Lyme Disease:

[Daseal]

Hey Guys,

Getting sick of the political debate around here. Figured I'd move more into infectious diseases. I've recently been diagnosed, though it's suspected I've had it for between 3-4 years. It's not worth 500 dollars to me to find out how long I've had it. Looks like they're going to put a catheter in my arm, and I'm going to have to inject myself up to three times a day with antibiotics. Seems pretty hardcore to me, but interesting.

Anyone else had it? Have some helpful advise? etc?

For those of you that don't know much about it, Lyme disease is a pretty nasty disease. When the tick bites you, the lyme reads your blood, gets the blood type, disguises itself against the natural defenses of the body, then enters the blood stream. As far as I know, there's no cure for it. You can send it running into deep tissue, but will flare up on occasion. Basically, it causes terrible fatigue, memory loss (this has been by far the worst part), joint aches, etc. It's actually a fascinating disease if you every feel like reading about it.

Ill probably forget I made this thread. So enjoy your discussion

[EternalEnigma21]

I was having some pretty serious blood pressure issues over the course of a couple of days and soon noticed my palms and soles of my feet were very sore, red and swollen...

I went to the ER and they treated me with antibiotics through an IV and gave me a 21 day perscription as well. I think I pretty much did away with the symptoms, but the doc said there were many cases of "chronic lyme" which can come back from time to time.

I actually didn't test positive for lyme at the time, and he said it could have been rocky mountain spotted fever, but my lyme tests come back positive now.

[EternalEnigma21]

BTW, I think it sucks that you have it so advanced... did you not have any symptoms over the past few years? what finally prompted you to get checked?

[Daseal]

Over the past few years I mainly just had the fatigue part. Every Lyme test I took came back negative, but from what I understand until your body totally breaks down, Lyme will come back as a false negative quite often. I had a fever for 3 weeks this summer, then directly after I had something similar to a herniated disk. Hurt to lay down, stand, or sit still. Xrays came back totally inconclusive. Then I happened to have my shirt off, and someone noticed a huge red bullseye on my back. The next day I got on an anti-biotic and I had no pain, I could walk fine, and basically felt great. But that's stopped being effective.

Luckily Fauqier just brought in a Lyme specialist I'm going to see soon.

[EternalEnigma21]

Fauquier hospital is small but they're great. We had one kid there and one @ innova. That's also where I was treated for lyme. I really like them.

[SmootSmack]

At the end of my senior year of high school, I thought (and my doctors thought) I had contracted Lyme Disease.

It turned out not to be, but the doctors could never figure out exactly what it was I had. They thought maybe I had some advanced form of LD.

I had a fever of 105 degrees (and up) for nearly two weeks, I got tired easily, I couldn't hold anything because my hands would feel like they were on fire and I would shake uncontrollably, I lost nearly all my hair, a whole layer of skin fell off, I needed help walking more than ten feet, I got scars in my eyes, I lost 40 pounds....worst two weeks of my life.

But then one day, I was better all of a sudden. It took about 6 months to get my full strength back though.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

At the end of my senior year of high school, I thought (and my doctors thought) I had contracted Lyme Disease.

It turned out not to be, but the doctors could never figure out exactly what it was I had. They thought maybe I had some advanced form of LD.

I had a fever of 105 degrees (and up) for nearly two weeks, I got tired easily, I couldn't hold anything because my hands would feel like they were on fire and I would shake uncontrollably, I lost nearly all my hair, a whole layer of skin fell off, I needed help walking more than ten feet, I got scars in my eyes, I lost 40 pounds....worst two weeks of my life.

But then one day, I was better all of a sudden. It took about 6 months to get my full strength back though.

That sounds really scary! Knock on wood I have never been really sick. Only really sick I have been has been from drinking and even then I have never been to the hosiptal.

[djnemo65]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

At the end of my senior year of high school, I thought (and my doctors thought) I had contracted Lyme Disease.

It turned out not to be, but the doctors could never figure out exactly what it was I had. They thought maybe I had some advanced form of LD.

I had a fever of 105 degrees (and up) for nearly two weeks, I got tired easily, I couldn't hold anything because my hands would feel like they were on fire and I would shake uncontrollably, I lost nearly all my hair, a whole layer of skin fell off, I needed help walking more than ten feet, I got scars in my eyes, I lost 40 pounds....worst two weeks of my life.

But then one day, I was better all of a sudden. It took about 6 months to get my full strength back though.

That's crazy. Did you ever find out what it was?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

That's crazy. Did you ever find out what it was?

Nope. They were never able to officially diagnose it. I was sent everywhere (DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey) and no clear diagnosis could ever be made. That was pretty frustrating to say the least, but I was too sick to really get too upset about anything. I'll tell you what though there's nothing more humbling (well, I'm sure there is actually) than being 18 years old and out to dinner with friends and your buddy has to cut your food and serve it to you because you're too weak to do it yourself. Or my parents having to brush my teeth in the morning. Or my brother having to tie my shoes for me. It was like that for a few weeks. Totally sucked.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Nope. They were never able to officially diagnose it. I was sent everywhere (DC, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey) and no clear diagnosis could ever be made. That was pretty frustrating to say the least, but I was too sick to really get too upset about anything. I'll tell you what though there's nothing more humbling (well, I'm sure there is actually) than being 18 years old and out to dinner with friends and your buddy has to cut your food and serve it to you because you're too weak to do it yourself. Or my parents having to brush my teeth in the morning. Or my brother having to tie my shoes for me. It was like that for a few weeks. Totally sucked.

Mooch.