Posted 1/22/2012 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,
I am new to the site and just wanted to introduce myself. I am from the Denver area and had a rash appear when I was 18 about 10.5 years ago (2001) that was misdiagnosed as a spider bite and was given steroids (which didn't help). At the same time I had flu symptoms and "foggy brain" and found it difficult to sleep. Despite all of these symptoms (and I had no clue about Lyme disease), my doctor just said to stick it out until it was gone. The rash appeared again about a couple weeks after it had healed and he sent me to a dermatologist who also thought it was a spider bite. Again, he kept me on steroids and we just waited it out until it was gone. After that I was never the same. My health deteriorated slowly over the years and I just blamed it on other things like not getting enough sleep or my profession. The doctors I did see tested me for several things but everything always was normal so they said nothing was wrong with me. I got pregnant in 2009 and I became very ill. My kidneys started bleeding for no reason and my immune system seemed to not be working correctly. After I had my sweet little girl (healthy) my health continued to spiral downward and I began to be more proactive about finding out what was wrong. I was 26 and felt like I was in a 80 year old body and I knew it was not normal. I saw urologist, nephrologist, gastroenterologist, psychologist (referred to by my doctor just to make sure it wasn't "all in my head") who all did multiple tests and everything was normal so supposedly nothing was wrong with me. That is when I really started to not trust what doctors had to say and lost faith in them. I had appointments lined up with rheumatologists and neurologists when I learned about Lyme disease. WOW! I fit the description so well I was sure I had Lyme disease. I couldn't get enough and I read and watched as much as I could and immediately made an appointment with an LLMD. It was April 2011 when I got the blood work back that I was CDC positive for Lyme disease and my doctor thought I was fighting co-infections as well. My LLMD didn't start oral abx until September (Zithromax and Omnicef) plus many natural herbs and supplements. I decided to get another opinion and saw a LLND who was a little more aggressive and started me on Flagyl also. After a few months of being on oral abx and not seeing results I consulted with a new office that was willing to do IV treatments with me (previous doctors would not do IV). I had a central IV line put in (power picc) just a couple days ago and started IV Rocephin. I also take Flagyl, Zithromax, and Rifampin orally. So far feeling a lot more tired than normal and getting frequent headaches. Anyway, glad to be a part of you all!