Hello everyone. I'm so glad to meet you.
I'm an American stationed overseas in Germany and I believe that I have Lyme Disease. I am currently awaiting test results but even if they are negative, I will still be convinced that Lyme disease is what is making my life so awful right now.
I guess it really started about
a year ago when I was so tired and then it was discovered that I was severely iron deficient and anemic. That has since been resolved and I felt decent for nearly a year. A month and a Half ago, I noticed I was tired like I've never been before. I assumed I was coming down with something. Boy, was I right! I also noticed (oddly) that my little toe on my left foot was itching like crazy. Anyway, first came fatigue then pinky tingling, then face, tongue and lips tingling, then brain fog. At that point, I made my husband drive me to urgent care. My heart rate was 110 and I had a UTI but everything else seems "normal". They gave me antibiotics and told me I was freaking out so much that I was making myself feel tingly. They sent me on my way and I bought it. I felt better after a few days and had a few good days. I was cured!
Not so fast. Tingling and tired and brain fog returned. Elevated heart rate returned and feel like it skips sometimes. My eyes look a little red and feel stressed. MY foot started feeling heavy/numb. My hamstrings felt weak when I walked. My hands feel stiff and weak when I squeeze them. I itch all over. I have swollen glands under my chin which makes me feel like I can't swallow sometimes. I have a low grade fever off and on. I have heart burn. I feel panicky. Every single one of these symptoms come and go, travel around my body. Some days when brain fog lifts, I feel like I"m getting better and I Fall.For.It.Every.Time. I say thank you all day long on those days. Then I cry the next day or two when they come back. I often feel worse after eating. Sometimes I have ringing in my head or buzzing. Hard to say. My tongue feels like it's been burnt by hot pizza. When I tell Doctors my symptoms, they look baffled.
I have an MRI coming up to check for god knows what. They say MS. I don't think it's MS. I have some sort of infection. My white cell count is fine, they say but with fever and swollen glands. I mean.. come on. This last time I went to the Dr, I was going to demand a Lyme Disease test. Before I could even ask, she (a new Dr to me) suggested it. She said she had a patient last month with same symptoms and test came back positive for Lyme. I was just glad to be told something other than, "You have anxiety. Here's some pills to make you feel happier." Of course I have anxiety! My face is numb. Wouldn't you be anxious too? ( I know I sound bitter but I'm sooo tired. )
Today's a bad day. Yesterday wasn't so bad. Sometimes even a nap makes me feel better for a while. Does anyone else notice symptoms coming and going? I almost always have at least 2-3 but sometimes they feel less awful. Sometimes I have everything at once and that is when I am at wit's end. Even the swollen gland I had when I woke up is gone now. It makes a person feel like they are going crazy. Sometimes symptoms are so light, I barely notice them. It makes me wonder if I am sick or not. How frustrating. MY heart breaks for any of you having to go through this for years.
Anyway, that's my story. I'm not diagnosed but I have this feeling that I"m on the right track. If it's not Lyme, you can bet I have a new appreciation for it and compassion. Reading stories has really
opened my eyes. Thank you all for sharing and working to make this disease more tolerable.
Post Edited (Alhanna) : 9/9/2011 5:44:03 AM (GMT-6)