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viral meningitis or lyme's disease or...?

I want to include all pertinent details.  I am: optometrist, 32 y/o male,in Santa Barbara, CA.  No meds, no Phx, Fhx HA or migraines, healthy and physically very active.  I went to Dominican Republic for volunteer mission may 26-june 11, 06. I took chloroquine malaria prev tx.  On the night of return(june 11): severe spinning/vertigo resolved next am after sleeping face-down. I went hiking (++ mosquitos, tics) June 30 in mountains.

July 4, 06: pressure headache began mild, progressed to severe in 5 days.  mild imbalance (feeling of falling, floating on sea, etc.) No fever.  PCP dx: side effects chloroq. Previous. vertigo dx was sec. to air travel.

July 7: sxs persist: 2nd PCP dx:viral meningitis, no tests ordered. Same day neuro consult: same dx, MRI with contrast ordered, results normal. Neuro workup in office normal. no LP or other testing done. TX: 4 day steroid: medrone.

August 7:sxs same, like roller coaster, from mod to severe HA, dizziness, nausea (NO VOMITING OR FEVER EVER) varying throughout day, cycles of 2-3 days. Mild fatigue, confusion, and muscle ticks noted. CBC ordered: normal

Aug 26:2nd Neuro dx same (suspectd viral mening); tx  ibuprof, vicodin, valium, temazepam, meclizine indefinitely, no tests ordered.  

After 2 months of CONTINUOUS headache and imbalance(dizziness) varying cyclicly, no sign improvement just wax and wane, saw 2 PCPs, 2 neurologists, no definitive DX made.  Please advise if I should seek another opinion, specific tests, LP, or a specialist.  What other diff. DX should be considered : lyme's, cholorquine side effects, or?
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Avatar universal
I'm sorry that your suffering so...I'm sure you feel really bad and really frustrated.

I'm a 44 year old female, not in the best of health.  My history is very different, over the past 10 years I've had two episodes of what would be called Aspectic Meningitis (my body triggers it)...I have had other symptons in my 44 years...i.e. autoimmune hearing loss at the age of 14 1/2...Reiter's Syndrome(Conjunctivitis, Arthritis and non Gonorrheal Urethritis) when I was 20 that might have been triggered by food posioning.

After my last bout of Menengitis in 2001, I never seemed to feel better and was always tired, fatigued, with constant frontal sinus headaches.  After not getting any help from my Primary Care Doctor (ran a battery of blood tests including lyme disease, stress test, etc.), I went to see a rhuematory specialist in Tampa at the University of South Florida...that was the closest Medical School to me. He said based on my symptoms, new blood tests including lyme disease testing, x-rays of my hips and along with older blood tests results that I had showing a high sed rate and high reactive protein (both of these results indicate systemic inflamation)the closet thing he could come up with Behcet's syndrome which is an autoimmune disorder which is most frequently charactized with mouth ulcers and of which I don't really have to any great degree.

All I know is that life stressors, both good and bad, set me off for different kinds of autoimmune reactions...I call myself the "walking autoimmune disorder"...I do believe that I have migrating inflamation through out my entire body and right now it's in my intestines!  I've had chronic intestinal spasms and diarrhea for 1 week now.  

I still question whether or not I'm suffering from Lyme Disease myself as a few months ago I was watching Mystery Diagnosis on the Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel and this teenage girl went through a terrible ordeal for two years only to find out that she had Lyme Disease, even after having tests done by several different doctors for it.  It turns out is very difficult to diagnose and if you really think you have it, I would try to find a doctor who has actually made that diagnosis and has provided treatment, as he/she'll know the right labs to send your blood to.  Apparently the doctor in the show sent her blood to three independant labs and at least one of them came up with a positive diagnosis for it and after a year on medicaton treatment, which I understand will be life long, her life has improved.

Hope some of this information helps you.
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Avatar universal
Sorry, that sounds like a nightmare. There are no doctors on this board just so you know. I have had viral meningitis twice and both times a spinal tap was done to confirm. Both times I had SEVERE headaches and stiff neck to the point I could not turn my head at all. My eyes were so sensitive to light I had to shut my eyes or be in a dark room, any light HURT and made my eyes water, my balance was almost totally nonexistant and I ould not walk unassisted. Headaches were blinding. It caused nausea and vomiting and I was very weak and unable to stand and I fainted out cold several times. These symptoms persisted at the same level 7 to 10 days. Then slowly they began to subside. It took over 6 months to return to normal and regain my strength.
I think you need a tropical illness specialist. I feel the "viral meningitis" diagnosis is really not a definitive diagnosis in your case, unless they did a spinal tap to confirm I think they are just sort of calling it that because they dont know what else it could be and their tests have revealed no clues. It has been persisting a long time. Have you been checked for Malaria? Dengue fever? There have been recent outbreaks of Malaria in the Dominican Republic. Most doctors in the US are not up on tropical illnesses. I think you should see a specialist and see if you can get another opinion. With "viral meningitis" there is nothing they do except give you pain ad nausea meds and wait it out and you could be dealing with some other issue especially since you were around so many mosquitos. I think you need another opinion.
Hope you feel better soon. Here is a link about just some of the things you can pick up in the Dominican Republic.

http://mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/mamerica_carib/dominican_republic.html#4
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Avatar universal
what about an ent doctor possibly may be sinuses different pressures or prolonged elevated heights can cause changes or deep infections in the deeper sinus in the head and you can run a fever or not.  Have it checked maybe get checked for lymes disease to rule that out as well use the elisa tese follwed by western blot.  Good luck.
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