ANDY ABRAHAMS WILSON INTERVIEWED ABOUT HIS DOCUMENTARY ON LYME DISEASE

Saturday, 2 January 2010

ANDY ABRAHAMS WILSON INTERVIEWED ABOUT HIS DOCUMENTARY ON LYME DISEASE

“My twin sister had Lyme disease years ago. She lived in upstate New York and I just remember she was always sort of sick and tired and that she was complaining she couldn’t get help. And I just thought that she was sort of staring to lose her marbles maybe.” That’s how director Andy Abrahams Wilson describes his recollections of his sister’s sufferings, which became the catalyst for his documentary film, Under Our Skin. In making the film, Andy discovered that if the consensus of the medical establishment is to be believed, then his sister more than likely had lost her marbles. After all, Lyme disease, as they say, is hard to contract and easy to treat and chronic Lyme disease symptoms are only experienced psychosomatically. Short-listed for the 2009 Best Documentary Feature Oscar, Under Our Skin chronicles the struggles of multiple Lyme disease sufferers across the country and years as a debate rages in the medical community about what Lyme disease is and how best to treat it – issues that are dictated by highly politicized, private organizations. Wilson spoke to Zoom In Online by phone about the advent of the film, the mind-boggling controversy that has cost hundreds of thousands of people so much money and pain over the years and the hope he has for his film to educate audiences. For more information on Lyme disease and how to take action, visit the official Under Our Skin website.

http://www.zoom-in.com/film-tv/on-the-circuit/on-the-circuit-andy-abrahams-wilson-under-our-skin

4 comments:

Paula Huiras30 March 2014 at 20:21
I am into 7 months of treatment from a Lyme Doctor in Minnesota. Your film was wonderful and I want to share it with as many people as possible so they become aware of this.
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Karen C31 July 2014 at 13:17
Thank you, for such a wonderful documentary! I was diagnosed in 2011, after seeing numerous Dr's that didn't know what was wrong, so they quessed that it was this or that and I never got better. I tested very positive on the western blot, was the highest infected patient my Dr. has treated in her 13 yrs of treating lyme. My infection level was around 25,000. My cd57 is 20. It was 27 a few months ago but dropped again. I have hypothyroidism and a mutated gene, mthfr. There are times I feel as if I'm dying because of the pain all over my body. Im only 56 and have muscle atrophy, considering I've always been very active until the lyme started taking away the life I once knew. I certainly hope you have a second documentary in the making, to spread the news again and to find out how the people in the first documentary are doing, several years later. I just cant seem to get well, with chronic lyme disease.I never had a bullseye rash and have lived in Florida my whole life. I would appreciate a second documentary to spread the information again about this horrific disease , which is the fastest spreading bacterial epidemic, that will only get worse in the next few years!
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Lyme Life written in 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks,4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. ( later note.- the X rays done some years into treatment showed my hands completely normal no signs of inflammation or RA confirming how they felt - normal) I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential. My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer when I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area. Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through Lyme Disease Action to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite of Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work. Life is such a joy. Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses. Look at UK charity Lyme Disease Action if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one. One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

UPDATE 10 January 2012