Hot all the time?

[Elleon_arual]

Hello everyone.

Is it normal to be so hot with Lyme? This was one of my original symptoms... fevers (well more like hot flashes only lasting a few minutes) that came with my period (never higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) This is why I originally  thought it was a hormone imbalance because these started the month after I quit birth control pills (quit in beginning of May, Lyme symptoms started with my period in June).  Then as the months progressed, these started staying around after my period ended. Now I'm hot ALL the time. And if you knew me a year ago, you would know that it would be 100 degrees out and I'd still have a sweater on so this is very odd for me. I'm constantly sweating which is gross and I'm always hot.  I have to wear sweaters at work all day because of tattoos so I can't get any relief! I used to sit with a heater all day every day at work for the last 2 years and now I'm asking for a desk fan!

If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

[mojogal]

Lyme can play with your thyroid and other hormones. I became hypothyroid. You may want to have them tested.

[Elleon_arual]

Thanks for the reply. I already have slight hypothyroid, discovered in January. I'm on the lowest dosage of synthroid and just had it checked again last week and numbers are still good.

I can't find anyone to test my hormones!  I went to 2 different endocrinologists and all they did was test my thyroid.

[JackieCalifornia]

I have read that some people do better with 'natural' thyroid supplements, which is actually ground up thyroid from an animal source, like a cow, I think.  Synthroid is a synthetic chemical that works for a lot of people, but not everyone.

Lyme does often affect thyroid function, and it may be that only a Lyme doc can figure out how to deal with your thyroid situation in context with Lyme.  When the symptoms are scattered among various body parts and functions, it confuses the docs, so having a Lyme doc who sees the big picture is important.  

A Lyme doc would also know what else (if anything) to test for.  Lyme is an infection that affects many of the body's systems and functions, and docs who are used to focusing on only one aspect of a human (like a broken leg or an ulcer) sometimes have trouble understanding that Lyme messes with a whole lot of stuff all at the same time.

[Ricobord]

I am familiar with what you're talking about.  I've had both problems, which I call "temperature regulation" problems as well as the excessive sweating.  

I only had 2 incidents of night sweats before I was diagnosed, and none after.  About the time I was diagnosed, I had a week of sweaty soles of my feet.  They'd be so wet that I had to wear socks even when it was warm so that I wouldn't slip on our hard floors.

A few months into my Lyme treatment, I noticed some other excessive sweating.  For a couple weeks my whole back and head would break out in a sweat every time I ate dinner or even a big lunch.  I'd never done this before, so it was new.

Several months into treatment and shortly after stopping all abx to let my kidneys rest, I noticed I would be too hot even when others weren't.  I usually run cold, too, so this was weird.  It wasn't hot flashes, I would just be too warm and feel the need to cool down.

Then, it got wonky on me.  I was at a friend's yard when it was in the 90's. I quickly felt like I was overheating so I stepped into the shade where there was the slightest, barely perceptible breeze.  My body overreacted to the breeze and I got goose bumps all over and chills (in the 90 degree heat!).  I had to start laughing because it was so ridiculous. I had chills and goose bumps in the slightest temperature decrease or breeze for a couple months.

The heat sensitivity lasted quite a while (nearly 2 years), where I would feel worse when I'd step outside into the heat.  

I was on low dose hormones before I was diagnosed in order to hold off the wild hormone swings I'd already been experiencing, but my GP and Lyme doc told me to stop taking them. I immediately started noticing the symptom flare along with my monthly cycle. It was obvious.  I'm still flaring with hormones even well into my treatment.  Dr. J, the ped specialist, says that you can't stop treating a post-puberty, pre-menopausal woman until you go through two cycles with no symptoms AND no symptom flare.

My overheating and sweating incidents were separate from the hormone cycles.

When I got diagnosed with Babesia and started meds for it, the sweats started in twice daily, within an hour or so after taking meds, especially Malarone.  It was almost like clockwork.  I'd overheat and start sweating and start stripping down to a t-shirt. I remember going outside once on a 40 degree rainy day because I felt so hot and sweaty.  The weird thing is that my skin felt quite cold to the touch.  My skin wasn't actually hot so something was clearly off in my body's perception of heat.  My thyroid tests were normal during this time, so I know it was separate from that.

As my Babesia has finally gotten a bit better in the last few months, I've noticed I don't overheat anymore.  I had a symptom flare starting in early Sept, but the overheating and sweating didn't return.  It's clear my excessive sweating was from Babesia.  I do not know if my overheating was Babesia or Lyme, but it could also have been both.

You could consider asking your LLMD about trying some herbals for Babesia to see if you have any response to them.  I've had significant reactions (fatigue and air hunger flares) to A-Bab, Bab-2, Bab-3, and a combo of Enula and Mora. I had less of a reaction to Crypto-Plus and no reaction to artimisinin.  

[Elleon_arual]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the comments.  I go to my LLMD tomorrow and I plan on holding him hostage (j/k) until he answers all my questions.  He never did test me for co-infections so we really have no idea what we are dealing with.

Another question, does anyone get bruising with Lyme? Yesterday afternoon I took a shower and went out with my family. Nothing to strenuous. A couple hours later I came home and changed into pajamas and I have a humongous bruise on the inner part of my kneecap.  I know it wasn't there a few hours before because I shaved in the shower and obviously would've noticed that. And it HURTS. And I know I didn't knock it or anything because since Friday night, I basically just laid in bed the entire weekend and rested. Now I am FREAKING out that it's leukemia or something like that.

[mojogal]

Don't worry. I get the bruising too. I am not sure if its from the co-infection Bartonella so make sure you test for co-infections.

[JackieCalifornia]

Bruising can come from low platelet count in the blood ... the platelets are the tiny bits that pile themselves up to form a barrier when there's an impact enough to rupture the little blood vessels.  

It can happen for a variety of reasons, and I wouldn't freak about it, but do mention it to the doc on next visit, and take some cell fotos of it so s/he can see what you're talking about, and note how long it takes from bruise appearance to disappearance (how many days) and how big the bruises get before going away.

[Elleon_arual]

Thanks! You guys make me feel a lot more relaxed about it.  I did do some research and bruising does seem to be a symptom that some Lymies have.  And I had been getting some small bruises on my legs before I was diagnosed with Lyme...which is why they originally thought leukemia.  

I do seem to have A LOT of Bartonella symptoms so I'm definitely curious to find out if I have that. I meet with my LLMD tomorrow so I'll keep you guys updated! Although, I know co-infection testing through Igenex is expensive and I have NO money right now so I don't no how I'm going to get tested for these infections.