Three out of four people with Lyme disease have already thought about suicide, and live a real hell between medical appointments that do nothing and the quality of life that disappears day by day.
• Read also: Overwhelmed by Lyme disease, the daughter of the President of the Jean Coutu Group takes her own life
• Read also: Lyme disease: “There should be doctors who believe patients”
This is the tragic finding revealed by a survey conducted by the Quebec Lyme Disease Association (AQML).
“This is our fifth suicide in two years among our members,” said AQML director Caren Leblanc, who also suffers from the disease.
Watch Caren Leblanc’s interview on QUB radio:
There is of course the tragic death of Amélie Champagne, the daughter of the president of the Jean Coutu Group, who took her own life at only 22 years old. But even the former director of the association made this irreversible choice. For people with Lyme disease, the hope of a cure is disappearing day by day.
According to the patients, it is an extremely painful disease. To add to their ordeal, she is very difficult to detect. Often the tests come back negative. According to Ms. Leblanc, it is also a disease unknown to Quebec doctors. Many of the symptoms can lead to disability.
Misdiagnoses follow one another, from multiple sclerosis to fibromyalgia, not to mention psychosomatic disorders.
When the disease is finally identified, it takes several months of antibiotics for the patient’s health to improve. But the symptoms are never far away and some life projects are already impossible.
“I can’t have children. I could never go nights without sleep, said Caren Leblanc. I could relapse.”
She believes that doctors should be better trained to quickly identify this terrible disease. According to her, the major problem is that specialists analyze each symptom independently rather than looking at the big picture of the situation.
Caren Leblanc will have waited five long years before getting the right diagnosis.
QUEBEC SUICIDE PREVENTION LINE
-1-866-CALL (277-3553)
YOUTH, I LISTEN
-1-800-668-6868
TEL-JEUNES
-1-800-263-2266