Florida Online Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place and source for information and emotional support for people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases living in Florida.

The CDC has determined that the South does not have Lyme but a Lyme-like illness they call “Masters’ Disease” (after Ed Masters, MD of Missouri) or STARI (Southern Tick-borne Associated Rash Illness). To date, no one has been able to culture the organism or prove any difference between Lyme and Master’s disease. Dr. Masters says, “Lyme-like illness deserves Lyme-like treatment.” In any case, Florida is full of transplants from other states that do have real Lyme disease.

Lyme (or Lyme-like) disease is under-diagnosed and under-reported. Many people do not remember being bitten by the poppy-seed-sized tick. Doctors often prefer more familiar diagnoses like chronic fatigue, MS, or even mental illness - all Lyme disease mimics.

State statistics may reflect as few as one in 40 diagnosed cases. Doctors recognize and diagnose only a fraction of the actual cases. Anyone who suspects s/he might have a tick-borne illness should use the search tool on the LDA website (see link below) to find a Lyme specialist.

Lyme disease treated early is usually easy to cure, but many patients are not diagnosed promptly or treated adequately and so become chronically ill.

If the tick that bites you is infected, it can inject Lyme bacteria into your blood within hours of attachment. The bacteria invade your brain in less than 24 hours and can hide for decades. As people age and their immune systems become weaker, hidden infections may start to become a problem.

DISCLAIMER: All information posted on this site is the opinion of the author(s) alone and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as medical advice regarding the treatment of any symptoms or disease. Medical advice of your personal physician should be obtained before pursuing any course of treatment.