Posted 3/23/2016 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all!
I have finally worked up enough courage to post here and ask questions after reading the forum for several months, and the New to Lyme post 100's of times!
Brief History:
Had a tick embedded in my back, my husband attempted to remove it, but it broke off. It was there for over 24 hours. Put Neosporin on it and didn't think anything more about it. We are avid outdoors people and this was not my first tick. Never felt great, but did not feel horrible either, I was already having allergy issues at the time. 2 weeks later, I had a rash. Not sure that it was a "typical" Bullseye rash, but it was circular in shape with the red center being where the tick was. It was tender and radiated heat like crazy. Went to Immediate Care, was seen by a PA and automatically asked if I had been out of the area, told him no, that we had been working in our yard when I got the tick. He could not believe that, but says it looked like Lyme Disease. Ordered a Western Blot and put me on Clindamycin(300mg-4x day); said that if it was positive he was going to refer me to an Infectious Disease Dr, and if not, that he would re-assess.
I had IgM 23 and 41 positive with Quest. The Dr that this PA worked under called, said that it was a False positive and to not worry, I did not have LD.........but he was going to refer me to ID because 1, given my extensive antibiotic allergy; and 2, I obviously had some type of infection going on, but that they did not know what it was that I had.
I won't bore you with the rest of the extensive history, but I had 2 more Western Blots one done by LabCorp (+on IgM 23 and 41) and the other by Quest again (+only on IgM 23). After seeing ID, Rheumatologist and a Dr who had treated Lyme in the past, but is currently unable to practice (he is in the middle of a court battle for treating Lyme without a proper diagnosis). I am still left sitting here wondering what in the world is wrong with me. Why do I feel like a 90 year old trapped in a 35 year old body.....
My main question is, if it is not LD, then what would make those bands reactive?
I strongly feel like I have it, and that my Clindamycin was not long enough, 10 days at 4x day and 12 days at 2x day.
My symptoms:
Temperature Sensitivity
Fatigue, never feel refreshed in the morning after sleeping
Irritable, easily agitated, little things bother me all the time
Anxious, on-edge feeling all the time
Knee pain, slight swelling on the tops of my knees, L worse than R
Sciatica pain, Hip pain, deep in the joints
Low-grade fevers, 3-5 days, returning every 4-5weeks (normal 96.6, 99-100)
Increased thirst, mainly at night, waking up just to drink water
Cough, non-productive
Trouble thinking/concentrating; lose train of thought, easily distracted
Headache, starts in the jaw hinge and works way behind ears and up back of head
Tingling in the face, nose and L cheek
Itchy, crawly skin
Increased sensitivity to light/sound
Ringing in the ears, left worse than right
Calf tightness, L, feels like me leg is going to burst
Ankle swelling, pitting on L only
Red pin dots on feet, working its way up
Stomach aches and pains, uncomfortable feeling, occasional bloat, C to D and back
Steady weight gain, and then lose 5-7 pounds
Drop things, clumsy
Wrist/elbow pain
Feel like I need to “crack” my neck constantly, when I do, it pops and grinds
Unstable mood swings, anxious about everything, emotional
Extremely dry skin, itching all the time, red welts with barely touching skin
Brittle nails, thumb nails constantly peeling
Easily bruise and takes a while for them to go away, same with scratches
Takes a while to fall asleep and then unable to stay asleep.
Hot, itchy feet
Increased allergy symptoms
Grinding noise in L knee, esp when walking up stairs
Popping noise in R ankle
Hurts to put any pressure anywhere on my body, worse in the joints
Eyes go blurry sometimes, takes a while to focus
All over discomfort
Tired of being in pain and tired all the time
From what I have read here, it lead me to find a LLMD, which I did. He is in Mobile, AL. Can anybody provide feedback on him? I believe I have enabled my email, if not let me know.
It's crazy how much we have to advocate for our own health, but I must press on. Husband will consider it to be LD, my folks, not so much. Maybe this Dr will give me the peace of mind that I am looking for.
Thanks in advance for reading my story, there are so many details that I have left out so that way maybe it is easier to read for most.