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Lyme Disease?
Hi, my mom recently has been having some awful symptoms nonstop that started about a week ago. She also had these symptoms on/off for a couple years now, but this is the only time when she has actually had them nonstop. Her heart rate is irregular, she has palpitations, her blood pressure is irregular, and she has insomnia and feels dizzy/confused when she is awake. She's taken some Xanax for some nights in order to sleep, and it's worked, but just last night she took Xanax but still could not sleep, and had chills. She also wakes up with stiff necks and hot flashes. She's afraid she'll get addicted to the Xanax medication and will solely rely on it. She went to the ER one of the days and the person there gave her some anti-depressants and sent her off. She didn't believe it was anxiety causing this, however, and I don't believe it either. I know my mom, she isn't uptight or stressed out at work, and she DEFINITELY is not depressed. She thinks it might be Lyme Disease, and I did a bit of searching, it seems to be what she's having? My question is, is this lyme disease? And if so, what treatment should she take?
I am so sorry to hear things are dragging on ...
Did you check with ILADS for a referral? International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. They are a voluntary group for MDs who understand Lyme better than many other docs. They aren't all rocket scientists, perhaps, but it's where I would start.
You could also call back the doc's offices you have reached already and ask to be put on their cancellation list if someone can't make their appointment. Then if you get the call that says 'we have a slot at 2pm, can you get here?', say yes and go do it.
Your mother is very fortunate to have you watching out for her -- keep on what you're doing -- it is what I would do.
PS have you asked ILADS for names of other Lyme docs near you? Go to their website and there is a referral function. Doesn't guarantee the doc will be a rocket scientist, but it's a good place to start. Better than sitting at home worrying.
Keep us posted -- sending you all good wishes and thoughts --
Did you check with ILADS for a referral? International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. They are a voluntary group for MDs who understand Lyme better than many other docs. They aren't all rocket scientists, perhaps, but it's where I would start.
You could also call back the doc's offices you have reached already and ask to be put on their cancellation list if someone can't make their appointment. Then if you get the call that says 'we have a slot at 2pm, can you get here?', say yes and go do it.
Your mother is very fortunate to have you watching out for her -- keep on what you're doing -- it is what I would do.
PS have you asked ILADS for names of other Lyme docs near you? Go to their website and there is a referral function. Doesn't guarantee the doc will be a rocket scientist, but it's a good place to start. Better than sitting at home worrying.
Keep us posted -- sending you all good wishes and thoughts --
Sorry to be replying a bit late, I live near Minneapolis, Minnesota. When I did the lyme website finder, I only got 3 people, all of which cannot meet with my mother until at least August. I don't know what to do anymore, its gotten worse... The hospitals and quote "DOCTORS" dont know what to do. They all dismiss it as a panic attack but with more and more increasing evidence I'm near 100% CONVINCED it's lyme. Her symptoms have gotten to the point where almost EVERY DAY she feels on the brink of fainting and she has called 911 twice in the past week. She did Western Blot but the results dont come back until next week. Even my dad waves it off as a panic attack. She's on a ton of medications and both her and my lives are a living hell. I honestly don't know what to do anymore...Nobody knows what to do...
I am the herbal protocol queen (just joking) as I have tried many of them.
I can't remember the rules if we are allowed to give out the name and web page of them. If you PM me, I would be happy to give them to you.
I can't remember the rules if we are allowed to give out the name and web page of them. If you PM me, I would be happy to give them to you.
Holding the symptoms off till a doc has an appointment available is not such a good thing. If you have to drive to another city for an appointment, I would do so. The sooner Lyme is treated, the better, because the longer the wait, the worse the damage and the harder to cure.
There are herbal treatments, I think, but I do not know which ones might work. My doc was all-antibiotics, and it works quite well, so that would be my favored choice. You don't say what area you live in, but wherever it is, I would still make the drive. Best wishes to your family -- keep us posted.
There are herbal treatments, I think, but I do not know which ones might work. My doc was all-antibiotics, and it works quite well, so that would be my favored choice. You don't say what area you live in, but wherever it is, I would still make the drive. Best wishes to your family -- keep us posted.
My mother is actually scheduled to meet with a lyme specialist, but that isn't until mid-August. Everything up until then is booked. Are there any non-medicinal treatments that I could use until then to lessen the symptoms?
Your mother is fortunate to have you looking out for her. Whether she has Lyme is for an MD who is aware that the older views of Lyme as 'hard to get and easy to cure' are outdated. Lyme has spread widely, and the old standard treatment of a couple weeks of doxycycline antibiotics may well not be effective unless given immediately after infection (and many of us never knew when we were bitten).
In addition, about half of Lyme ticks also carry other infections that need separate testing and treatment from Lyme. I had no idea I had Lyme, and it took 20 MDs before one of them finally tested me for Lyme -- the test result was positive, but that doc told me I 'could not possibly have Lyme' because I wasn't sick enough. That's the kind of mindset it sounds like your mother is encountering. And MDs who do not have in mind the possibility of Lyme disease (and there are many who do not) would not think of considering or pursuing it to be sure.
Being anxious is not uncommon in Lyme, because (1) when you're sick, it's not unusual to be anxious, and (2) Lyme messes with the hormonal system and can cause anxiety as a direct effect of the infection.
You don't indicate where you are, but if you would post back with what area you are in ('near Dallas TX'), someone here might have suggestions -- but we do NOT put Lyme doc's names in the open here, since the less enlightened medical boards in some states try to put Lyme specialists out of business. There is a private message system through this website where we can send you possible suggestions of a nearby Lyme specialist.
There is a voluntary organization of MDs who DO understand Lyme, called International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS for short), and they have a website with a referral function -- you type in what area you are located in ('near Kansas City MO'), and they email you back with name(s) of local MDs who are ILADS members. It's not a guarantee it will be a good match for your mother, but it's a start -- like any doc, some are more compatible than others for a particular patient. There is no test to be an ILADS member, so there might be some oddballs out there, but if you get routed to an oddball, go back to ILADS and ask for another name.
Also, posting a new message here such as 'Need LLMD near Seattle WA' may get you some replies. And even a simple online search such as
-- lyme disease Nashville TN -- can find some good leads. The internet is your friend.
Lyme disease ticks often carry other infections as well, and it takes a doc who knows this to come up with an accurate diagnosis, because the testing and diagnosis done by MDs who think Lyme is no big deal can be quite inaccurate. Seeing an ILADS doc is a good first step.
If you want to read more, search online for -- burrascano guidelines -- and it will take you to the ILADS website where Dr Burrascano has written about diagnosing and treating Lyme. Don't get bogged down by it (it is aimed an MDs, not patients), but just know it's there if you want to read up sometime now or later.
Let us know how it goes, and if we can help further -- best wishes --
In addition, about half of Lyme ticks also carry other infections that need separate testing and treatment from Lyme. I had no idea I had Lyme, and it took 20 MDs before one of them finally tested me for Lyme -- the test result was positive, but that doc told me I 'could not possibly have Lyme' because I wasn't sick enough. That's the kind of mindset it sounds like your mother is encountering. And MDs who do not have in mind the possibility of Lyme disease (and there are many who do not) would not think of considering or pursuing it to be sure.
Being anxious is not uncommon in Lyme, because (1) when you're sick, it's not unusual to be anxious, and (2) Lyme messes with the hormonal system and can cause anxiety as a direct effect of the infection.
You don't indicate where you are, but if you would post back with what area you are in ('near Dallas TX'), someone here might have suggestions -- but we do NOT put Lyme doc's names in the open here, since the less enlightened medical boards in some states try to put Lyme specialists out of business. There is a private message system through this website where we can send you possible suggestions of a nearby Lyme specialist.
There is a voluntary organization of MDs who DO understand Lyme, called International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS for short), and they have a website with a referral function -- you type in what area you are located in ('near Kansas City MO'), and they email you back with name(s) of local MDs who are ILADS members. It's not a guarantee it will be a good match for your mother, but it's a start -- like any doc, some are more compatible than others for a particular patient. There is no test to be an ILADS member, so there might be some oddballs out there, but if you get routed to an oddball, go back to ILADS and ask for another name.
Also, posting a new message here such as 'Need LLMD near Seattle WA' may get you some replies. And even a simple online search such as
-- lyme disease Nashville TN -- can find some good leads. The internet is your friend.
Lyme disease ticks often carry other infections as well, and it takes a doc who knows this to come up with an accurate diagnosis, because the testing and diagnosis done by MDs who think Lyme is no big deal can be quite inaccurate. Seeing an ILADS doc is a good first step.
If you want to read more, search online for -- burrascano guidelines -- and it will take you to the ILADS website where Dr Burrascano has written about diagnosing and treating Lyme. Don't get bogged down by it (it is aimed an MDs, not patients), but just know it's there if you want to read up sometime now or later.
Let us know how it goes, and if we can help further -- best wishes --
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