PLEASE HELP DO I HAVE LYME???

Hi, I have been having some symptoms lately and I really would like to know others opinions on this. I am 22 years old, Male. from MA

It all started in august this year. I was drinking at my friends house and the next morning I woke up and i was in a bit of a daze all day. it was like my brain was in a fog. I figured it had something to do with the alcohol even though I hadn't drank that much. that lasted for about a week and was accompanied by extreme fatigue and I could not fall asleep at night. I went to the doctor about 6 days after and he gave me a prescription for doxycycline. The symptoms went away two days later so I figured they just went away on their own. the prescription was for 2 weeks but I went on vacation a week into it and forgot the meds at home. I was fine for about a month after that and then it started up again. I had numbness in my arms as well as fatigue and problems sleeping again. I also had joint pain in my fingers on my left hand as well as headaches. I was at school at the time and too far from my doctor at home. Eventually it went away just some come back a few weeks later. At that point I was home for vacation and went back to the doctor. I got another prescription for 3 weeks of doxycycline again. Since completing that prescription I have been cycling between feeling ok and sick. I've had all those same symptoms and recently my left knee has swollen up under the kneecap for no apparent reason. The other day I was just walking back from class and my chest started to hurt. since then I have had mild chest pain and lower and upper back pain. MY heartbeat has also been going wild for a few seconds every once in a while for no apparent reason as well. I don't know what to make of all of this but it is concerning because I am a very active person and it is making me not able to do the things I normally do. my doctor says that I can not have lyme because he already treated me for it but from what I have read it seems like 3 weeks of medication is not enough. I have had a western blot test taken and I had two bands but apparently 5 are needed to be diagnosed with lyme. I also had a brain MRI which came back clean according to my doctor.

I can make a full list of the symptoms I have had if that would be helpful. Thank you in advance for any advice you may have. This is really beginning to worry me.

Hello Lyme Problems,

Welcome to the forum! While we aren't doctors, don't play them on TV and couldn't keep a white coat clean for even a moment, I think most of us here would say what you describe sounds like Lyme.

And it sounds as if you have not had adequate treatment. (Always finish your antibiotic prescriptions!!) Actually, your initial prescription wasn't enough, anyway, if your doctor suspected Lyme disease.

Thing is most doctors don't know how to interpret a Lyme disease test and don't know how to treat it thoroughly. This is an international problem -- but let's get back to you.

For a Lyme literate doctor, the two positive bands and the presence of symptoms consistent with Lyme is enough for a Lyme diagnosis. The CDC says that they consider 5 bands a positive but right there on the test say that a clinical diagnosis is to be made by the doctor.

What you need to do now is to locate a Lyme Literate Doctor. They will run more accurate tests and evaluate your symptoms.

For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, please email our long time member, Dan's Mother at:
[email protected]
If you'd like more doctor suggestions, you can email stephanie at: [email protected] You can also go to: www.turnthecorner.org/bod.htm if you want to learn a little bit more about Lyme Disease.

You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link: www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74

You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) doctor. The ILADS site is a great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey.
www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines_clearing_ilads.html


Take a look at our "New to Lyme?" thread at the top of the forum. There is a lot of info and resources that will help you.

Hey, you are on your way to feeling better.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi,
It is going to come down to the trial, process and elimination method. My wife got tested for Lymes disease and ended up 99% sure she had it, They had to take 6 vials of blood from her when they tested her for different things. Alot of factors can be going on with you. 1) Food allergies - such as gluten, Gluten is in alcohol and many other foods. 2) how is life? Do you feel stressed out and have anxiety? Sometimes stress can be so bad, it can play pyschological tricks on you and you can feel alot of discomfort in your body and it goes along with depression. Then the way you feel will cause you to worry more (as you mentioned), which in turn causes more anxiety and can lead to panic attacks. 3) Try different doctors out to get different opinions, even see a homeopathic doctor if need be. 4) I myself went through the brain fog and anxiety, I found out I was low on Magnesium and it has been helping me to feel better. It will be a fight , but keep searching for answers.

Post Edited (digdugbug) : 12/12/2011 5:10:17 PM (GMT-7)

Hey everyone,

I had an appointment today with a rheumatologist to look into what this could be and it was not any help. I was just wondering if anyone else had gone through seeing so many doctors like this. Every one that I have seen has said that it could not be lyme for one reason or another. The rheumatologists seemed to think that it could not be lyme because I had neurological symptoms the wrong time of the year.

Thanks everyone, Happy Holidays!

hi lyme problems!!
im sorry to hear you have so many symptoms! i wanted to let you know that sadly, because lyme disease is so controversial, it often takes a lot of doctors and misdiagnoses before we get diagnosed and treated correctly! that is why it is important not to wait- go straight to a lyme literate doctor! i am 21 years old and began experiencing scary neurological symptoms this past january. i saw over 20 different doctors in the past year- with diagnoses from fibromyalgia to "anxiety." it wasnt until i saw two llmds this fall that i got diagnosed with lyme disease. was your western blot taken at a local lab? or sent to IGenex? i had a negative ELISA and western blot taken by my primary care doctors. so i eventually sent my blood to this lab in california and i tested Igenex positive (but CDC negative) for lyme. im not entirely sure if band 18 is lyme specific. i believe 41 is the most common band to be positive because it is for flagellum, and therefore can represent a disease such as lyme disease or other bacteria i believe. however, you may also want to get tested for co-infections. often the ticks carrying lyme disease carry other bacteria such as bartonella, babesia, erlichiosis.
let us know if you have any more questions! but you are definitely on the right track looking into lyme disease and a lyme literate doctor!

18 has been CDC specific since 1994 or so.

CDC IgG Positive: 5 of the following 10 Borrelia-specific bands 18, 23, 28, 30, 39, 41, 45, 58, 66, 93.

CDC IgM Positive: 2 of the following 3 Borrelia-specific bands 23, 39, 41.

IGeneX IgG and IgM Borrelia-specific bands: 23-25, 31, 34, 39, 41 and 83-93.

Well that's a great start! Getting treatment started with someone knowledgeable is half the battle. Now you can begin.

And yes, with abx, it is very common to feel worse before you feel better. This, my friend, is a herx and you will get very used to recognizing what it is and feels like.

When you take an abx it kills the bugs and releases toxins into your bloodstream, therefore causing you to feel sicker.

I'll tell you what I learned from the wonderful people on this site: take it slow with the abx and detox often. You will need to find a way to help your liver clear the sh@t from your system. There are lots of detoxing methods on the "new members" link.

Hang in there and ask questions. The folks here are very helpful and kind. Good luck on your journey.

Hi Lyme problems,

Great to hear that you have started treatment! I am sure you are starting to gather that it really is no walk in the park. Think of it more like a marathon or a mountain climb.

Like those efforts, the best way to get through your Lyme treatment is to be very well prepared. The more information you have, the better off you will be.

Have a look at the "New to Lyme?" thread at the top of the forum. It has a lot of information and links to other resources. In particular you will find the section on detoxing very helpful. Detoxing can help you with the Herxheimer reaction (the getting worse before you get better effect).

Please come back with any questions you have.

Hi Lyme problems!
It's good to hear that you have started treatment!! Congrats!

The foot baths are all I can handle right now, yet they make a big difference for me! If you are in a situation where you can soak your feet more than once a day, I would try that - although I would like to caution you to watch yourself closely for herxes.

If you experience a herx while raising the number of times you use the foot baths, then please back down on the number of times you use them! You will be able to raise the number of times you use the detox foot bath once your body deals with the onslaught of the toxins. I would also say that probably three times a day should be the limit on how many time one should do the foot baths.

As for the stomach problems, you didn't give any details of what kind of problems you may be having, so here is a general suggestion. Be sure you eat when you take your abx - even if it says not to. We only get one stomach and we must protect it! Some have found that a small snack will work, others need to have a full meal and take the abx right in the middle of the meal.

Be sure you are taking a good quality probiotic! This is really crucial so that you don't end up with systemic yeast issues.

Ginger caps are something that work well for nausea/heartburn and will not interfere with any other meds. I take a very large dose of 5 grams a day to keep my nausea under control, but I would suggest that for someone just starting out to start on a small dose and work your way up to the dose that helps you the most - without taking more than 5 grams a day to be on the safe side.

I hope this helps a bit! I'm sure others will be along shortly to add their suggestions as well!

Hi Lymeproblems,

Traveler is taking a bit of a break from the forum, so I'll jump in here, if you don't mind.

It would be wrong of us to guess what is going on with you -- we can't even see you! It sounds as if you are on the right track with getting medical attention. The stool test results should tell you what is going on.

Most people on antibiotics find taking a good quality probiotic (not necessarily the most expensive) keeps yeast at bay, but for others that is not enough. It is important to take a probiotic formula that has a lot of different strains of organisms and to take it two hours after your antibiotics.

I hope your problem gets resolved soon!