Questions about symptoms

Hi!

I have a question for those of you who have already been diagnosed with LD. First here is my story -

3 months ago, I started having chest pains and 3 trips to the ER later I was diagnosed with costochondritis. (Inflammation of the chest wall) After that I started having terrible panic attacks, quit eating and sleeping for almost 3 weeks. My body went completely out of whack.:( I then started having sharp, quick pains in my head. This has been going on now for the last 2 months along with the costochondritis. I've been miserable. My dr. did send me for a brain MRI which came back normal. She is now sending me to a neurologist but my app. isn't until the end of March. That seems crazy to me! In the meantime, is there any chance these symptoms sound like Lyme? I'm worried that of I did have Lyme, I will have to wait 3 more months to even get tested.

Does this sound like Lyme? How long did you all have it before finally getting diagnosed? Thank you so much in advance.


Trying not to worry. :(

You could certainly have Lyme and also Bartonella which is another tick infection. The reason I mention Bart is that it's been associated with costochondritis.

Head pains can be caused any of the tick infections including Bartonella which has also been associated with anxiety and panic.

You should probably seek out an LLMD to get tested properly as you'll want to test through IGeneX Labs in Palo Alto, CA. They have the best Western Blot test for Lyme.

A neurologist is not the way to go if you do indeed have Lyme and company and neither is an infectious disease doc. Only a Lyme-literate doc will take Lyme seriously.

Most LLMDs don't accept insurance unfortunately. To locate one you could make a separate post asking to find one in your area or email one of the moderators on here. You can also contact ILADS.

Hi Redhangie!
Welcome to our little community!! While it's always best to eliminate the possibility of these symptoms being from something less severe, if you aren't seeing a doc that is Lyme literate (LLMD), then you won't ever know if it's Lyme and other possible tick-borne infections that are causing these issues for you. So it's very likely that the Neuro won't even consider Lyme unless he too is Lyme literate.

If you haven't already, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists (as Lyme rarely occurs by itself), helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, and a list of questions that you can ask any doctor that you are seeking treatment from!

For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you can start a new thread titled something like:"Looking for LLMD/LLND in the _______ area." Although you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.

You can email Stephanie at: [email protected] You can also go to: www.turnthecorner.org/ if you want to learn a little bit more about Lyme Disease.

You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link: www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74

You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. The ILADS site is another great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey. www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines_clearing_ilads.html