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Posted 5/21/2015 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
So as many of you know, I was in the ER on Sunday. But thinking back on my horrible experience, when I was having my blood drawn the phlebotomist seemed like she was taking forever to get my blood. Usually it fills the tube right up but it was takin a while this time.

I'm concerned about hypercoagulation. Has anyone had this? If so, it is treatable? & how do I get tested for it??

I've been feeling really down lately. Everything with my heart and complication after complication I'm just feeling defeated. I don't want to die but I'm scared that's where I'm heading..
Posted 5/21/2015 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Alryrose -- I can't say anything about hypercoagulation because I have no experience with it and don't know anything about it.

BUT -- I just wanted to say I understand you're feeling down. AND -- you aren't going to die! You have taken the first step to getting better, even thought it takes forever and can feel pointless at times. Trust me, I know. Sometimes (often times) I feel like I'm taking sugar pills everyday for no point, but the doctor reassures me it just takes a long time and everyone reacts differently and at different rates.

Have you talked to him since your ER visit? Sometimes it's helpful and reassuring just to hear his take on it. I always feel stupid calling him but he is always understanding and always says to call if you have any questions or concerns. If you call today, you may be able to get a hold of him before the long weekend.
Posted 5/21/2015 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
That seems like a far jump to make. It could be that they just didn't get it in the vein good enough.

If your that worried go get checked out. Most likely they'll tell you it's just your anxiety getting the best of you.

Good luck.
Posted 5/21/2015 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Runnergirl82 - Sometimes it feels like this is never going to go away and I'm always going to have to suffer. I know it's irrational thinking but I cannot help it. I'm so miserable right now. I'm being a crappy mom because I'm so exhausted and in pain I cannot play with my son or teach him his letters/numbers and I'm constantly pushing my boyfriend away.. I know I'm babbling and I'm sorry, I just feel helpless right now. I'm so terrified of dying (even tho I know it'll happen one day). If my heart wasn't involved this would be ALOT easier to fight.. I called the doctor on tuesday. He told me to back off on one of my doses for a few weeks and then call him and we'll ease back into it. He said I "pissed the buggers off in my heart" and that my body is adjusting to the meds and that's why he said slow down for a week or two. I just don't want to go so slow that they continue to wreaking havoc on my body, you know?

BDL - She was fishing around in my vein (which hurt) and she kept saying "come onnnnn" and stuff like that. I don't know. Like I told runnergirl82, I'm terrified of dying. I don't want it to happen this way. My anxiety is out of the roof today!
Posted 5/21/2015 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
If she was ffishing for your vein, then that likely why it took so long. She couldn't get the right vein that would give enough blood fast enough.

But you see how health anxiety makes us jump to conclusions? I had some stomach pain and I instantly thought appendicitis, despite only having one minor symptoms. That was enough for me to get to the ER immediately. I wouldn't accept the doctors word when they said I was fine. When in all reality I was fine and they were right. I thought I had appendicitis when really I just has some stomach cramps.

A few months later my chest started hurting, and like you I immediately thought it was my heart. I went to 2 top cardiologist and the ER twice. They all said I was good. It wasnt until I stopped thinking my chest pain was my heart that it went a way. I never get the chest or arm pain anymore.

See what I mean about anxiety. A Lot of us don't like to admit it, but that does cause many of our symptoms. Get the anxiety under control and you'll improve at a much more rapid rate, I truly believe.

Take my word from expierence. Everybody is different but sometimes things are similar.


I should add that it didn't take a week or a month to get rid of the bad anxiety. It gradually went away over many months.

It went from having multiple panic attacks a day to one a day. To a couple a week. Then maybe two a month with just general anxiety. Then to just anxiety with no panic attacks. And right now I really don't have any anxiety. I haven't been treating Lyme either. I haven't taken anything in 31/2 months. Yet I'm healthier than when I had my anxiety.

Post Edited (BDL) : 5/21/2015 8:26:24 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/21/2015 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Alyrose, well hopefully you do not have an issue of hypercoagulation... Do you have any symptoms of hypercoagulation? Or, do you have babesia as a co-infection as this one is known to cause it alot.

If you are really worried you can get a hypercoagulation panel done I believe.


All in all though, please keep in mind that most times at the hospital if they take longer penetrating the vein its because one is dehydrated and that makes it much harder to get in the vein. (Or also, are you known for having "good/big" veins or do you have thinner looking ones?)
They always love me because I have the 'good' veins as they call it--easy to get in there! Its funny because I used HATE needles but between having a picc line and lyme related hospital visits...Im not the cowardly lion no more so to speak (I dont know if thats a good thing or bad thing :-/ sheesh ;-)

~Courtney~

Post Edited (orchid_rain) : 5/21/2015 8:30:03 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/21/2015 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
courtney,

I don't know if I have any symptoms.. I'm literally slammed with different symptoms every day or every week. Who would I call to get the hypercoagulation panel? The doctor at the ER said I was dehydrated and I also have thinner veins that apparently "roll".

Before I knew I had lyme, I saw a neurologist who did an MRI and MRA on my head/brain. Everything came back mostly normal but they said that one of the arteries in the base of my neck was smaller than the other one in diameter and it was something I was born with. Now I'm worried about hypercoagulation because if one of my arteries is smaller in my brain, I don't want to have a stroke..

This is all a nightmare. That's why I said I'm so nervous I'm going to die because things just keep happening over and over and over to set me back. I cannot enjoy life anymore, I'm a nervous wreck.
Posted 5/21/2015 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
BDL - Wow, yes a lot of similarities. I know my anxiety is bad. I was NEVER an anxious person before in my life but now I'm a mess. I think my son has cancer, I'm going to have a stroke my boyfriend is going to have a heart attack and I literally cannot help it. I'm trying. I take anti anxiety meds when needed but I don't like to be drugged up.

I went from never taking an ibuprofen in my life to having enough pills prescribed to me to last a life time. It's never ending.
Posted 5/21/2015 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
Alyrose you sound just like me 6 months ago. You gotta realize some things you can't control and worrying about them isn't solving anything. so do your best not to stress about the things you can't control. Look up some meditation stuff, it really works.

I used to create little chains of things that could go wrong. But my dad explained how the bad thoughts were consuming my life. I didn't even realize how bad it was until I stopped.

I too was never anxious. It didn't make sense. But alot of times anxiety shows it self between 18-30.

Post Edited (BDL) : 5/21/2015 9:13:34 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/21/2015 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
Alyrose, You can request the panel from your llmd from my understanding.

Also, BDL is right. We have all been there and have eventually found out how when you let anxiety get the best of you about this illness it will manifest into a whole another set of symptoms and heighten the ones from lyme too! No Bueno! For example, I dont even look at the side effects list when I get a medication filled anymore! I just dont need the anxiety from reading it and then feeling something from lyme acting up but thinking its my meds and will make me anxious to stop the med thats going to heal me!!

Do you know what anxiety is pretty much summed up and defined as: FEAR

Try not to let it get the best of you. I will say (and *knock on wood*), anxiety was the first symptom to come with this illness but thankfully it was the first to go with treatment! Omgosh, anxiety AND panick attacks used to be soooo baddd!

There are different methods of dealing with it. I love meditation and deep breathing techniques :)

~Courtney~
Posted 5/21/2015 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
courtney,

You're right. My anxiety and panic stems from fear. But with a disease like this it's hard not to be afraid because there's so much unknown. I started looking at the side effects from the medications and would panic immediately. So, I know where you're coming from, from that perspective.

Thank you and BDL for taking the time out of your day to respond to me and help ease my mind. I appreciate it!! :)

-Aly
Posted 5/21/2015 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
Although it's most likely the fault of the person doing the blood draw (I have issues like that too), hypercoagulability of the blood can be a real concern for some with Lyme. It's best to have your doc test you for this. It's a simple test, my hubby has to do this every week because he's on Coumadin daily.

Here are some articles about hypercoagulability in Lyme for those that need this information.
www.anapsid.org/cnd/diffdx/hypercoagulation.html

/sites.google.com/site/marylandlyme/tick-borne-diseases/babesia/heparin-therapy-babesia

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=1953186

www.betterhealthguy.com/klinghardt-conference-lyme-and-other-chronic-infections
Posted 5/21/2015 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Traveler - Ok, I'm going to call their office today. I just spoke with him on Tuesday, I wish I could have asked him about this then. Since he is out of state, could he order it for me and I can get it done in my home state? It's tough having an LLMD that is from out of state.

Also, how common is hypercoagulation and what are some of the symptoms? I've had so much blood work done and nothing has come up abnormal except for my ANA.

Sorry for firing off so many questions, I feel so fragile and scared today.
Posted 5/21/2015 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
It's not likely that they would have missed it if you had it since you are seeing a LLMD, but we always need to be aware. And getting your blood too thin carries heavy consequences too, so the blood must be in the middle ground somewhere.

Yes, it's a simple test that any doc's office that is set up to test blood countability can do. Please call your LLMD's office and ask if they have checked your blood for hypercoaguability though. No need to test again if you have already been tested.

The symptoms of hypercoagulated blood can cause are very similar to some of the Lyme symptoms, so that's not a good indicator.

It's hard to tell just how common it is. Not all Lyme patients experience it, some experience a minor amount, and others have significant issues with it. You would know if you were having significant issues though, so don't let your mind go there.

Take a deep breath. Realize you have made it through the worst part - getting diagnosed. Don't panic, take your time to actually work through each step of healing - moving too fast will only end up in skipped steps, complications and other things that can lead to possibly longer treatment times.

And, please, put up with that drugged feeling for a bit and take your anti-anxiety meds like you should for a bit. You will feel A LOT better just doing that - believe me. My anxiety sky rocketed at one point in my illness and I was a total basket case. I totally freaked out over hubby asking me to stop by the shop where we got our cars worked on so that they could check the fluids in the car before I made a long trip - and he had already made the appt!!! All I had to do was show up! That's when I knew I was in trouble with my anxiety and started taking the Xanax like it was prescribed.
Posted 5/21/2015 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
I'm seeing Dr. H in Wisconsin but he hasn't tested me for hypercoaguability. I will call his office today and see if that's something he could order.

Since I'm having issues with my heart, I'm wondering if hypercoaguability has anything to go with my heart working extra heart and beating fast.

I will start to take my anti anxiety meds because I don't know if this is lyme or the co infections doing this to me or if I'm really losing my mind but I've been horrible the past week since I got out of the ER.
Posted 5/21/2015 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sure he can order it for you somewhere in your area...
Posted 5/21/2015 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
runnergirl82 - I feel so bad calling him again. He's going to think I'm crazy. I literally just spoke with him on the phone on Tuesday. Ugh.
Posted 5/21/2015 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Dont think of anxiety as losing your mind. It's more of a chemical imbalance in your brain. it's Far from crazy.
Posted 5/21/2015 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
Alyrose...trust me, he WON'T think you're crazy. He understands.

A while back, I called him one day, and then 3 days later my husband called him for me, and then 3 weeks later I went to see him in person. He never acted annoyed or bothered. I think he has many patients who call him frequently.

I had to speak with him 2 weeks ago to give him an update (he told me to call), but now I have some more questions so I might be calling him again soon.

I know how you feel, but I wouldn't worry about it.
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