Posted 5/16/2011 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
For the last 5yrs I have been suffering from a long list of symptoms that have yet been given a solid diagnosis. In June 2006, I played a round of golf, during the round I noticed that I had been bitten on my right ankle, I'm not saying it was a tick bite, but I noticed the bites after walking through a heavily grassed area to retrieve a ball. I found myself scratching the life out of them during the rest of the round. When I got home, some 5hrs later, I took a shower and inspected the bites more closely. One of them had a black dot in the centre of a white circle, which had a red ring around that. I thought nothing of them and continued on with life.
A week later I came down with a terrible flu bug, a kind of flu that I have never had before. I was bed ridden for almost 2 weeks. In the months following this flu, I began to notice a gradual decline in my health, I noticed a pain in my back, between my shoulder blades, and this pain was constant, I began to feel more anxious, and started to get mild panic attacks. I started to feel more fatigued, and sleeping wasn't taking the edge of it.
Then on the 16th December 2006, something happened to me that I still don't fully understand. The best way to describe it is, a sudden onset of derealisation, this has been the most frightening of my symptoms.
I spent the next 11 months off work, been told i had, Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and other things.
My symptoms now and over the last 5years have fluctuated, I'm fatigued, sleep loads, my joints ache, my muscles hurt, im in constant pain with my neck and back which also crack and feels like a pressure. I can't focus, I find it hard to concentrate, my limbs feel like there not connected to my body, like a numbness. I have an almost constant feeling that I have a cold. Most recently I have began to experience heart pulpitations, which happen frequently. If I do the slightest bit of exercise, I find that my energy is just zapped, and it takes a lot longer to recover. Cant even do the washing up without feeling I've ran a marathon. I have noticed an increase of floaters in my eyes (they look Like tiny threads and circles in my vision). I'm shattered but can't seem to get to sleep at a reasonable time. Some days aren't as bad as others, depends what I do during the day. And these symptoms, especially the back and joint pain is worst in the morning.
I've seen many doctors, so called specialists, councillors, therapists, none of which have taken any notice of my concerns that this may be Lyme disease.
Only recently, my doctor came to the conclusion that I may be suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, only due to the fact that she didn't know what to do with me (her words, not mine) and sent me to a cardiovascular consultant? (may be to do with heart pulps). Anyway, turns out that he doesn't know a thing either, although, he did order bloods to be taken for Lyme (i know none specific IGg and IGm were ordered, which came back negative, along with specific test, not sure what test, which after 7 weeks have not yet come back?)
Most recently, I managed to get a referal with an Infectious Diseases Specialist (not a LLMD) who I spent a long time explaining my symptoms too, she pointed out that it was highly unlikely that I had Lyme, and that it was more probable that I had Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, due to me having the flu, and that this happened far too rapidly to have any connection with the bites? A few months back, I had regular bloods taken, my CK level was high, 700+ retested 2 weeks later, 300+ depending on my blood results, a muscle biopsy may be arranged. She also pointed out the fact that I was still waiting on the specific lyme test, as nothing was on the system. She took more blood, and assured me that she would Chase my test results, and that brings me too now.
I guess the question is, could this be Lyme?
Sorry this post is so long, just trying to give as much info as I can.
I'm kinda at my witts end.
P.s I'm from the UK.