“So it was back in the summer of 2000,” Peterborough resident Katina Makris said, “I came down with what seemed like a summertime flu. It was strange. I had been a holistic practitioner for over 15 years; I was a ‘healthy type.’”
But Makris was really sick. She went to doctors, but they weren’t sure what was wrong and treatments weren’t working. At the same time, her symptoms were getting worse. Makris was experiencing heart palpitations, anxiety attacks and stomach issues. Later, she would start to develop debilitating migraines and early signs of dementia and multiple sclerosis.
Makris was depressed and stuck in her house. She was bedridden and lost her homeopathic practice since she was too ill to work. For more than five years, she kept getting sicker and still had no answers.
“It was pretty traumatic,” Markis said.
Eventually, she went to see a colleague with a doctorate in nutrition in the hopes he would have some advice.
“He says to me, ‘Katina, this is neurological Lyme disease,’” Makris said.
By that point, she had been tested for Lyme disease multiple times, and all the tests were coming back negative. Doctors had ruled it out, but her colleague explained that the test they were using, called the ELISA test, was only accurate two weeks to two months after the initial infection. By the time Makris was tested, she was well beyond that timeframe.
The bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, is in the spirochete class – it’s a helical shape.
“This spirochete is looking to move past the bloodstream to essential fatty acids,” Makris said, and then “the spirochete starts spiraling its way into muscles, joints…” When it has infected these areas, it can feel like fibromyalgia or arthritis.
Makris sent samples in to IGeneX Labs in California and they found the infection.
“I was so relieved when we finally found out what this was,” Makris said. “I had a second chance at life. I almost died. It’s a really complex condition when not diagnosed in the first few months.”
Makris’ case shows why it is so important to treat Lyme disease as soon as possible. If given quickly, four weeks of antibiotics will kill the bacteria. For Makris, the recovery process was a lot longer, but she did recover.
She used holistic methods and antibiotic treatment and credits the combination for her full recovery. As she recovered, Makris started going to a friend’s writing group and that was the start of her memoir. She has now published two books about her experience and has spoken at more than 200 events.
A couple weeks ago, Makris had her first event since the start of the pandemic. The presentation was in Canterbury with Dr. Lynn Durand.
“About the fifth or sixth event, I realized people weren’t just coming, they were sick,” she said. “I realized these people are just like me.”
She learned about Lyme support groups and traveled to groups around the country to share her story and information about the disease. And after five years of her own treatment, Makris returned to her practice, but only to care for people with Lyme disease.
“Lyme disease is the epidemic of our era that asks us to unite the two hands of health care,” Makris said, meaning conventional medicine like antibiotics and diagnostic tools and holistic practices.
Makris explained that ticks go through three breeding cycles. They have a hatching of nymphs (baby ticks) in spring, then those nymphs lay eggs which hatch in June. They quiet down in July and August and have a third hatching in the early fall, right about now.
“Fall is actually a very high-risk time,” Makris said, “They’re looking to feed and hop on board something in the winter. This is a time of year one should be very careful.”
The rise in Lyme disease is due in part to migrating birds carrying ticks across the country and beyond, and “climate change has allowed them to survive up here,” Makris said. She added that about 60 percent of black-legged ticks, or deer ticks, in New Hampshire are infected with Lyme disease, and there are other diseases ticks can carry.
This time of year it is especially important to check for ticks after walking outside, particularly in swampy or marshy areas with long grass. Makris suggests sticking clothes in the dryer for 30 minutes on high after spending time outside. She also said there are products that can repel ticks and organizations that will test a tick for Lyme disease. Common symptoms of Lyme disease include a bulls-eye rash, flu-like symptoms and joint pain.