Houston: Hall & Oates have a problem...

Say it isn't so...it isn't so-oooh-oh.

I just went shopping around for a Hall & Oates pic to upload to my last post and came upon the Official Hall and Oates Website. They have a blog, and dude, Daryl Hall has Lyme's Disease. Why wasn't I informed? Where are the telethons, America? Too busy trying to save the rest of the world when one of the greatest rock bands of all time is in trouble????

Here's Hall, with his post....what a brave soldier. By the way, could there be any more exclamation points(!!!!)

7.15.2005

Lyme Disease

OK everybody! Here's my story so far...On Saturday, June 18th, I played a great acoustic show for a Northern Dutchess County Benefit. All went well - I felt fine.On Sunday, I woke up feeling as though I had been beaten with a baseball bat. My bones ached, I had a headache my skin and hair hurt!

Monday, I developed a fever of 103 degrees. Not pleasant, especially because I was supposed to fly to San Diego to play a show the following day. I talked to Brian Doyle: he suggested I travel the day of the show (Tues), opportunistically hoping that this was a 24 hour flu that would blow through me.

On Tuesday morning, I woke up with a 101 degree temp, but still left the house, drove 2 hours to JFK, flew 5 hours to LAX, drove 3 hours in traffic to San Diego and played the show! Talk about "Doing It For Love!"After the show, I literally thought I was going to drop dead!

I was supposed to do another show in San Diego the next day, but I told everyone to cancel - there was just no way I could do it.I then had two days off (supposedly to recover) in time for the next show in Phoenix. On the first day off, I traveled to L.A. (still with a fever), saw a doctor there, who gave me B12 and cortizone.

The following day, I still had a fever, but flew to Phoenix anyway. I felt terrible! It was 108 degrees in Phoenix and felt like 180 with my fever. At 8:00 p.m., I hit the stage.After about 4 or 5 songs (Used To Be My Girl), I suddenly felt a wave of fainting and nausea hit me and knew I had to stop immediately.

So, I just said, "Sorry everybody, but I have to leave the stage." John then took over, singing 3 or 4 songs. I could hear him from backstage and they sounded great. I particularly remember a great version of Italian Girls! (By the way, all this was recorded on the new "Instant Live" system, so if you're curious, you can get this show online!)

So anyway, there I was backstage - totally out of it - but my will (and maybe stupidity) won out. I returned to do a few songs at the end. Am I a trooper or what?!After that, I realized that it was not smart to continue the tour feeling the way I felt, with what I thought was a "killer flu." I returned to upstate NY where I just laid in bed for days with a fever that just wouldn't go away.

After more of this, I grew increasingly sure that this was not simply the flu!Sara Allen (my unofficial doctor up here) suggested I go to the local hospital for blood test to check for Lyme disease, a very common malady in the part of the world. I did this, and after having to wait out the drawn out 4th of July weekend, finally got my results sent to my Dr. in NYC.

I went into town to see the doctor, and he told me I tested positive for Erlichia, a tick-borne disease, but I was too early to get a reading on Lyme. I then showed him a three inch red ring with a bite-like center that had appeared the night before - Voila! Lyme Disease!

I have since been put on an antibiotic (doxycycline) for one month, and if all goes well (by no means assured), I will be cured. I hope this is the way it works out, 'cause I MISS YOU GUYS and want to get back on the road. Let's hope for the best.Lyme and other tick-related diseases are very serious maladies that for some reason have been underplayed by the media and medical profession. Chronic Lyme causes arthritis, heart problems, stroke - even death. This is serious stuff, and the public should be better informed, as it has reached epidemic proportions in the Northeast! You'll be hearing more from me about this.

Wish me well!Daryl

posted by Daryl at 5:34 PM