BETHEL — The Mountain Valley Lyme Disease Awareness Coalition is holding its third annual Lyme Disease Awareness Conference from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 at Crescent Park School.
For the past two years, the Mountain Valley Lyme Disease Awareness Coalition has held its conference at Mountain Valley Middle School
Diane Farnum of Roxbury and Rhonda Buker of Newry started the conference after attending a New Hampshire conference their friend organized.
Both Farnum and Buker suffer from chronic Lyme disease.
Normally, the conference takes place in May, but Farnum said they shifted it to September to “avoid running into the Lumberjack Festival.”
Among the lectures taking place at the conference are:
* Dr. Bea Szantyr on understanding the basics of Lyme disease.
* Bob Maurais of Mainely Ticks in Wells on tick management through education and science.
* Emily Bracale, author of “In the Lyme-Light II: Portraits of Illness and Healing.”
* Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, on what’s happening with Lyme disease nationally.
* Robert Giguere of IGeneX Labs on Lyme disease testing.
Registration for the event is at 8 a.m., with opening remarks beginning at 8:45 a.m.
Farnum said that a $5 donation at the door would be appreciated but is not required.
For more information, call Farnum at 357-1926, Buker at 824-3076 or email mtvalleyldac@yahoo.com
mdaigle@sunjournal.com
* Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick bite.
* Symptoms in the early stages may include stiff neck, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain. A large, expanding skin rash may appear around the area of the bite.
* In more advanced stages of Lyme disease, people may experience nerve problems and arthritis, especially in the knees.
* Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose due to the fact that it shares many symptoms with other disorders. The easiest way to diagnose Lyme disease is by looking for a bull’s-eye-shaped rash near the area of the bite. If there is no rash visible, a blood test can be administered.
* Lyme disease, in its early stages, can be treated with antibiotics for two to four weeks. For more serious cases, intravenous antibiotics may be necessary.
* Following treatment, many people may still experience fatigue and achiness, which can take months to disappear.
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