Pet areas at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs

We just spent a couple of Days at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.

We were on the second floor of the Garden Wing (South Wing). I was working in the sitting area in the Garden Wing and noticed a number of people walking through with dogs. I had thought that they had a no pets policy and that these were animals coming back from the kennels.

After returning home I happened to check out their website and found that they offer "Pet Friendly Rooms. (Homestead pet rooms). I called the front desk and found that the first floor of the Garden Wings contained the "Pet Friendly" rooms.

I found this to be deeply disturbing. My wife and I are continually battling Lyme disease. We spent over $50,000 out of pocket and spent 2 years receiving high doses of antibiotics. We tend to avoid homes with pets when possible.

If I recall correctly, I did see people bringing pets through the Great Hall and the areas near the restaurants (Not in the restaurants).

The pet friendly policy bothers me on a number of levels.

1. The area around the homestead is full of deer. Dogs visiting there are likely to pick up ticks. Once these ticks are picked up, they can and will drop off in the building. Using the public areas can expose you to ticks.
2. I am not comfortable with the fact that housekeeping may be coming from rooms with animals before they visit our rooms, again increasing our exposure to possible tick bites.
3. As this policy progresses, I would think that an increasing number of people will be bringing their pets to the Hotel. The problem is that visitors may not be aware of the fact and may not be as alert as they should be for ticks. Keep in mind the miniscule nature of the deer tick and deer tick Nymph.

We really enjoyed our stay but unfortunately that will probably be our last visit unless this policy is reversed. If you are paying several hundred dollars a night to stay there, you don't expect to be staying in a kennel and exposing your family to ticks and Lyme.

Chimpanzee with Lyme goes on a rampage

Feb 2009

There is a tragic story from Connecticut. A chimpanzee that was being treated for Lyme disease went on a rampage severly mauling a woman and injuring several others. Police officers shot the animal to death.

The Chimp was remarkably intelligent. It could log onto the computer, bathe itself and brush it's teeth and dress itself. Connecticut is well know as a Lyme disease hotspot. As many of us who are familiar with Lyme know, it can affect the nervous system. Apparently this animal was affected and the owner was trying to treat it with Xanax for it's mood swings.

The government, insurance companies, and some in the medical community insist that a 30 day treatment is all that is required. They ignore the long term effects of the disease.

It is sad that such a tiny organism inside such a tiny insect can cause so much grief.

While I realize that the Chimpanzee was a dear friend of it's owner, I am hoping that the medical community can gain some insights from it into how Lyme disease affects the nervous system. Supposedly Chimpanzees share something like 98% of their DNA with Humans.

Here are a few links to articles about this incident:

• Times Online
• Associated Press
• MSNBC

It's time to start thinking about Lyme disease season

Springtime is just ahead. Now is the time to start thinking about lyme prevention. Here are a couple of quick thoughts:

- order any guinea keets or chicks
- put out mouse bait such as contrax. Mice are a key part of the lyme cycle.
- repair any deer fencing . Deer are another part of the lyme cycle
- clean up leaf debris. Tick eggs live under the leaves
- check vaccinations for pets
- make sure you will have enough tick repellant to start the season

Ticks hate sunlight and dryness. So a little prevention now will go a long way layer.

The "Stimulus Bill" could be a nightmare for Lyme Suffers

Buried in the current stimulus bill is a provision for what amounts to government taking over a large portion of your medical care. We are talking about rationing.

The idea is that all of your medical records would be centralized. OK, .. HOWEVER, when you need treatment, your physician will have to clear the treatment with a government bureaucrat. You know, the same people who brought you the Fannie/Freddie Disaster

The Bloomberg article has more details. A key point in that article is

One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective

Lyme disease sufferers know how hard it is to get treatment currently. If this bill is passed, it may become nearly impossible to get the proper treatment. Look at what happens with Government run health care in Canada and the UK. You can bet that the politicians in Washington will want to keep costs to a minimum. Forget about anything more than 30 days of antibiotics, if that.

Also, we all know that time is of the essence when getting treated for Lyme. This will add unneccessary time to the cycle.

One other thing, our overworked doctors will now have a huge regulatory burden placed on them.

I don't want to sound dramatic, but this stimulus bill will cause untold pain and suffering for Lyme disease suffers. Call your senators and congresscritters and tell them you oppose this provision. If it passes, then we need to work to get it reveresed. I am very pessimistic that could be accomplished.