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Tons of symptoms... could it be lyme?

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 7/17/2012 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
I know that I can't diagnose myself and neither can anyone here, but I thought I'd get some opinions in between doctor visits.

I'm a 21 year old female with no previous health problems. At the end of April, I got sick with what seemed like a virus; I had a fever, aches and pains, vomiting, etc. for about a week. It got better but every now and then I'd get spells of feeling a little light-headed/slightly nauseous. Then in the middle of May I got what I thought was a stomach virus... the worst part lasted about a week but after that I started vomiting almost every morning. That symptom has come and gone; I haven't actually vomited in a couple weeks but I have been feeling very nauseous in the morning again. I know nausea is not a typical symptom of lyme disease but here are some other symptoms I've had:

-Slight weakness on the left side of my body that comes and goes. It seems to worsen with anxiety.
-Headaches. Not every day, but they seem to come in cycles. Every couple weeks I'll get bad ones for about two days in a row that I can't get rid of.
-My veins seem to be more visible, especially in my arms and legs.
-Dizzy/lightheaded spells when I do anything... I've pretty much been staying in bed. Even when I go into the living room to watch TV I start feeling like I need to lay down.
-This may or may not be related to what's going on but I think I've noticed an increase in these tiny red dots on my chest and upper arms. I believe they're cherry angiomas. They don't hurt or itch but I've heard they're usually brought on by age but I'm only 21 so I'm wondering if they could be a sign of something else.
-Slightly elevated bilirubin (1.4). Other than that my bloodwork was fine.

The most recent doctor I went to seems to think it's all caused by allergies... they said a buildup of mucus can cause nausea, especially in the morning, and the extra pressure in your head can cause dizziness and headaches. But that still doesn't explain many of my symptoms.

I know I might seem like a huge hypochondriac for thinking lyme disease, but I recently moved to an apartment where bugs get inside ALL the time, and there are a lot of ticks in this area. I actually see a lot of deer standing right outside my door at night, and I'm thinking the ticks could drop off them. I don't spend a lot of time outdoors but I've always seemed to attract bugs a lot more than other people. I never had any kind of rash but I've read that many people don't, and it even could have been on my back where I didn't notice it.

The things that have me thinking lyme disease are the left side weakness, the headaches, and the dizziness/lightheadedness. All of my symptoms seem to come in cycles. I was actually fine for about a week until a couple days ago when I was sitting in the living room and got a very odd sensation in my head, like I was about to faint. The next two days I had an awful headache, and I feel better today but still not like myself.

Sorry this is so long, just trying to see if anyone has shared any of these symptoms with lyme disease. I know it sounds crazy but I'm almost hoping that's what it is because it's the only thing left that even makes a little bit of sense. Thanks!

Post Edited (lindsay0891) : 7/17/2012 3:58:57 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/17/2012 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
From reading about your symptoms, I think you need to find a Lyme literate Dr., & make an appt. Nausea was one of my first symptoms, & it's still with me even as I'm being treated. I also have light-headedness a lot, like you do. The left side of your body being weak is a sign Lyme possibly being in your nervous system.

I don't mean to scare you with this, but I have a lot of experience with this nasty disease. My husband has been getting treated for Lyme for 6 yrs., & I recently was diagnosed, & it is a complicated, insidious disease. It's not called the "Great Imitator" for nothing--it can mimic tons of other illnesses/diseases.We had to go to 12 dr.s before my husband got a correct diagnosis; I was "lucky", b/c of watching my hubby the last 6 yrs., I recognized signs of Lyme in myself & went to his dr. The sooner you get proper treatment, the better, but it HAS to be with a dr. or nurse pract. that is Lyme literate. Any other dr will tell you that you have MS, Lupus, allergies, Chronic fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, or my "favorite"--it's all in your head...

The symptoms can & do cycle--before I got diagnosed, I got the "flu" every 6 weeks, where I was in bed & out of comission. My husband's symptoms b4 his diag. were nasty sinus infections every 6-8 weeks, among other things.

Please try to seek out a good Lyme dr. who will give you the proper tests(the "normal" tests you will get miss a ton of cases)

Good Luck!!  (you can pick up a infected tick just walking outside, or under a treee, or walking around your yard, & (i think) Lyme is in every state, I know it's in other coutries, it originally was found in Europe eons ago)

Posted 7/17/2012 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you... Would Lyme spread to the nervous system after just 2-3 months or would it take longer?
Also, how do I go about finding a Lyme literate doctor? I looked on Google and all the websites seem to require a bunch of information... I'd just like a directory if possible.

Edit: Also, just out of curiosity, what has your nausea been like? Mine comes and goes so much. My stomach is always upset in the morning but the severity varies greatly, from just a little stomach ache to actually vomiting. When I wake up I sit up in bed for a while and drink some water and it usually feels better, although I don't feel like eating for a while and I sometimes feel queasy throughout the day. Other times, once the initial nausea goes I feel fine and want to eat everything in sight!

Post Edited (lindsay0891) : 7/17/2012 4:20:36 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/17/2012 11:09 PM (GMT 0)
I normally would think that you'd have to have Lyme awhile for it to be in your nervous system, but, there's nothing "normal" about Lyme.

My nausea is like morning sickness--it usually comes on in the a.m, I run to the nearest bathroom, sometimes I vomit, but usually I don't. Then it passes within 15 min. Once in awhile I will get nauseated in afternoon/p.m., but these bouts are less severe. I can eat normally once it passes.

We found our Lyme dr. by word-of-mouth. Since so many people in our state are getting it(or have had it), I found one by just talking about my husband's declining health at work. We are on our 2nd Lyme dr(actually she's a nurse pract.), b/c the first one had his license pulled from "overprescribing" meds. Which is b.s., as we need our antibiotics for far longer than generally thought.

Also, our 1st LLmd was 2+ hrs away from us, our current one is 3 hrs away. They are few & far between, unfortunately.

I wish I could give you a directory, try going to some legitimate Lyme websites--maybe ILADS, a lot of(good) sites have state-by-state directories, I think.

Posted 7/17/2012 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hm. Now that I think about it I've been having the left side weakness for over a month which would be only about a month and a half after being infected (if I have been). It's barely noticeable at all though, and like I said it seems to be triggered by anxiety.

Are you sure ALL doctors that aren't LLMDs will just ignore the symptoms? I'd like to at least try going to a doctor that's close by first.

Post Edited (lindsay0891) : 7/17/2012 6:25:42 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/18/2012 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
You certainly can try a "regular" md., there has got to be a few out there who are coming around about Lyme. If you go that route, insist on having a Western Blot test done. First they do an ELISA titer test, which is usually negative, before they will do a Western Blot. Insist on a WB test no matter what the ELISA shows. As for the WB test, th CDC says you have to have a significant(if not all) number of "bands" show up reactive to get a Lyme diag. I only had one band reactive, & my LL nurse pract. started treating right away.

Good luck--keep posting :-)

Posted 7/18/2012 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
lindsay, create a new post and request for a LLMD in your state. Make sure your e-mail is turned on so one of the moderators can send you the list.
Posted 7/18/2012 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
The problem with going to a non-LLMD is that they often claim they know about lyme disease, but what they know is false. So then, as a patient expecting the doctor to know what he's talking about, patients are led astray. A regular doctor, if they take you seriously at all, may do a labcorb/quest western blot, while a LLMD will 1 prescribe a more accurate test and 2 follow the CDC guidelines that state that a diagnosis should not be made EXCLUSIVELY based on lab findings. Another thing to consider is that a regular doc probably isn't going to know how to treat you effectively - it's not just a quick round of doxycycline and you're good. Not to scare you - you can and will get better (whether this is lyme or something else), but this is really one of those things that really requires a true specialist.
Posted 7/18/2012 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys, I'll try to request a LLMD in my area but the problem is most doctors in my area are booked for months and months or aren't accepting new patients. The last doctor I went to is very new (literally just got out of medical school) so I was thinking maybe she'd be more likely to think outside the box than other doctors. I can at least try.
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