As a sufferer of Lyme Disease I learned first hand that it is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases. I'm sharing my story to help others who might have this rapidly growing illness but don't realize it.

It all started with fatigue, a fever and sore throat that felt like the flu, but twice as potent. After several days I visited the doctor, who diagnosed it as a virus. She said it would go away in a day or so.

About a week later I still had those same symptoms. In addition I had a headache, stiff neck, joint pain and big red rashes all over my body.

I then went to the clinic and saw a different doctor. She diagnosed it as the Flu and even brought a senior doctor in for a second opinion. He agreed it could be the Flu or maybe even a result of my diabetes.

Prior to that visit, my wife had researched my symptoms online and she said they all match that of Lyme Disease. It made sense because we live in Pennsylvania, one of the leading states for confirmed cases.

I suggested to the doctors that the symptoms matched up with Lyme Disease, but they wouldn't listen. I later learned, that for some reason, the medical field often dismisses the possibility of this illness, even though its case numbers are rising rapidly.

Lyme is actually a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted by ticks. Although I never saw a tick on my body, I was near a wooded area a few months prior.

So, after about six weeks of suffering I made one more attempt to see a doctor. This time I was determined to convince them to test me for Lyme Disease.

After I suggested our findings to him, and showed him the rashes, he agreed. He immediately ordered a blood test and also put me on an antibiotic, just in case we were right.

Two days later he called me with the test result, it was positive!

Many diseases are misdiagnosed but this one seems to be the most. It may be due to the fact that it was discovered as recent as 1975.

But the fact is, the confirmed cases are growing. I believe there are large numbers of people who have it and don't even know, because of the similarity of symptoms that are common in other diseases.

With Lyme disease the symptoms can come and go. Because of that characteristic, there are people who had it for years before they were correctly diagnosed.

The problem is, the longer you have it the harder it is to control. And, if you don't control it soon enough, you may end up needing the treatments for the rest of your life.

If you have some of the same symptoms as I had, heed my advice and insist that you get tested for Lyme Disease.