Posted 12/3/2014 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter was bite by ticks years ago. She has had an incident where she woke up and had paralysis/Bell's Palsy on one side of her face which disappeared. She has had a lot of stomach problems. She went through a period where she had drenching night sweats almost every night for quite awhile. She has a creaky, popping neck that she is always trying to adjust to get comfortable. Now she is 25 and has recently had blood in her stool. She has gone to a general group practice of gastroenterologists in Portland, OR, non Lyme literate,...didn't even want to hear about her history. All along she has been seen by our general physical, actually a nurse practitioner who supposedly tested her for Lyme and who/what tests were ordered, I am not sure but supposedly they came up negative. All along I have suspected Lyme Disease and been trying to get her to follow up/investigate that. The gastroenterologist has diagnosed her with Ulcerative Colitis. In just a two week period, this doctor has put her on steroids, my daughter just saw her doctor again for a follow-up and her doctor said the colitis had worsened so they are now putting her on a massive series of doses of stronger steroids, warning her of the side effects. I know that putting her on steroids is the worst thing that should be done on a person with untreated Lyme. I am worried sick about what is going to happen unless Incan get her to a Lyme literate doctor who will consider all her history. I should mention that my daughter also suffers from Migraines a lot lately, trouble sleeping. In regards to the Ulcerative Colitis,.....she suffers from constipation along with the blood in her stool. My daughter is 25, I believe we remove three ticks from her after she spent a week at my mother's who lives in Palos Verdes, Calif. (Lyme has been found I some ticks there) (my daughter had "camped" outside along with my mom's two dogs) My daughter is in her second year of Graduate School Speech Pathologist at Portland State and has a very demanding schedule. She does not want to listen to e, is still overwhelmed, absorbing the Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis,. The thought of losing her colon, all the worst scenarios ......the bottom line is that she ha heard me go on and on about Lyme,.....at the same time gone regularly always to doctors when she has had her problems,..none ever bring up Lyme so my daughter doesn't want to hear about Lyme and wants to handle this herself/go wit these gastroenterologists,etc.I almost ruined Thanksgiving pushing/talking,ect about Lyme so I had to stop because it was now a sore subject with my daughter. I made a deal with her that I respected her choices, she is 25, smart, independent. She is also concerned about paying for expensive Lyme treatment although she has medical insurance through Portland State. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP IF YOU KNOW A GOOD LYME LITERATE DOCTOR, PREFERABLY A DOCTOR OR PROFESSIONAL THAT HER INSURANCE MIGHT PAY FOR. OTHERWISE, W WILL DO/PAY WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HELP HER. ONCE AGAIN, SHE LIVES IN BEAVERTON OREGON, GOES TO SCHOOL IN PORTLAND SO I NEED A DOCTOR NEAR THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP/FEEDBACK.