Only six months left to live! Lyme disease not the cause



http://lymeblog.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=334

LymeBlog News
Lexington, KY USA
December 30, 2005 8:24 am
Opinion / Editorial
By Mac McDonald, News editor

(A note to those of you who are ironically challenged. The sarcasm key
on my computer broke a few days ago greatly hampering my normal writing
style. Please understand that this article is meant to be in a spirit
of deepest disgust and disdain for the "authority" agency and is only
posted as a warning to any others who may be under the impression that
the disability insurance policy that they are paying for will protect
them in the future should they become unable to work due to the
symptoms of Lyme disease. Also I am in no way impugning the abilities
of my lawyer in this case. He is very competent and I have the utmost
faith that he will assist me in further appealing this decision.)

I am pleased to announce that I now have a definitive diagnosis of my
condition and it has been determined by a qualified medical authority
that I do not have Lyme disease. I am so relieved to now have a
diagnosis.

I had been under the mistaken belief that since I had been bitten by a
tick, experienced the classic bulls-eye rash, experienced the classic
first stage arthritic and flu-like symptoms, then, years later,
experienced all the other classic stages of Lyme disease resulting in
my having all the classic symptoms of chronic neurological Lyme disease
that I indeed had Lyme disease. But I don't. Even though by any
logical, clinical diagnosis criteria any educated medical professional
would come to the conclusion that I have Lyme disease and that my
symptoms have a physical cause I do not have Lyme disease. I am
mentally ill.

During my working career I purchased and paid premiums on both short
term and long term disability income insurance from the UnumProvident
insurance company, known as the Unum Life Insurance Company of America.
When I thought I had finally became so overwhelmed by the all the
classic symptoms of neurological Borrelia burgdorferi infection that I
could no longer work I filed a claim and, after much difficulty, was
able to receive some income from this insurance policy. Then, in June
of 2005, without any warning, the insurance company announced that they
had decided to deny my claim and all income was stopped.

I engaged the services of a lawyer in return for 33% to 47% of my
benefits for the rest of my life. The lawyer filed an appeal within the
normal limits of the appeal period and the insurance company has
finally reached a decision.

"We are writing to let you know that we have completed the appellate
review of the denial of benefits on your client's Long Term Disability
claim and waiver of group life insurance premiums claim. We are pleased
to inform you that our original decisions have been reversed.", says
Jennifer Foster, Lead Appeals Specialist for Unum Life Insurance
Company of America, in a letter to my lawyer.

The letter goes on to say, "Please note that it has been determined
that your client does not have Lyme disease and is not ...


disabled due to any other physical general medical condition."

Ms. Foster further states, "It is unclear at this time how your
client's emotional status is affecting his ability to perform his
regular occupation."

"Your client's claim is being paid under the following provision and he
will reach the maximum duration for a disability due to mental illness
on June 19, 2006.", the letter concludes.

My lawyer, who had never handled a Lyme disease case before, says in
his letter to me that he is pleased to inform me that I have been
approved.

Due to my "non-physical" symptoms of having only a few minutes a day in
which I can think clearly due to what I mistakenly believed was the
symptom of "brain fog" due to Lyme disease, I have only been able to
communicate with my lawyer through email asking questions about how to
appeal this decision and he is not responding to those emails. I
presume this means that I cannot appeal the decision.

However, my lawyer has done a wonderful job of winning my case and
assisting the insurance company in diagnosing my illness. He is being
well compensated for that services in an amount in excess of $15,000
and he didn't even have to take the time to learn anything about the
true, physical nature of Lyme disease. Even now I am still under the
impression that studies performed by such noted institutions as the
Lyme Disease Research Program of the New York State Psychiatric
Institute at Columbia University prove that all of the symptoms that I
am experiencing are due to the physical condition of Lyme disease. But,
remember, I am mentally ill, so of course, this must be delusional
thinking on my part.

So now I need to ignore the results of testing by two mental health
professionals who concluded that I do experience these symptoms and
that they do not fit the pattern of any psychiatric condition that they
are aware of and seek treatment for my mental illness as diagnosed by
the medical staff at the insurance company who have never examined me.

What a relief! I no longer have to endure the antibiotic treatments
(which result in extreme "Jarisch- Herxheimer" reactions that only
occur in people infected with either syphilis or Lyme disease). I am
free to live out the rest of my life in the comfort and the financial
security that was promised in the sales literature I originally read
when I purchased the long term disability insurance those many years
ago. Just as long, that is, as I don't live beyond June 19th of 2006.

I wonder how I should spend these final six months of my life? Any
suggestions?


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