Could this be lyme disease

[yorkielover592]

Hi!

For the past three years I have been suffering horrendously and the doctors haven't been able to find out what is wrong with me.  As I have suffered from anxiety/panic attacks since I was very young, everything they see is related to that.  I also am suffering from hypothyroidism, chronic insomnia and adrenal exhaustion to the point when twice I did a 24 saliva test a year an a half apart, my daytime cortisol levels were flat lining all day and my nighttime levels were raised slightly.  I have tried numerous glandulars and supplements and am now on a bio-identical steroid and am still having horrible symptoms which no amount of pharmaceuticals or supplements have even made a dent in how I am feeling.  

The symptoms I am having are:  unexplained hair loss, pressure in head, tingling of nose, face and all over body, dental problems (not able to get to dentist due to chronic fatigue), constant runny nose and sneezing, double and blurry vision, increased floating spots, intermittent shooting pain in eyes, oversensitivity to light, decreased hearing in both ears (wear hearing aids), ringing and buzzing in both ears, diarrhea and constipation (3rd diagnosis of C-difficile in three months) upset stomach (nausea and abdominal cramps), shortness of breath, rib soreness, night and day sweats and unexplained chills, heart palpitations, back pain, burning and stabbing sensations in the body, chronic adrenal exhaustion, numbness in the body, tingling, pinpricks, mood swings, unusual depression, disorientation, feeling like I am going to loose my mind, over-emotional reactions, crying easily, chronic insomnia (no sleep most nights or days), difficulty falling and staying asleep, adrenaline surges, panic attacks and anxiety, short term memory loss, confusion, difficulty thinking, difficulty with concentration, stammering speech, unexplained weight loss, continual sinus infections, symptoms seem to change (getting worse day by day) and early on experienced flu-like symptoms after which I have not felt well.

A number of years ago I went to the beach and the next day my two legs were covered in welts.  This went away after a few days and then I started having symptoms.  A couple of years ago I had a red rash on my arm that I thought might have been from a tick but it too went away.  Now I am suffering to the point I just want to die as I am totally alone and doctors will not listen to me.  A few months ago I had a lyme test done, however I don't think it was the right one and it came back negative for lyme.  I have steadily continued to go down hill and feel if something isn't done soon I am going to drop dead from shear exhaustion.  My family has totally shunned me so I have very little physical support.  Please advise if this is a possible lyme disease.  Thank you.

[Ricobord]

Your symptoms sound very much like late stage Lyme.  It is just as controversial in Canada as it is in the U.S., only trying to get treated there is much worse. It's almost impossible as the doctors are not allowed to diagnose or treat beyond the strict testing requirements and treatment guidelines.

You might be able to find a sympathetic doctor to run a Western Blot for you or to evaluate you further for Lyme.  Odds are high you'll need to go to the U.S. to a LLMD for treatment as so many other Canadian Lyme patients have. In the meantime, feel free to complain to your health authorities.  Only when there is enough of a public outcry do bureaucrats pay attention and change something.

You might try the CanLyme website.  I haven't been there in a while, but they've had useful info in the past.  Hang in there!  I've had many of the symptoms you describe and I am better with treatment.

[mojogal]

Sorry you are having all those symptoms. You are not alone.

Yes it could be Lyme. You would need to find an LLMD ( Lyme Literate Dr) near you. They use IgeneX labs which are the best tests out there for Lyme.

A good LLMD should be able to rule out Lyme if they don't think you have it.

As cave said, if you have Lyme, steroids will make you worse. I took them when I was misdiagnosed and wound up in the hospital on a ventilator.

Hypothyroid, anxiety/depression could be a sign of Lyme or a co-infection of Lyme that affects the nervous system. A LLMD could test for co-infections too. I have 3 co-infections and it does complicate things.

I know how you feel, I was in Tx when I had full blown Lyme. They don't believe in Lyme in Tx so I went to about 10 doctors. It wasn't until I moved to Fl and saw an LLMD did I start getting better. I was at the point where I couldn't walk. So the faster you find an LLMD, the better.

We are here if you have other questions.

[cave76]

It COULD be Lyme disease but it also could be other conditions. That's no help to you, I know, and I'm sorry.

If you can find a doctor that will test you using Igenex Lab in California the testing would be much better----- but still not perfect. None of them are, but Igenex is the best.

If you DO have Lyme, steroids are not advised! But since it's not known if you do have Lyme, then perhaps the steroids are the best thing for you. I wouldn't be able to  even hazard a guess at this point.

The welts  you had on your legs after visiting the beach makes me wonder if you could have possibly been bitten by sand fleas.

http://sandfleas.org/

That article states that the sand flea bite can affect a body's system, but it doesn't go into details about that.

I hope you can find some relief from your symptoms. Being in Canada it might be difficult to find the proper doctor for you to test and treat Lyme.

There's a Canadian site that you might try---- I can't give it's name or link because of rules on this forum. But I think you could find it using Google.