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%100 Positive i have Lyme ! Help
Hello I am a 24 old male seeking help. When I was around 18 or 19 I got bit by a tick in the stomach and did not notice it until a few days later. There was some redness and swelling but I did not notice any bulls eye rash that is connected with Lyme. After I removed the tick a day or so later I got really sick chills and a really high fever and so forth. After that went away I felt fine until I started college then the symptoms came on fast. First I started getting headaches almost everyday. Then problems with my heart I started having palpitations and tachycardia which the doctors diagnosed. It felt like my heart would beat really fast all the time for no reason. This eventually lead me to the hospital a few times. The doctor kept asking why my heart rate was so high I told them I had no idea. I had a echo of my heart stress test ekg the works. Nothing was positive except for tachyrdia which they told me was normal. Soon after these problems I began to have pain in my joints . Not so much pain but severe stiffness all the time. My joints pop and crack and my back feels achy and stiff all the time. I have had these symptoms for a long time but now they seems worse. At night I have severe tingling in my left leg all the way down to my foot also tingling in my head and left shoulder. I have to stand up a lot at work and I find myself cracking and popping all my joints because they are always so stiff and uncomfortable. I tried working out and that helped a lot but I am unable to do that now because of all the pain and discomfort. Just yesterday I was sitting down at a New Years party and it felt like every joint in my body was trying to rip out and my heart palpitating constantly. Everyday is now a struggle . And have had a brain mri x rays so many test but no results. I have lost the support of my parents as well they don't believe anything is wrong with me. Physically I look fine but inside I'm in a lot of pain . I mentioned Lyme to one of the doctors I went to and he said it was really rare to get from where I live in Georgia but he said I would have to see a special doctor and all this stuff. What should I do ? i want to get tested ASAP but i am a rough spot financially since i have had to pay for alot of recent test and now that my parents are no longer supporting me and im on my own im not sure what to do. I plan on trying to save money for the test and then treatments if i am positive.
... And one more comment: There is no test required for a doctor or a naturopath or anyone to be called an LLMD. If not already said above, "LLMD" is just patient slang for a doctor who thinks bigger thoughts about Lyme than much of the medical community.
There are many views on Lyme -- how to diagnose, how to treat, whether to use antibiotics or some other way -- and each of those views may have some truth or help in it.
I would first try to find an ILADS-member MD ... but know that they are not all the same in their views and beliefs about how to test, diagnose and treat patients. So keep your antennae up, and let us know if we can help.
Best wishes for a good doc, an accurate diagnosis, and speedy treatment!
There are many views on Lyme -- how to diagnose, how to treat, whether to use antibiotics or some other way -- and each of those views may have some truth or help in it.
I would first try to find an ILADS-member MD ... but know that they are not all the same in their views and beliefs about how to test, diagnose and treat patients. So keep your antennae up, and let us know if we can help.
Best wishes for a good doc, an accurate diagnosis, and speedy treatment!
A 'late welcome' to the Lyme page! I agree with what is said above -- how confused the medical profession is about Lyme and other tickborne illnesses. Lyme has spread quickly over the past few decades, but the medical community tends (usually with good reason) to move slowly and cautiously ... which is why so many docs are not interested in giving a diagnosis of Lyme. The split in the Lyme MD community will eventually sort itself out, but I wouldn't wait ... I'd be finding a wise Lyme doc asap.
The best known voluntary organization for medical personnel interested in Lyme diagnosis and treatment is the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (which is 'ILADS' for short, and pronounced 'eye-lads'). Their website has a free referral page that can send you names and contact information of MDs who belong to ILADS.
Lyme disease is spreading quickly to many geographic areas, and many of the original discoverers of Lyme disease are still involved in research and in treating Lyme patients -- the main problem being that it is human nature that those who first discover a major new disease (or continent or planet!) tend to hold tightly to their initial impressions, making it difficult for those who come later with more open and flexible thoughts -- in this case, the cause, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme.
These now-senior docs are too often slow to move beyond their marvelous original diagnosis and treatment victories, while modern science and medicine are still working to discover new and better ways to diagnose and treat Lyme and its co-infections (which are 'bonus' diseases often also carried by the 'Lyme' ticks). Result: confusion among many MDs about all aspects of Lyme: diagnosis, treatment, and medication.
You have already experienced this confusion among docs, and in your shoes, I would consider quietly finding a more enlightened and up-to-date MD (perhaps an ILADS member). But this is probably not news to you ... if so, I just want to validate your thinking.
Another aspect you may find is that Lyme docs are hard to find in some areas ... esp. areas where the medical boards etc. are stubborn about Lyme and can cause misery for a doc following the ILADS-type approach. If that seems to be so where you live, you could still try to find a more enlightened MD near you (who may stay verrrry quiet in the medical community, to avoid getting hassled) or to find an MD farther away but perhaps without the awkward situations that can arise between clashing docs.
This is a long way of saying: don't wait for the docs to change -- instead, find a doc farther away from you, or look quietly for a wise renegade doc near you who knows what needs to be done, not what other docs demand in conformity. Once I found my Lyme doc and got established, appointments were usually just once a month, and other of his patients would travel some distances to have the superior understanding from a Lyme MD.
Let us know what you do, and how you do -- being rid of Lyme is worth the hassle! Best wishes -- let us know how we can help -- J
The best known voluntary organization for medical personnel interested in Lyme diagnosis and treatment is the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (which is 'ILADS' for short, and pronounced 'eye-lads'). Their website has a free referral page that can send you names and contact information of MDs who belong to ILADS.
Lyme disease is spreading quickly to many geographic areas, and many of the original discoverers of Lyme disease are still involved in research and in treating Lyme patients -- the main problem being that it is human nature that those who first discover a major new disease (or continent or planet!) tend to hold tightly to their initial impressions, making it difficult for those who come later with more open and flexible thoughts -- in this case, the cause, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme.
These now-senior docs are too often slow to move beyond their marvelous original diagnosis and treatment victories, while modern science and medicine are still working to discover new and better ways to diagnose and treat Lyme and its co-infections (which are 'bonus' diseases often also carried by the 'Lyme' ticks). Result: confusion among many MDs about all aspects of Lyme: diagnosis, treatment, and medication.
You have already experienced this confusion among docs, and in your shoes, I would consider quietly finding a more enlightened and up-to-date MD (perhaps an ILADS member). But this is probably not news to you ... if so, I just want to validate your thinking.
Another aspect you may find is that Lyme docs are hard to find in some areas ... esp. areas where the medical boards etc. are stubborn about Lyme and can cause misery for a doc following the ILADS-type approach. If that seems to be so where you live, you could still try to find a more enlightened MD near you (who may stay verrrry quiet in the medical community, to avoid getting hassled) or to find an MD farther away but perhaps without the awkward situations that can arise between clashing docs.
This is a long way of saying: don't wait for the docs to change -- instead, find a doc farther away from you, or look quietly for a wise renegade doc near you who knows what needs to be done, not what other docs demand in conformity. Once I found my Lyme doc and got established, appointments were usually just once a month, and other of his patients would travel some distances to have the superior understanding from a Lyme MD.
Let us know what you do, and how you do -- being rid of Lyme is worth the hassle! Best wishes -- let us know how we can help -- J
Thanks for the replys.. I will go to that website you mentioned and seek help and see if I can come up with anything. Getting a referral to a Lyme doctor would be great because I don't think many doctors know what to do when it comes to Lyme I would rather see a expert and get the tests done and figure out what's going and hopefully the costs are not through the roof. I will try and drink as much water as I can while I wait for diagnosis. Hopefully soon I figure this all out and get the test done. I would have had them done along time ago but all the doctors I mentioned the tick bite to immediately ruled out Lyme. And no Lyme were tests were done
Be aware that dehydration could be the cause of your symptoms as well.
http://davidseah.com/2007/01/the-healing-power-of-water/
http://owen.************/healing/dehydration.html
I would start drinking water more regularly at least until you find out what is wrong or receive the LD diagnosis.
http://davidseah.com/2007/01/the-healing-power-of-water/
http://owen.************/healing/dehydration.html
I would start drinking water more regularly at least until you find out what is wrong or receive the LD diagnosis.
If I were you, I would go to the ER, tell them all the symptoms you wrote here and insist that they test you for Lyme Disease.
Here is all you need to show you current doctor regarding your location in Georgia:
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-tips.php
TOP TEN TIPS TO PREVENT CHRONIC LYME DISEASE
1. Know that Lyme disease is a nationwide problem
Contrary to popular belief, Lyme disease is not just an "East Coast" problem. In fact, in the last ten years, ticks known to carry Lyme disease have been identified in all 50 states and worldwide. Although the black legged tick is considered the traditional source of Lyme disease, new tick species such as the Lonestar tick and a pacific coast tick, have been found to carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the corkscrew-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Avoiding a tick bite remains the first step in preventing chronic Lyme disease. One needn't have been "hiking in the woods" in order to be bitten by a tick. There can be ticks wherever there is grass or vegetation, and tick bites can happen any time of year. Spraying one' s clothes with DEET-containing insecticide, wearing long sleeves and long pants, and "tucking pants into socks" , continue to be the best ways to avoid ticks attaching to the skin. But don't forget the post-walk body check.
- See more at: http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-tips.php#sthash.qSm8bTzv.dpuf
Here is all you need to show you current doctor regarding your location in Georgia:
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-tips.php
TOP TEN TIPS TO PREVENT CHRONIC LYME DISEASE
1. Know that Lyme disease is a nationwide problem
Contrary to popular belief, Lyme disease is not just an "East Coast" problem. In fact, in the last ten years, ticks known to carry Lyme disease have been identified in all 50 states and worldwide. Although the black legged tick is considered the traditional source of Lyme disease, new tick species such as the Lonestar tick and a pacific coast tick, have been found to carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the corkscrew-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Avoiding a tick bite remains the first step in preventing chronic Lyme disease. One needn't have been "hiking in the woods" in order to be bitten by a tick. There can be ticks wherever there is grass or vegetation, and tick bites can happen any time of year. Spraying one' s clothes with DEET-containing insecticide, wearing long sleeves and long pants, and "tucking pants into socks" , continue to be the best ways to avoid ticks attaching to the skin. But don't forget the post-walk body check.
- See more at: http://www.ilads.org/lyme/lyme-tips.php#sthash.qSm8bTzv.dpuf
Hi Kirk,
I'm sorry to hear about your pain and discomfort.
Your issues sound almost identical to mine and are very indicative of Lyme Disease which is apparently quite difficult to receive a proper diagnosis for.
Perhaps you can request a referral for a Lyme Disease literate doctor on ILADS.org website or contact them for help.
Please see my post above yours in the community for some other resources.
I'm sorry to hear about your pain and discomfort.
Your issues sound almost identical to mine and are very indicative of Lyme Disease which is apparently quite difficult to receive a proper diagnosis for.
Perhaps you can request a referral for a Lyme Disease literate doctor on ILADS.org website or contact them for help.
Please see my post above yours in the community for some other resources.
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