Ryan Saulsbury, a middle school teacher from Pillager, MN, was diagnosed with Lyme disease on 2011. Saulsbury experienced symptoms of confusion and memory loss, and these quickly escalated to swollen and painful joints on his wrists, his elbows, hips, knees, and ankles. It came to a point when he said that he could hardly walk. After being initially diagnosed with tendinitis, Saulsbury went in for a second opinion as he already suspected Lyme disease. The test came back negative, but the doctor said that the results for this type of disease may not always be accurate. This, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation, is one of the most pressing issues of Lyme disease diagnosis. The reliability of testing procedures for this condition is not conclusive and patients often have a hard time getting an accurate diagnosis.
Lyme disease is caused by the transmission of a bacterium from infected blacklegged ticks, or more commonly known as deer ticks. As of 2012, there are 13 states that have reported the most cases of Lyme disease, and Minnesota is one of them.
After his diagnosis, Saulsbury was put on a standard antibiotic regimen where he began to see some improvement. The results, however, did not last and he found himself afflicted with worsening symptoms. His body was covered with a rash that extended from his neck down to his feet, his joints were painful, and his memory issues started to become more serious. After consulting with a Lyme disease specialist, Saulsbury was told that what he had was, in fact, a combination of Lyme disease and babesiosis, which is also a condition contracted from tick bites.
Saulsbury says that living with chronic Lyme disease is "excruciating" and that he "could hardly function." He says that the disease is taking a toll on his mental and physical health. He has had multiple trips to the emergency room and has been taking a cocktail of medications to manage the symptoms before doctors decided that he was having an adverse reaction to his medications. He then turned to natural medicine to rebuild his immune system, using pain relieving essential oils to help wean him off of Vicodin.