PELL LAKE — Lisa Hilton suffered for 15 years before a doctor diagnosed her with Lyme disease.
Until three years ago, she didn't have a disease to point to for the growing list of symptoms that took over her life.
She got sick in 1991 after spending time at a family cabin up north. She never saw a tick and never got the rash associated with Lyme disease.
She did develop hives and had flu-like symptoms. Then she woke up one day with her heart "beating funny." Anxiety, joint problems and the feeling of vibrations in her body followed. Pretty soon she couldn't drive anymore because she'd get lost and confused.
"It ended up being 15 years worth of going doctor to doctor," she said. "I just kept getting worse and worse. Each year, new symptoms kept getting added on."
Lyme disease sometimes is misdiagnosed because symptoms look like many other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, and many doctors don't know enough about the disease, Hilton said.
That's why prevention and early detection are key, and Hilton, 41, is raising awareness through "lyme" green ribbons and fliers around Walworth County communities as part of "The Trish Project." She's also decked her home out with signs and information.
The project to spread awareness was started by a Massachusetts woman named Trish who has the disease, Hilton said. May also is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
"So many people don't know about it—even doctors are unaware of the proper treatment," she said. "Once you get it and don't treat it properly, you'll be chronically sick."
After Hilton saw doctors for 15 years, one doctor finally asked her if she had ever been tested for Lyme disease. When she said no, she had the test done and results a week later in December 2006 showed she had the disease.
She takes antibiotics, which keep her stable, "but it's not really improving me because I've had it so long," she said.
"My goal is just to help spread awareness of the disease so we can prevent other people from getting it."