mild lyme?

you sound JUST LIKE ME!

I have been struggling with this for 10 years and slowly declining. My steady improvements towards better health (better diet, avoiding gluten and other food allergens, meditation, stress reduction, etc) are just barely enough to stay above water and counteract my slow decline. My major lyme problems are neurological and GI, but the few years or so I have had increasing hormonal imbalances and muscular-skeletal problems. My kidneys and lungs are starting to be effected too.

The funny thing I have learned about "good diet/nutrition" and healthy lifestyles is that they are all relative. What may be really good for one person, destroy's another person. I definitely learned that the hard way. For me, whole grains and lots of aerobic exercise and fruits and vegetables are a death sentence. I guess it is different for everyone!

I think it is worth it to see an LLMD. I have been seeing a Naturopath and an Acupuncturist for the past several years and am thankful every day to have their support. They are there when it gets tough, but my Lyme is mild enough that I can push through and function if I need to (but often times that is only because of the support and hard work I have done with their help). While it feels like a slow decline, at a minimum, I am thankful that I have a greater gift of time to figure it out before it is "too late". I'm only 23 and I know that I won't make it to 50 at the rate of health I am going. My biggest worry is that the lyme will simply make me insane. I'm contracting new mental illnesses every other year!

Post Edited (MoralAnimal) : 12/17/2010 1:17:05 AM (GMT-7)

Cat,
I believe you have been clinically diagnosed - that's diagnosis upon clinical findings - symptoms & history of exposure- I think you might have meant that you have not tested positive with a blood test - yet. I went for years without being able to test positive by blood tests.

Even the CDC, on their website states that diagnosis of LD has to be a clinical one. Check it out here;
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/

Hi Superfob!
Welcome to our forum!! I
'm really sorry to hear of the issues you have been trying to live with, but you've found a great place to find understanding, compassion, and good information!!!

I really don't believe that just because a person isn't bed-ridden or house-bound doesn't mean that they have a "milder form" or aren't as sick. The longer the infections go untreated, the deeper the infection and so more symptoms are experienced.

I had RMSF (the spot-less kind) when I was only 5 years old - who knows what other tick-borne diseases I contracted back then. My health always has been "behind the eight ball", but not disabling.

Lyme Disease can lay dormant in a person for decades, until some stressful event happens in a person's life then it takes advantage of that.
Some infections move more slowly for some people, but it doesn't make it any less serious.

I would be very surprised with what you have shared with us, if you don't have a tick-borne infection!

I would heavily suggest that you see a LLMD! They are the only ones who understand enough of this disease to actually be able to benefit you!
They know what things to tests. Many "Lymies" are deficient in Vit. B12. Frequently B12 injections are needed. For me, my body just doesn't want to absorb B12.

If you are really concerned about taking abx - there are Acupuncture Docs & Homeopathic docs that are Lyme-literate as well. I'm seeing an Acu Doc, as are a few others here & I know that there are some here that use homeopathic remedies - Razzle is just full of information when it comes to Homeo remedies!!

We try to be really careful here about not actually saying the LLMD's names as they have recently been persecuted & have actually been shut down in some cases & we would like to protect them.
With that being said, I've read some about the male LLMD's treatment in the book "Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment; 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies" and found it to be quite interesting - in a good way!

about not seeing a rash - only 40 - 60% of those infected with Lyme will ever see a rash. When a person does see that rash, no more testing - of any kind - is necessary, as Lyme Disease is the only known disease that produces such a rash.

Not everyone experience all of the symptoms. Believe me - be very happy you don't have those "Lyme headaches"!!!

I do hope this helps some. I would also like to suggest that you read the thread at the top of the forum titled "New to Lyme? Start here!" - if you haven't already.

Edited to add:
Holy Smokes!! That got long in a hurry!! UGH!

Canlyme.com posted a study that says that only 9% of people get the classic bull's eye rash...see http://canlyme.com/rash_less_than.html

Thanks for the responses guy. I think I am going to go ahead and make an appointment with an LLMD. It is very expensive....but I'm tired/scared of waiting to see symptoms will improve on their own. BTW, how easy is it to get a referral from a primary care physician to a Lyme doctor? The reason I ask is that my insurance will actually cover 60% if I get a referral - dunno how likely that is given I am already seeing a Dr outside my current network - are there any strategies to getting a referral?

Also, what kind of costs am I looking at if I do go through with the treatment? It seems very expensive just from the first appointment alone.

I also really want to get tested for Celiac, from all my research it seems that Celiac and Lyme are two things I definately want to rule out first.

Hi superfob, can you PM me