Hi all. I'm new here, unfortunately. I have been dealing with a lot lately and have come to the conclusion that Lyme disease may be the culprit of all of my ailments. Now, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to go about getting a diagnosis and treatment for my condition.
My symptoms started with an episode that landed me in the ER. I felt numbness in my right hand, then confusion, racing heart, blurred vision, hearing loss in right ear, disorientation and a feeling of unreality and fear. I drove myself to the hospital and during the ride my entire right side went almost completely numb and I was fighting myself to stay concious. I thought I was having a stroke. The ER docs diagnosed my episode as a panic attack and referred me to a psychiatrist. I have had similar episodes in the past month or so that terrify me. In between these severe attacks, I have lingering weakness/numbness in my right side, foggy brain, loss of memory and concentration as well as headaches, ear pain, pain in my hips, thighs and knees. I also experience hot flushes, sweaty palms and feet as well as cold feet/hands. More symptoms I have are extreme fatigue and neck pain/stiffness.
I have been researching online to find a possible cause of these problems because as a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks for many years, I recognize that what I'm experiencing now is not the same. I have told my doctor this, but he refuses to acknowledge my concerns.
I stumbled across Lyme disease and the symptoms and was amazed at how much it sounded like what I was experiencing. Then I remembered the rash/bug bite I had last June. It was a raised red rash on my upper inner thigh that was warm and hard to the touch. I had it checked out at the ER because I was a couple months pregnant and concerned about if the bug that bit me was poisonous or not. They gave me a weeks worth of antibiotics and sent me home. The rash continued to grow despite taking the meds, and didn't go away for a couple weeks. Also, a few weeks later I came down with a terrible cold/flu and I rarely get sick but this one had me in bed for a few days and took much longer than that to go away.
How can I get a diagnosis or treatment so that I can start feeling better? I feel like I'm losing my mind and no one believes me. I just want to feel better..
Post Edited (SickInsanity) : 5/27/2011 9:12:54 PM (GMT-6)