Hello!
This is my first post. I am 52 years old and have been dealing with chronic illness intermittently most of my adult life. I have been on disability since 1999. I was amazed that I was able to get it as I know of so many who have not been able to!
I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2004. (No co-infections were found). I believe that I was infected with Lyme while visiting relatives in VA in 1970. (I distinctly remember the rash). I had infectious hepatitis about
2 weeks later.
I took a Rocephin/Metronidizole (sp?)/Doxycycline protocol for about
8 months. Aside from the horrific herx's and the side effects of the Doxy, the results were nothing short of amazing. My fibromyalgia (diagnosed as fibrocytis in the late 80's) and my CFS symptoms greatly improved. As did my hypothyroidism. Ear and head pain...that's just the few I can remember at present. Oh yes, most of the brain fog improved.
I have dealt with hyper-coagulation, gave myself heparin injections for a year (prior to the Lyme diagnosis).
I have been on very high dose of Wellbutrin (Buproprion) for the past 2 years. Still rather depressed. This works much better for me than Prozac, Zoloft or any of the others I've tried. Less side effects.
I have tested positive for EBV/CBV and HH6. (I think that's the number). I had an acute case of mono when I was 12. (Missed 3 weeks of school).
I have been treated for mycoplasma (bacterial and viral).
I have lately (the past few months) been experiencing Lyme problems again. On the advice of my naturopathic physician (very good doc), I started taking an herbal product. The herx reaction is so intense that I stopped taking it for a while.
about
a month ago I started having some troubling symptoms. Swollen feet, ankles and abdomen. The worse symptom is chest pain and shortness of breath. I ended up in the ER a few weeks ago. In spite of chest pain, the tests were normal. They decided to give me a stress test anyway. I failed it. The cardiologist told me that after the test my heartbeat seemed abnormal. (Didn't get a real straight answer on this!). He recommended an angiogram as CAD runs in my family, both parents have had
open heart surgery. My father had a valve replacement at around my age. We decided to do it. That test was also negative, there are no blockages at all. He also stated that my heart is very strong. No heart problem at all.
I have gradually recuperated since then. Today I decided to try exercising again (something that I have never been able to do consistently due to delayed fatigue). I had to stop short of the workout due to the shortness of breath and chest pain. UGH!
Sorry, didn't mean to write a book here, but I hope it's ok!
I live in Tucson, AZ and I'm looking for a LLMD. I'm on disability and due to the economy my husband is working very little. I really can't afford my naturopath. Since I have Medicare, I thought I'd try to find a doctor who is a recommended Lyme doc. Hoping that the insurance will cover some of the treatment that may be required. (The Rocephin protocol was extremely expensive, even though we purchased it from Canada!) Don't even know if that is possible now.
If anyone has any suggestions please steer me in the right direction!
TY so much for listening!
Mahea
