9 Ways Lyme Disease Changes You, as Told in GIFs

1. You’ve tried just about every new type of therapy you’ve read about.

You’ll do anything to bake those little Lyme buggies to a crisp — even if it means you’ll look like you’re wearing a rectangular space suit. You’re pretty sure your neighbors wonder what you’re doing getting zipped up into a strange looking puffy jacket every night while wearing your bikini from two summers ago, but you’re over niceties at this point.

2. You have Lyme-dar.

You’re pretty sure your favorite celebrity has Lyme disease. You weren’t even that surprised when you found out about Avril Lavigne’s recent diagnosis. Your Lyme radar is so in tune you’ve helped a few co-workers get diagnosed, one of your friends from high school, and that nice lady from your church group. It’s no surprise since modern blood testing is notoriously inaccurate, and it is more common than you think with 300,000 new cases each year, and many more missed (according to ILADS).

3. You know the names of all the antibiotics — yes, all of them.

You’ve nicknamed your wiener dogs Doxycycline and Zithromax for fun. Your mom is not amused.

4. When someone calls it Lyme’s disease, you shudder.

It’s named after a city in Connecticut, not a person.

5. Arachnophobia is a real thing for you.

If you’re still brave enough to explore the great outdoors, however, you are more worried about those disease-laden eight-legged arachnids known as ticks than the harmless house spider.

6. Your pill stash looks like this.

You feel like Collette Reardon from SNL whenever you go anywhere. Between the antibiotics, the antifungals and your daily supplements, your personal travel pack of prescription honeys might rival hers.

7. You can’t watch your favorite doctor shows anymore.

(Hugh Laurie, it’s not your fault.) It’s just that after spending too many hours on Lymenet.org all arrogant doctors are just too difficult to bear. It’s something you are working with your therapist on.

8. You have good days and bad days.

When you’re herxing you know that you can reach your capability to function at record speeds.

9. You believe.

The CDC may not recognize it, but you have made it your life’s mission to convince the medical community that chronic Lyme disease does exist. You were never a rebel, skeptic, overly political, or a conspiracy theorist, however, as “The X-Files” says, “The truth is out there.”