Are these familiar symptoms?

First, I wish to thank anyone taking the time to read this lengthy post and even more thanks to anyone who replies.

I was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease which I've probably had for at least 14 years (and I'm 24 now). The worst symptom of the myriad of ones I do have is the excessive sweating and heat intolerance. I am an athlete. I train daily and am in great shape. However, I sweat so bad that the past month I only leave the house for work and the gym. I 100% have given up every single activity outside of the home. Even turning on hot water to rinse dishes makes my skin itch and I break out in a huge sweat all over my body. Head, underarms, legs, back, buttocks - everywhere. The walk from the garage to my vehicle (15 feet) will leave my clothes soaking wet. I take my temperature 5 times a day and in the past 5 months I average 95.7 degrees with my highest being the low 97's peaking around noon-3pm. I am incredibly fatigued as well.

I don't know how much this has to do with my Lyme, but could be a huge factor. My doctor suspected Wilson's Syndrome and I'm taking Armour Thyroid at 30mg/day. I was at 120mg but I felt it was obviously making my heat intolerance worse.

In conclusion, I avg 95.7d temperature, have extreme heat intolerance, fatigue (both mental and physical), severe joint pain, irritability, bouts of hair loss (which is extremely bad on the 120mg of Armour), and poor memory.

Again, thank you so much for your time. This has destroyed my life and I am now seeking the help from others and not doctors who have proven to know nothing but what the pharmaceutical company told them in regards to treatment.

[pariah87]

Forgot to mention... over the past 2 years my thyroid levels have been all over the place. Normal, low, high. Almost died two years ago due to acute thyroiditis. Negative for adrenal tumor. Cortisol was checked once, but in the morning and it was only one blood draw. I do not have diabetes. I do show signs of liver damage at every test I've ever done; ALT has been 1,500 and recently 300 - I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. Blood pressure has been regularly 190/95 but every 5th time it seems to be normal. 12 doctors and not one has seen this as an issue. Pulse is normal.

[rumpled]

Have you seen an endocrinologist or kidney doctor by any chance? Have they tested sodium, potassium or renin or aldosterone? Armour is great - but it has a really high level of T3 and can cause high heart rate itself. Sometimes a mix of T4 and T3 where you can regulate the ratio can be better.

There are syndromes with sweating that can be treated by botox or other things - that can be done by a dermatologist if no underlying disease is found. Sometimes the glands are just overly active. Have you consulted a dermatologist for this?

[pariah87]

Thank you for your response rumpled. Aldosterone has been normal as well as potassium, sodium, etc. I have looked into "primary hyperhydrosis" but I am skeptical that applies to me. It is not that I just sweat a lot, it is the fact I have an intense reaction to heat. Itchy skin, mood change, and the sweating. Sometimes just standing up or walking up stairs causes an episode. Possibly anxiety? But I don't have the other symptoms.

[rumpled]

I had a co-worker that was allergic to the sun - so why not see a derm for a work up to see if the heat is doing a number on you and how. Just guessing as a fellow patient - you have to do the work putting in the miles with a doc or several to see what can be uncovered.

I hope you can find the answer - but with normal sodium, potassium and renin and aldosterone... odds are the adrenals are ok.

[Dina723]

I want to know more about your episodes when you stand up and climb stairs... Do you have chest pain at all? Do you get dizzy or short of breath. How do you feel when you are exercising?

[kevieb]

how were you diagnosed with lyme disease?  Just curious, as I was bit by a tick years ago, and have alot of the symptoms---however they are also the same symptoms of hypothyroidism, low cortisol, hypoglycemia (which i actually know i have from testing) and fibromyalgia, and celiac.  it seems like any more that there are a number of diseases---all difficult to test for---that claim to be called "the great imitator" because they mimic the symptoms of so many different things----and they all seem to have nearly the same symptoms.  i asked about being tested a number of years ago, since I heard that anyone with a chronic pain condition or arthritis should be tested for it

.-However, I live in a small town and recently we have an EXTREMELY large number of people who have supposedly been diagnosed with lyme disease by a chiropractor/naturopath who uses some different methods for testing that regular doctors don't use--Like a backlit microscope, and claims he can see the spirocetes in the blood----in all 3 different stages.  My daughter has seen spirocetes under a microscope in one of her classes and it didn't require her to use unusual equipment.

The majority of the people that go to this guy seem to be told they have "parasites" and are given IVs of vitamins once a week at $130.00 a pop---or you can buy the supplements from him----they take a little longer---but he charges alot for them.  a friend of mine that trusts him completely even told me that he is fleecing people.  after they showed me my blood with this microscope and showed me the moving things that they said were parasites (you'd think blown up that big they would have looked like something more than a yellowish moving spot) they told me there was a lot of biofilm----which they say hides the spirocetes---and there was a large blue "thing" i was told was either a parasite or it held a lot of parasites.  you would think they would be able to tell the difference since they seemed to be dealing with so much of it. My red blood cells were also stacked like pancakes (and not moving around slowly--I thought they were supposed to do that)

I did a little research, and this is the basic jist of what I learned------there is something in your blood that moves, can't remember what it is called, but it moves to be able to get to where it needs to be.  Blood platelets will stack together if you have inflammation---i have arthritis.  There are things floating in your blood called artifacts--left-over bits and pieces of whatever---I don't think they are significant.  I had MRSA about 3 years ago---could very well explain the big blue thing she couldn't put a name to.  I have also heard that probably a good majority of people have some sort of parasite in their body----and they do absolutely no harm.  The biofilm thing is real when it comes to certain types of bacteria, but I don't know for certain if that was what I saw.  Also, i have heard that if you are very healthy, your body can often fight off lyme disease----wonder if this is why people seem to be helped by large doses of IV vitamins---but at $130.00 a whack???
basicall, I don't trust the guy and i refuse to ever go to his office again and i refuse to be tested for lyme disease until this "fervor" dies down locally---unless I knew of someplace reputable that had pretty accurate testing.  i hear Igenex is supposed to be best.  sorry about the rant---we just seem to have alot of succors around here that jump on the bandwagon for every new thing that comes around----it makes it difficult for the people that really have the conditions and need help.

i also sweat an awful lot.  Just washing and blowdrying my hair, or vaccuming a room will leave me with my bra soaking wet.  However, I don't seem to sweat as excessively as you do---but it does seem like it is alot more than i ever used to.  I also have a lot of joint pain and muscle pain---sometimes my legs ache almost unbearably in the evenings. I also am very irritable--but I also get depression and some anxiety--and quite often cry--more days than not, actually. I also have the physical and mental fatigue--I forget things alot, and i have a horrible time making decisions.

I have atopic dermatitis, so very hot water has made me itch for years.
I also have a lower than normal temperature---although i have never taken it regularly during the day to see what it is.

With your thyroid levels jumping all over the place, have they tested both types of thyroid antibodies to check for hashimoto's?

I amazed that you are able to work out regularly with the fatigue.  Do you feel better when you work out and then have a crash and burn episode a little while later, by chance?   I feel bad that you are feeling so bad at such a young age.  Fortunately, my worste symptoms did not set in until after I had my 9th baby and was pushing 41 yrs old---I'm 49 now---but sometimes i think that if i had to feel like this for the next 20-30 years I would rather die---but then I'll have a better day and think that maybe I can survive.

However, I take alot of painkillers and muscle relaxants, a RX anti-inflammatory, a stimulant to counteract the sleepiness that the narcotics cause--plus a few other things.

I wish I could tell you something wonderful that would help---but at least I feel like I can sympathise with you a little bit so you know you are not alone.   keep searching, someone out there is going to have some answers eventually.

Keep me up to date on your lyme disease--i'm interested in that---I am going to be seeing a new doctor who specializes in balancing the endocrine system---Mine has definitely had alot of weird test results over the last 3 years.  he has run a ton of blood work--tests I have never even heard of.      One thing that concerns me is the possibility that my children could have the same condition I have.  my 8 year old just had to be tested for rheumatoid arthritis--it was negative, but she is still complaining of joint pains off and on---and she has some nasty rashes just like I had at her age.

[sarahclark]

I have dealt with severe exhaustion for years.  Always told it was depression.  Have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar II and even borderline personality disorder.  Aside from anxiety I do not see it in my behaviours.  I had a seizure in December and was referred to a Neurologist.  MRIs have shown three spots of inflammation in my brain which is not getting better or going away.  I have been checked for brain tumours and now MS.  No tumours but waiting for results of spinal tap for MS.  I have always been a terrible sleeper and decided to go to a sleep clinic.  I got the results the other day and they were really interesting.  They said I had restless leg syndrome and two severe sleep disoders including severe alpha eeg arousal disorder.  As a result of the severe chronic stress that started in childhood, my brain did not learn to shut off and instead when I try to rest of go to sleep these two disorders kick in and start my brain screaming to wake up non-stop.  My fight or flight response goes into overdrive and I cannot fall asleep, stay asleep or get into the deeper, restful stages of sleep.  They suggested that the severe chronic exhaustion combined with the constant adrenaline have resulted in adrenal fatigue. This makes much more sense to me than something like MS, of which there is no family history.  It seems much more likely that the fatigue, adrenaline and dehydration could have caused the seizure than anything else but most of western medicine does not believe in adrenal fatigue so I am hesitant to talk to my Neurologist.  Does anyone have a smiliar experience or advice that might help

[rumpled]

I am also not a proponent of adrenal fatigue - but if you have testing showing elevated results of adrenaline, you should see a competent endocrinologist.

I used to fail sleep studies myself - I had elevated cortisol. That kept me from sleeping. There could be any number of disorders. How is your blood pressure - are they sure it is not a pheo or some other type of disorder?