Trying not to lose my mind

So here I am a 29 year old single girl trying to fight off this Lyme. I have a job at a corporate office with a great company. The pay isn't that great for someone with a college degree but none the less I am thankful for it. Problem is I'm getting worse and worse and have missed three days of work so far this week and am only on Week 2 of antibiotic treatment. I am going to try and get on FMLA or take a leave of absence but the thing is I have to be working I have to have income because I have student loans as well as credit card debt due to this disease. I just feel like the bottom is about to fall in, my parents are extremely supportive and so is my brother but I just don't know what I will do if I lose my job. I can't expect them to pay my bills. If I lose my job I lose my insurance just seems like a domino effect.

Anyone else in this situation? It's probably not helping that this is all I can think about and I know my Dr said I would get worse but I just don't even feel safe driving right now because of the dizziness and extreme flu like feeling I have.

I am in a similar situation-same age, similar story, but not as bad because if I can't keep my job I can get on my husband's insurance. I've been fighting to keep my job, and I am also after being sick for so long am going to go on FMLA. I don't want to lose my job and have every intention of coming back, but I have realized that some things just don't work out like you expect them to in life.. and sometimes you just have to let it go and see how it plays out. Not very helpful advice I know, and if I was worried about insurance then I may be thinking about it all differently.

Consider yourself very lucky...i know Lyme is not a walk in the park but at least u dont have Cancer or ALS ,to name a few,also try to ease off on stress cause it makes everything worst ,try to keep ur mind healthy , is your best allied.
think positive because your worst case scenario is a day at Disneyland to others.
Focus on your health its the most important thing in ones life...you will get another job,car,house...etc,etc but u only live once
I been there done that. best of lucks.

I am also in a similar position that you are in.  I am also 29 and it was tough!  I got a good job but I was having to call in sick.  But I explained to my bosses that I caught some kind of bacteria and saw 10 doctors.  I was being honest about catching a bacteria and seeinging 10 doctors though.  Even though I told the first 8 doctors I got Lyme disease so I was making my "medical mystery" an easy problem to solve when seeing them, they still didn't belive me.  Only after I see the Lyme Literate Doctors is when a Doctor finally believed me. 

At first I could not work!  I would sit in my office all day long searching about Lyme disease and how I can get better.  Then I would spend half the time resting in my office taking many different medications in an attempt to get better.  But overtime I slowly got better, now I think I am much better and I'm actually able to do my job like I used to before which I am glad, and my bosses notice I am able to work again too. 

I will say try and hang in there, just let your bosses know you have been ill but are undergoing treatment.  It will take some time before you get back up to speed.  But just hang in there I would say.  Maybe ask for a reduced schedule if possible?  Take Wednesday off might be a good suggestion?  Some days I would just call in that I would be coming like 3-4 hours late, and somehow I was lucky my boss was okay with that. 

You can just let them know you haven't been feeling well but are doing everything you can to get yourself well. 

Hi I was sick this summer and took a leave of absence until I could perform my job duties. Maybe you could talk to your superior and explain the situation. Maybe go on a month by month basis by how you feel. You def need to consider the insurance. We need that. Do you have sick time ? Good luck. Hope you feel better soon.

I had severe psych symptoms and the antibiotics cut them immediately. Id use the time you have and take it from there. Or if you think you can work half days you could try that.

So how long has this been going on for? It says in your signature you are taking no medications but then in your post you are taking antibiotics.

I think after starting the antibiotics you will herx, meaning everything will get worse before it gets better. But it's all just part of the process, just try and detox, try not to work too hard at work and stress yourself out.

It might be a good idea even to use some of your sick days when you are first starting your herx out. That will be the worst time I found. I had a rough time in December, because I was just in a continued state of herxing all the time! It was crazy! But it did get better. And it got bad for maybe a few days when I first started taking the tinidazole as well. I had a huge emotional herx and was going crazy! I actually took a day off for the day before starting the new antibiotics because I kind of figured it would hit the lyme pretty hard and it did. But it slowly got better each day. And each tinidazole pulse that followed got less and less in intensity until now where I am almost symptom free.

What antibiotics are you on?

Hi gingeranne I would watch yourself carefully with that cocktail of medication. I was on 600 mg of Omnicef and you are double that with several others added in. My llmd has me on 1-2 meds at a time and he sticks to accepted dosages and what I can tolerate. I have already had to cut down or lower dosages at times due to toxicity. I would just be careful you do not get toxic and be on the look out for side effects. Can you tolerate that amount of abx ? Seems high. Also the flagyl is sometimes used by itself.

Post Edited (BarnGurl) : 4/17/2014 4:47:28 PM (GMT-6)

I dont know how anyone could feel good on that much abx. Im not sure I could be walking around.

Toxic as in side effects effecting your health. Example I just developed gout from prolonged Omnicef use. Common as it is was extremely painful, swollen toe joint and cannot walk. It is caused from build up of uric acid which can form crystals in joint areas and its directly related to the Omnicef I am taking. It is easily corrected with another medication probecenid but I am constantly reading and doing research on any medications I am taking. I figured all this out on my own based on medication and side effects. And this was at recommended not off the label dosage. Also my llmd has been flexible in adjusting dosages to what I can tolerate. Right now I stopped dosage until I can see him.

I am currently reading Why Can't I Get Better? by Dr. Richard Horowitz. Its a good book, long but very informative. He has a lot of insight and experience in treating the disease.

Post Edited (BarnGurl) : 4/17/2014 5:32:25 PM (GMT-6)

I know just how you feel. 2.5 months ago I had to take a leave of absence from my job because I was so sick herxing everyday. I was dizzy all the time, then I got POTS, can't drive anymore. I'm taking pretty much the same meds as you. I pulse them mon.-wed-fri. 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. I recently added IV's (in LLND's office) which seems to be helping. With this group of meds we're treating lyme, bart and babs at the same time.
As much as I hate not working, i get to spend my day working on healing. Everyday I take a epsom salts bath, meditate, drink lots of water, and spend time on these forums so I can feel connected.
Like many have stated you could defer student loans and talk to credit card co. If you need to get new Ins. I think obamacare covers LLND's.
Hang in there and let your family help you. We will heal!

Gingeranne- I echo what others have said talk to Lome about your medicine combination and dosage amount. It seems very aggressive to me and from what I have read sometimes slow and steady gets better results and lets you function.

I too need to work and struggled for months on a less aggressive regimen. I had to"fake it" at work and nap in my car during beaks and at lunch. I drank alia seltzer gold which would help the herx reaction. I would do deep breathing excercises and take anti anxiety medicine when my heart would go crazy. It should get better as time passes but sounds like you need to discuss a softer approach with your medical Protocol.

Keep us posted.

Update: Spoke to my LLMD and she said once I get my bowel back to normal to restart treatment. She reduced my dosage to:

Omnicef 300 mg 1 AM/ 1 PM M, W, F
Azithromyocin 500 mg 1 M,W,F
Minocycline 100 mg 2 AM/ 2 PM
Flagyl 2nd week only on Thurs and Friday

I hope this at least helps me function at a normal level-A Lyme normal not a healthy, vibrant lol I'm not expecting that yet.