Lyme and Trauma?

[wonko]

Hi All,

I'm still clincally diagnosed with Lyme, and have now been on Mino for 3 weeks.  I'll be speaking with my LLMD soon and hope to learn my W. blot (and other tests he ordered) at that time.

I was wondering if anyone with Lyme can offer advice on if/how injury interacts with Lyme?  I was in a car accident last week and have some minor injuries.  In particular my neck.  However, my neck was periodically very stiff and painful before the accident.  

I was wondering if Lyme could be aggravated by injury?  I'm just now reading "Cure Unknown" and an early story
tells of a person who was hit on the head but went on to have headaches beyond what could be explained by the injury.  Just wondering if others have such experiences.

Thanks.

[kitty9309]

According to the above website, head injury is the most common cause in people under 50.
And this is how it is diagnosed:
"Your physician can make the diagnosis based on your history, findings on physical examination, and the results of vestibular and auditory tests. Often, the diagnosis can be made with history and physical examination. Most other conditions that have positional dizziness get worse on standing rather than lying down (e.g. orthostatic hypotension). Electronystagmography (ENG) testing may be needed to look for the characteristic nystagmus (jumping of the eyes). It has been claimed that BPPV accompanied by unilateral lateral canal paralysis is suggestive of a vascular etiology (Kim et al, 1999). For diagnosis of BPPV with laboratory tests, it is important to have the ENG test done by a laboratory that can measure vertical eye movements. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be performed if a stroke or brain tumor is suspected. A rotatory chair test may be used for difficult diagnostic problems. It is possible but rather uncommon to have BPPV in both ears (bilateral BPPV). "

I know your frustration with this. It is my worst symptom.

[wonko]

I did hit my head pretty hard, and my glasses cut into my forehead.  I had a lot of bruising on my head and body.  My passenger said that I did pass out briefly, but since we both had the wind knocked out of us, I'm not sure if I really did lose consciousness or not.

I did go to the hospital, but all they did was clean up the cuts and discharge me.  

It's probably no big deal, but it is frustrating to not know if the vertigo, which I did not have before, is all from the accident, or if in part from the Lyme, and feeling like I can't ask my regular doctor about it because she was strongly opposed to the idea that I do have Lyme.

I've not heard of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.  How would that be diagnosed?  I've had brain and c-spine MRIs.

[patsy10]

Did  you have a head injury from the accident?  A concussion could also cause this problem.

[kitty9309]

It makes me think of BPPV- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. I also have dizziness and was tested for everything, including this. I was misdiagnosed for several years with Meneire's Disease.

http***www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/bppv/bppv.html

It frequently affects people when they turn over in bed. They can do simple manipulation of your head and get the crystals back in alognment. I know a couple of people who have this.

[PlateletGal]

One thing that I read in Dr. David A. Jernigan's new book is that you could have been bitten by a tick 10 years ago and still not have any lyme symptoms. What could change all of that is if you have any trauma (including emotional trauma), and/or health issues. I'm assuming that even the flu or a cold virus could wear down your immune system and let the lyme disease bacteria take over.

[wonko]

Well, tomorrow will be two weeks since my accident (in which I totaled my car, ugh!).

My neck stiffness is back to what it was before the accident.  

But I am still getting vertigo, and it still shows positional dependence.  If I am upright or standing, I don't get it.  But if I am reclining or lying down, the room spins every time I adjust or move from those positions.  It lasts for a few minutes, then stops again.

I've also had a worsening of symptoms since Friday, and was fairly listless yesterday.  

So, I'm not sure now:  Could the vertigo be from an injury during the accident, or could it just be a Lyme complication brought on by the accident?  I've noticed for a long time that many of my Lyme symptoms get worse when I'm lying down.  The vertigo follows that pattern, otherwise I might not think there was a connection.

I know no one can answer this for me, I'm just frustrated, and it's an example of the general problem of What do you do when you have a medical problem (possibly) outside of Lyme?  I don't want to return to my primary care doc, because then I'll need to explain that I've started seeing the LLMD against her opinion.

[patsy10]

My problems started a while back.  I was sick for years, went into remission only to have it come back with a vengeance after having spine surgery.

[Thanks2]

My LLMD has said the following:

You can have Lyme.
Your immune system may be strong enough to handle Lyme.

So you may not need treatment.

HOWEVER, IF you encounter trama such as in an accident;
you immune system may be too busy handling the trama to also
handle your Lyme;;;;
which then Flares up and becomes very active.

Sounds like this could fit your case.
Hope this helps.