy, holistic, and humane way of medicine. Thank God! Finally, thank you... Thank you so much for creating this dcumentary. My prayer is that this will help bust wide open the veil of secrecy, denial, and ignorance. Thank you!! Bless you all...
• Posted 10/23/08 by Lyme Victim # 48,782
  Speaking of celebrities with Lyme, do you ever think the public will hear the truth about President Bush's encounter with Lyme disease and which treatment he received? Obviously if it were per "guidelines" it wouldn't be such a guarded secret. At least he was deserving of the best care and it was caught early. If only we were all so fortunate and not just another number with $ signs attached ;(
• Posted 10/22/08 by Andy
  Thanks, everyone, for your posts--and for your support! It's wonderful to get your feedback and encouraging to others as well. Keep it up, and feel free to visit our website for additional resources: www.underourskin.com Warmest Greetings, Andy Abrahams Wilson UNDER OUR SKIN, Director
• Posted 10/22/08 by Andy
  Thanks, everyone, for your posts--and for your support! It's wonderful to get your feedback and encouraging to others as well. Keep it up, and feel free to visit our website for additional resources: www.underourskin.com Warmest Greetings, Andy Abrahams Wilson UNDER OUR SKIN, Director
• Posted 10/22/08 by Andy
  Thanks, everyone, for your posts--and for your support! It's wonderful to get your feedback and encouraging to others as well. Keep it up, and feel free to visit our website for additional resources: www.underourskin.com Warmest Greetings, Andy Abrahams Wilson UNDER OUR SKIN, Director
• Posted 10/20/08 by Nancy
  Bravo Andy Abrahams Wilson! I saw this films debut at the Tribecca Film festival this past spring, bought the DVD and am spreading it around Maine. We were fortunate to view it again at the Camden Film festival this fall where 95% of the audience had a connection with Lyme. Please buy the DVD and give it to your doctors Educate yourself. Do all you can to support this film. Its the key we need. I have had Lyme disease for 8 years. It has attacked my heart and my brain. Pacemaker and betablockers are often the result. I deal with terrible pain every day, The local infectious disease specialist says Lyme does not exist in Maine. I have had two more tick bites recently. I have a farm. Do I stop living? Trust me I have considered that as an option but have chosen to fight.
• Posted 10/09/08 by Rita Losee, ScD, RN
  I am so filled with love and compassion for all my fellow/sister Lyme victims. When I retrospect what my life has been for the past 8 years, I am amazed, such insane experiences. Docs refusing antibiotics because they are dangerous, then whipping out the pen to prescribe antidepressants, even though I've taken millions of milligrams of zithromax with no side effects -- except feeling better! I am so grateful that I now feel well enough to participate in life, even though it's not the life I once had. I am also so grateful to Andy for doing the film and for the docs who are risking their livelihoods and licenses to care for us.
• Posted 10/07/08 by Tash
  Don't seem to be able to get it downloaded on here. (But maybe it's just my crap slow computer..) You can also watch it on here http://www.underourskin.com/watch.html and there are copies on youtube too... Excellent film, couldn't be much better, well done!
• Posted 10/07/08 by Tanah
  How can that guy -"Yale Graduate" - Dr Wormser say with a straight face that lyme can't be passed on to your children and thru "sexual contact" -how dare he says that and was one of the ones that wrote those CDC guidelines for lyme disease...He says the science isn't there? How can he be so dishonest and bold? Because nobody challenges them- Wait until a famous hollywood star/celebrity goes thru this or someone they love and we will see more attention to this overlooked and underestimated devastating disease. I passed it on to my 3 children now ages 2, 5 and 7 all have symptoms and are positive in western blots- meeting strict CDC criteria and low CD 57's which are now immune suppressed-also my husband as well...I passed it on to them and my husband thru sexual contact as it is the cousin of syphilis. I got bit by a tick 8 yrs ago. Sad-so sad... Why he does it with a straight face? well Dr Wormser and his collegues had conflict of interest when writing the guidelines and didn't disclose that information. Also, they/he particularly included so called studies and REFUSED to include other relevant studies and data from lyme literate doctors who indeed treated people with lyme with great success... They didn't allow for anybody input or data to contradict what they believed. That is plain evil and dishonest-and what upsets me is that he claims to serve the public and we paid for their salaries... Shame on you! We need HONEST Doctors in the CDC panel/medical board and new CDC Guidelines. Austin, TX
• Posted 10/06/08 by mark williams
  I have tried to watch this preview of under our skin 3 times.Each time at different points there is flutter and then the film kicks off.Does anyone know a site other than snag where I can watch this.A late stage lyme sufferer. aurthor@cox.net
• Posted 10/05/08 by Trisha
  Thank You all who participated in this film, it is an urgent wake up call to our health care system.This film has opened many peoples eyes to the pandemic upsurge of Lyme and its horrific reprucussions, it is also the tip of the iceberg. It's not just ticks causing problems: it is sand fleas, flies and mites, lice and people being misdiagnosed with scabies.Our soldiers are coming back from Iraq with horrendous cases of Leshmaniasis caused by the bite of sand fleas. The medical community better wake up, we not only have an increase in Chronic Lyme but in other deadly vector borne diseases, as a Medical Professional I am in contact with people every day with Leshmaniasis, Lyme, Bird Mites, Chagas Disease and Morgellons. These people are debunked, dimissed and told that parasitic diseases do not exist in the United States. I am one Nurse in Florida who has spent the last 3 years listening to and fighting for the rights of these people. The Current pesticides on the market are not effective against these diseases. People are having to take horse dewormers, make colloidal silver in their back yards and are slathering toxic chemicals on their bodies in order to try and stop the progression of these vector borne diseases.After multiple trips to the "Doctors" all hope is lost when they are tagged as delusional or mentally ill. They have lost jobs, homes, have no insurance coverage and families are being destroyed by vector borne illnesses. This film is a huge start and as we dig deeper we will uncover many parasitic diseases are actually causing neurological, muscular, blood diseases, paralysis and death of children, adults and the elderly. When will our Medical System wake up and understand these diseases are not just skin deep.These diseases are world wide, escalating and are of epidemic proportions.My concern is also what is being missed in our blood supplies and have they been comprimised also.Thank You for opening the door and making people see that what we may think is incredible...is indeed CREDIBLE.
• Posted 10/05/08 by Louise
  My story is like most who suffer Chronic Lyme Disease. I suffered for over 8 years, my husband & I traveled all over the US trying to find a diagnosis for whatever this was that had me completelt debilitated,,,,and even wheelchair bound, doctors and hospitals and some very prestigious university hospitals and clinics said basically they could find Nothing wrong with me. Then by some MIRACLE I found my LLD and 2& 1/2 years ago started on my way to recovery. This will probably Never leave me completely, I still Do have many bouts but I can walk & function like most normal human beings. Everyone MUST see this film and take some action to educate both the doctors and the public on the simple things to do in case there is a tick on the body and doctors, above all else must be made to learn & understand CHRONIC LYME DISEASE DOES EXIST and IT MOST BE TREATED WITH NEW GUIDELINES.
• Posted 10/05/08 by Erik
  This is a message to Peggy of Family who posted a message below: Peggy- you are fortunate because there is an excellent clinic in Kansas for Lyme. I have or had the disease and used this clinic for the last three years. It is in Wichita and is well described in its web site under the Hansa Clinic, headed by Dr. David Jernigan. email me for any needed information! Erik
• Posted 10/04/08 by Interesting
  At first I thought hmm, a doc about Lyme disease... And that's it? I'm probably like a lot of people out there. I've read about Lyme disease in newspaper headlines, but never knew there was much to worry about or even discuss. But I'm glad I watched all the way to the end. When I heard mention of biological patents, I knew there was something important to this - something that's part of an ominous larger picture in the health care and pharmaceutical industries today. I also live in a part of the country where there is risk of the disease. Thank you for educating people and fighting for what is right in this disturbingly profiteering world we live in.
• Posted 10/02/08 by Pat Heaney
  Thank-you for this film. It will open up the eyes of the people who have the power to make change. As a nurse who has many chronic late stage Lyme Disease patients on long term IV antibiotics, I've seen what they go through from their beginning stories and how well they do after Antibiotic treatment is finished. I also suffered through my own Lyme disease and co infections. Thank God there are intelligent,caring LLMD's that put patients ahead of strict guidelines of IDSA(Who would rather let patients suffer and go on diability.) Treatment and education could prevent disability from this devastating illness.
• Posted 10/02/08 by FAMILY
  HI: We are a family of six. All of us have Lyme disease and many coinfections. I can't find adequate testing or treatment in my state of Kansas. I worry alot about my oldest daughter's pregnancy. Her OB GYN refuses to check her or the baby for Lyme disease. Doctors in our town are now refusing hospitalization and primary care to me, my family, and all "past, present, or future Lyme patients." Why? Because the doctors are "hired by the hospital." Peggy
• Posted 10/02/08 by Ann Prow
  Something very important to know. Chronic Lyme Disease has changed my life, put me on disability and changed every facet of my life. We need more study about this illness, we need assistance and more doctors to understand it, diagnose it and treat it. Without it, this will weaken our world by weakening each person one at a time.
• Posted 10/02/08 by Joe LeBlanc
  Do you have copies of the abbreviated version of Under Our Skin that you showed at the NATCAPLYME Briefing Sept 24. I have an opportunity to show it at a Clinic Meeting - Board of Directors - here in Nelson County, VA. I am also in contact with several other community groups here in Central VA and would like to show the shorter version, if at all possible. Thank you, Joe LeBlanc, Director Central Virginia Chapter National Capitol Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Association c/o 235 Dug Hill Road Amherst, VA 24521-3843 (434) 277-8346 www.natcaplyme.org
• Posted 10/02/08 by Renee Feldman
  Thank you Andy and all the people who helped you make this film come to life. Finally, the truth about Lyme Disease. This Documentary will be pivotal in educating our public about Lyme Disease and the unfortunate controversy that surrounds it. Great film and it is obvious how much work went into it!!!!! Renee (ILLINOIS)
• Posted 10/01/08 by Linda Rinaldi
  Bless you for making this film about this hidden epidemic I have suffered with Lyme disease for 18 years with neurologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms. I went through a living hell. I am still on daily antibiotics and cannot stop without having my symptoms reappear as violently as in the beginning. So many people are misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ALS, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders, etc. My family have all been bit many times. My daughter was sick for five years (until finding Dr. Jones - wonderful, giving soul), my husband had a positive test 9 years ago and now has been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease diagnosis of PLS (a slowly progressing disease similar to ALS. The government has to step up, admit to their biological warfare research and help all of us stricken with this illness to get the help we need. This is the most pressing issue the United States is being faced with, not the economy, education, wars, and unbelieveably it is all being kept a secret. For fear of losing their licenses, doctors are afraid to treat Lyme and don't want to get involved. Thanks, Thanks so much to Andy Abrahams Wilson and staff for this very telling documentary.
• Posted 09/11/08 by Lane
  I saw the film in New York and was completely blown away by the in depth research that went into it. I have late-stage Lyme disease and several of the patients followed in the film are telling my own story. This film could literally save lives. I only wish I had known about Lyme disease and it's potentially devasting effects long ago. Andy Abrahams Wilson and all of those who spent long hours working on this film documentary are to be commended for bringing this controversial and difficult disease to light.
• Posted 08/13/08 by Elaine Finn
  Thanks so much to everyone involved in making this film. My doctor is in this film.....he has lost just about everything he has worked for because he chose to help Lyme sufferers. God bless, Elaine in Virginia
• Posted 08/07/08 by Andrea
  Thanks so much to the makers of this film. It is SO helpful for Lyme patients to have something like this to hold onto and to show other people who are skeptical of what we know to be true about the disease. Thanks again.
• Posted 08/01/08 by Nancy Brooks
  After my family and I viewed the movie I purchased at the showing in Silver Spring, Maryalnd in June 2008,we all understand what I have been going through. I do have Lyme and am seeing a doctor in Rockvile, Maryland. I moved here from Oregon in 2003 with symptoms that started in 1999. The doctors in Oregon... even specialists at a University could not diagnose the problem. I moved here to Maryland to be with family after my mother retired. Finally in April 2008 a Doctor in Rockville diagnosed me with Lyme Disease. I now have my sense of taste and smell returning after a year with treatment only 3 months old. Thank you God. Still have other problems, but I understand it is a long process and I am willing to continue antibiotic treatment to resume my health. I am so thankful someone has taken the steps to educate us about this horrible disease, I have purchsed 3 of the dvds and have given them to neighbors and friends to educate them and spread the word. Thank you
• Posted 07/28/08 by Lymesufferer
  Kudos to all work worked on this film. Finally, something that speaks the truth about this disease, and the crimes that are being done by physicians in pursuit of profit, and not patient care.
• Posted 07/28/08 by Teresa Jones
  This film was thought provoking and heartbreaking and tremendously done all wrapped up into one. My family who saw this film this weekend has a better sense of what my son has been going through. One even appologized for the crititism given over the years. Everyone in the Nation needs to see this film. I want to thank Open eye pictures for the sacrifice and time spent making this movie. Thank you Mom in Texas
• Posted 07/24/08 by Mark
  This is an excellent film. I own a copy. We need to support this film and its producers in two ways. 1. Spread the word about the film 2. Buy a copy and then show to family and friends and if permissible show at local libraries and community functions saxmar
• Posted 07/24/08 by Gregg
  This is a tremendous film that is finally bringing the true story of Lyme and tick-borne diseases to the public. Thank you Andy Wilson for the sacrifice you have made by devoting so much of your life to telling the story that had to be told. Everyone needs to see this film.
• Posted 07/20/08 by Jeff
  Excellent