Delayed labs, more panic attacks

i just found out yesterday igenex delayed starting my labs because of a billing issue. Which is odd since I gave them carte Blanche on my credit card. In the meantime my vision is getting worse and panic attacks even more severe. On my way home form work I had to pull off the highway and into a parking lot to call my husband to come and get me. That panic attack was the worse one yet. Then this morning the same thing happened. Except I was able to get through the initial attack and instead drove straight to my doctors office where my husband met me. The doc changed my meds to clonazepam, which he said is longer acting. Then he insisted I go to a psychiatrist to discuss the fact that any meds they try on me are ineffective. When I told him about the delay with the labs he said the anxiety is making me think I have chronic Lyme and that the psychiatrist will help me realize my misunderstanding. This is the same doc who referred me to a neurologist who tested for ms, lupus, hormone levels, all which have came back normal. There are no more tests to run. All indications are that I have anxiety. I should have had the co infection panel back this week and I'm so frustrated I could scream. I have never been anxious in my life and now I'm off the charts. My headaches and eye distortion and pain, anxiety, insomnia are all getting worse each day while I wait. I'm staying positive and happy, but am feeling fed up. Two more weeks...and I'm worried the labs will come back normal. How can anything be normal when I feel so abnormal. Thanks for listening to me vent.

Whew, hang in there! As an objective reader of this frustrating situation, I'd say:

#1: Ask the doc to let you TRY any of the typical meds for Lyme or co-infections: doxycycline or the others that everyone on here recommends. He could do this based on your symptoms and prior diagnosis in your signature.

#2: Get rid of your doctor. Classic case of blaming it on everything else but the OBVIOUS.

#3: Have you gotten recs from this forum or ILADS for an LLMD in your area? If not, start a new thread with the request for an LLMD in your city/state. An LLMD will not dismiss your anxiety as a psychiatric issue. It is very very likely a symptom of the underlying issues caused by the tick bite in 2013.

#4: Find some calm in the knowledge that any well-informed doctor can make your diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment based on your clinical symptoms alone. You don't need to have a positive test result on paper, especially with your history.

#5: Easier said than done, but try not to worry about the labs in the 2-week interim. Take the time to research your doctor options, detox routines, take care of yourself the best you can.

Glad you have a supportive husband! Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Maui

goldens said...
What are your major symptoms with the panic attacks?

Ugh, I just wrote a reply and it disappeared. First sign is goosebumps, then sweating, rapid breathing, full body tremors. The panic depends what I'm doing. While driving it feels like I'm frozen and don't dare to move. I somehow manage to pull off the road and the panic turns into mind blowing thoughts that race all over the place. Nothing specific, but really fast, nonsense. One time I grabbed a rational thought that this is a panic attack and I swear my brain spoke back saying, yes and there is nothing you can do. So I sat there freaking out about how I was going crazy. It takes about a half hour for this entire episode and when it's over my arms and legs feel like tingling feathers, head and jaw ache and I'm completely exhausted.

Hi Mascoe1 (I think it's Cheryl from your signature? ),

I don't think we are supposed to make hard and fast recommendations on here, so my list above may be breaking some rules. :-0 On that note, I will speak from my opinion alone:

I can see lots of people on here have strong reactions to doxy, mostly nausea. I get it too but the doxy made me feel so much better after just 6 days, despite the nausea, that I would keep taking it (in your position). However, I must say that I don't get the extreme anxiety that you have--it sounds freaking horrible!--so I have no experience there & can't speak to how the doxy might help it.

My understanding is that your LLND will definitely treat your symptoms regardless of tests results. Depending on what state you're located in, your LLND may also be able to prescribe meds in addition to herbs.

And your experiences with the tests are, unfortunately, a familiar story for so many of us on here. You are right to be frustrated, worn out, and anxious. But just remember you're not crazy, it really isn't you making you behave this way, and you are among relatable friends here. It sounds like we've had similar backgrounds and personalities/life experiences--survivors, victors, successes-- so I can definitely understand how strange this must be for you and your family. We WILL overcome!

Please do keep us posted on how things progress.
Maui

Love the "keeping it real" story! At least you have the sense of humor for that!! On an 'off' day I might not be so kind, my first reaction wouldn't be to laugh, hahaha! ;-)

My hands & grip got significantly weaker over the past year, feeling funny when I would write or type. Then my legs got much weaker this past spring, losing any sign of muscle. (This disease is a killer on the vanity! My legs used to be my favorite body part.) This summer they got really wobbly and started giving out under me, by August walking eventually became difficult because I couldn't keep my balance. I started to reverse numbers in August too. That's when I became aware that I'd been developing dyslexia for months. In the spring I was searching for the right word to say what I meant. Then by July I was saying the wrong word even when I knew the right word I was thinking of.

By August I was writing numbers down out of order even though I'd heard them correctly. I could see I was writing them down wrong and had to double- and triple-check things. It was weird and confusing. My memory has always been horrible but I've been absolutely excellent at remembering birthdates, phone numbers, and historical events if I heard the numbers or dates just once--think RainMan, LOL! The dyslexia was a sure sign something was REALLY wrong with me.

Since the doxy I'm hyper-aware that I might be messing up. I'm not reversing numbers as much but I am being extra careful--double-checking and writing them slowly. I dial slowly on the phone. The thing I have noticed I'm still doing is reversing the order of words in website hyperlinks. I will type a link here on the forum and realize I put the wrong words first. I will write email addresses incorrectly, like putting 'com' in front of '@' or 'dot;. Last night I got ready to "cook" an easy cold-weather dinner: side-by-side on my counter I put chicken in my rice cooker and rice in my crockpot! That made me laugh. A little scary but still funny. So my symptoms aren't exactly visual like yours, there's some kind of reversal happening from my brain on its way to my fingers.

Also, I've been off doxy for the last 5 days due to a lapse in medical coverage--my allergies are back with a vengeance and so is this weird dyslexia. I'm keeping my spirits up by tanking detox tea, massaging my feet & skin with oils, taking detox baths with a candle burning, my meditation playing, sipping lemon water from a flute like it's champagne, acting like I'm at a spa. It's the only way I can survive the daily stress of my current situation! Oh yeah, and I'm living on this forum!