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CALIFORNIA
Jentry Anders - In 1972, I camped out near Briceland CA
(Humboldt County) on top of what I much later realized was tick
habitat, ie, rotting leaf mulch. All summer long I picked nearly
invisible tiny ticks off of me. That September, I developed the
worst backache I ever had, along with a persistent urinary infection
and fairly bad depression. I chalked all of that up to the hardships
of being a back-to-the-lander, lots of reasons to be depressed.
Those symptoms subsided in following spring, but all through the
70s, 80s and 90s, I had intermittent health problems I now know were
classic Lyme symptoms. Some of those I think of as X-files,
completely mysterious experiences I later read descriptions of in
Lyme literature. In 1980, I accidentally squeezed an attached tick
and almost immediately developed early stage LD symptoms, including
EM rash. I knew at that point that I surely had Lyme disease. My
doctor laughed me out of the room, but prescribed 10 days of
erythromycin to humor me. In 1994, I was hospitalized with Lyme
hepatitis, then was diagnosed, by process of elimination, with
Hepatitis A. In 1999, I collapsed on the floor when my legs refused
to work and remained in that condition for three days while I lay in
great pain and with my brain full of Lyme fog. When I recovered
enough to think at all, I contacted the Marin County Lyme Support
Group, had a long conversation and decided to further research it. I
had had a neg Lyme-titer in 1988, dismissed Lyme as a possibility.
After this conversation I knew the problem was with the test. I
researched online, became certain, went through two and a half years
of great illness and poverty, unemployment, state disability (got it
on the basis of diagnoses other than Lyme disease, conditions for
which I had documentation) and federal disability. Doctors all
laughed at and patronized me, but I finally found an LLMD and got
2.5 years of oral ABx. I have now been treating myself in the
absence of an LLMD (mine retired) holistically and otherwise, and
run an online support group, Northcoast LDSG,
www.ottermusic.com/lyme/
I am a PhD, believe I know more about Lyme disease than anyone in a
200 mile radius of me and will answer anyone's questions by email. I
have helped hundreds of people this way.
* * * * * * * *
Shirley Baker - In 1976 when I
lived in NM I had the flu or so I thought. Over the next 17 years,
this "flu" progressed to a feeling of detachment and dizziness,
panic attacks, 2nd degree AV block, severe food and chemical
reactions, eye pain, headaches, hyperhearing (I could hear someone
walking across carpet and it would be very painful. I now wear
hearing aids as I have lost most of my hearing from the constant
ringing), intestinal problems, night sweats, bell's palsy, neck
pain, rash on hands, a different rash all over my body except palms
of hands and soles of feet, optic nerve damage, demyelination,
memory problems, neck pain and on and on. Over those 17 years, I saw
some 100 doctors, the majority of which thought I was crazy. We all
know the utter devastation we feel at the hands of doctors who don't
believe us. Many times I left their offices sobbing as I knew I was
not crazy. Finally in 1993, after seeing a spot about Lyme Disease
on TV and hearing the symptoms, I had hope! It took begging my
doctor to test for Lyme, but he did. When it came back positive, he
didn't believe it and took the test two more times. Every time it
came back 1:128. I then found a LLMD and started on meds in 1994. (
I was hesitant to begin meds as I had had severe reactions to most
of them). In about the year 2000 I found out I also had Babesia. I
am still being treated for Lyme because if I go off of meds for very
long, my symptoms return. I can stay pretty even while on meds. I
also believe that my children's problems with seizures, Tourette's,
and headaches are due to my having Lyme and Babesia during all three
of my pregnancies. They were tested for Lyme when younger but had
negative results. (They are grown now and don't agree with my
theory). During most of those years I would drag myself to work
until I couldn't do it anymore and retired in 1999. Thank God for my
husband, who stayed by my side through it all!
* * * * * * * *
Ruth Brewer - I returned from a
vacation on Camano Island (Puget Sound in Washington State) in
mid-December 2005. I walked in the woods but can't remember a tick
bite or rash. Five days later I started running a high fever with
terrible diarrhea and the worst headaches I've ever had in my life.
After ten days I slowly got better. In mid-March my shoulders got
really stiff, for which my Kaiser doc. prescribed physical therapy.
In mid-June I felt a muscle pull in my right thigh and within four
days I could only walk bent over and every bone in my body seemed to
ache. I couldn't get into my car to drive and when I did had to lift
my leg from the accelerator to the brake (pretty scary). I was
totally exhausted and in a lot of pain. I could barely roll over in
bed, or get out of a chair. My Kaiser doc did many tests, most of
which were negative, including the basic Lyme. After four months and
many doc visits, including one to the ER as the result of taking too
much Advil for too long, I thought hard about Lyme or CFS and joined
the Calif. Lyme list on Yahoo groups. I went to see Dr. S. in San
Francisco and he tested me and put me on oral Biaxin and
amoxicillin. Within four days I felt 70% better. I am now six weeks
into treatment and backsliding a bit (maybe 50-60% better), but I
can walk without a cane and don't yell with pain every time I go up
a stair, get out of a chair, or turn in a direction other than
straight.
* * * * * * * *
Debbie Crespo - For years I
suffered from awful migraines, chills, abdominal pain, terrible
vertigo , wooziness and low grade fevers. I also had a rash that
were come and go on my chest. It almost looked like pimples but not
exactly. One evening on June 6, 2005 I had felt feverish and
drained. Thought I just had the flu. The next evening a migraine
with floaters and awful pain. A few days after that I had awoke at 3
am with shooting pain in my neck and arms. Nothing took the pain
away. I had to contact family as I could barely take the pain. I was
told I had a condition called wry neck. Days later shooting pains in
my shoulders down my arms. One morning I awoke and just could not
get out of bed. I was so week. It was very scary. All blood work was
fine with the exception of an elevated liver. Since the headache in
June weeks went by and I had extreme fatigue even after a good night
sleep. By the end of June the lymph nodes under my chin were
extremely swollen. Then every lymph node in my body enlarged. I was
told I had lymphadenitis an infection of the lymph nodes and was
giving antibiotics. For a short time 4 to 6 days I felt improvement
but still never the same. I use to be energetic. Camping, hiking and
spin classes. I am 6 months into treatment and have good days and
bad days. I can't wait for the day the medical community will
consider testing or considering Lyme as a diagnoses or ruling it
out. I wish you all the best of health. I look forward to feeling
energetic again!
* * * * * * * *
Connie DePalma - I am a healthy
person who has become sick. It's hard when people look at me and
make comments about me being a hypochondriac. If I were a
hypochondriac, then why didn't I go to the doctor when I removed the
deer ticks and saw the rash? Or when I felt like I was coming down
with the flu shortly after? Or when I had headaches so severe, I
threw up and could hardly drive home from work in the middle of the
day? The reason I had ticks on me was because I was a healthy,
active woman who enjoyed hiking in forests. I want to be healthy and
active again. Now I realize that I should have gone to the doctor's;
I should have saved the ticks; I should have taken photos of the
rashes.... I wish I knew then what I know now. Does knowledge make
me a hypochondriac? I had a doctor tell me I "read too much." I
guess they want me to just sit down and shut up.... But I can't.
The following is a history of my Lyme Disease Exposure and Symptoms.
This should have been sufficient for a clinical diagnosis, but
it wasn't. July 4th weekend, 2004: I stayed in a log cabin in
the backwoods of the Ozarks. During my stay, I hiked through the
forest, rode ATVs under the trees, which kicked up a lot of dust,
and sat in a meadow where deer and wild turkeys foraged, to watch
fireworks during the evening of the Fourth. July 8th - 10th, 2004:
I discovered and removed 2 tiny black deer ticks while showering
five days after my initial exposure, three days after my last
exposure. I removed a third deer tick two days after that. By this
time, I noticed a red area surrounding the bite area where I had
removed the previous two ticks. I watched for 2 - 3 weeks as the
redness formed a ringworm-like red circle around each bite. I
remember this distinctly, because I almost went to see a doctor,
fearing infection. At the time, I thought that perhaps I had not
removed the tick properly. I never considered Lyme disease. July
8th – July 13th, 2004: For about a week, I felt muscle-ache &
extreme fatigue, like I was coming down with the flu, but I am not
one to go to the doctor's unless I am extremely ill. Then the
crushing headaches started. I still have these with varying
frequency. November 2004: I injured my back, but it has never
healed, and the pain has spread up my entire spine, across my upper
back, down my arms. My neck is always stiff and painful, and creaks
when I turn my head. March 2005: I started getting incredible
pain in the soles of my feet, combined with tingling and numbness.
The pain has subsided, but the tingling and numbness remain. Several
months later, tests were done by a neurologist to determine that I
had minor nerve damage. August 2005: Finally, I went to a
doctor (I was finally hired full-time and had health insurance). The
doctor had me tested for diabetes, and the Elisa test for Lyme. All
came back negative. February - April 2006: I had several
bouts of “flu,” with attacks of dizziness, so violent, I vomited and
could not stand up. The doctor gave me medicine for motion sickness,
and said I had a viral inner-ear infection. I continue to have
dizziness and a constant ringing in my ears. The doctors I have seen
have given me test after test, costing thousands of dollars, which
all turn out negative. I am trying to see an Infectious Disease
doctor now, but he will not even give me an appointment without a
positive Western Blot test for Lyme disease. All of the doctors
discount and ignore me when I tell them about the deer ticks. They
have basically told me that it is all in my head. None of the
doctors considered treating me for Lyme disease. I was never
prescribed antibiotics. April 2007: For the past year or so,
I have lost concentration and short-term memory, and have periods of
confusion. I shake uncontrollably at times and have no strength in
my limbs. The pain in my back and chronic fatigue is unbearable. It
is affecting my job, and I worry that I will be terminated. I am
desperate.
* * * * * * * *
Scott Forsgren -
I was chronically ill for eight years
before being diagnosed with Lyme Disease in July 2005. I started
the site www.BetterHealthGuy.com to share my experiences.
* * * * * * * *
Corinne Gilmore - I was bit by a tick in June 05 in Plymouth,
Ma. About a month later I started having frequent and severe
symptoms. I went to my PCP three times before she would listen to
me. I finally got in to see my ID Dr and my test results all came
back negative. After five months of this I found a Dr. who
specialized in Lyme and after being treated correctly I am now
symptom-free. It was the most frustrating time of my life and I
almost thought I was losing my mind. I am now completely back to
normal and so thankful for the Internet!
* * * * * * * *
John Goude - On April 4
2004 I was at the santa rosa plateau nature preserve run by Riverside
county and got a tick bite. she was sent to the lab and tested
positive fore lyme Disease. A few days later I came down very sick
but all the doctors I knew said "You can not get Lyme disease in
Southern California, because it does not exist here." 6 weeks later
I tested positive on 2 western blots. I am still on antibiotics.
* * * * * * * *
Donna Grace - Please see LA Times
article November 13, 2006 in the Health Section..I was inteviewd by
Melissa Healey..I would love to find someone or a support group in
the LA area. My Lymes is in the Morgellons family.
* * * * * * * *
Lee Lull - Ticks are increasing
world wide. So it is no surprise to find that Lyme and other tick
borne infections are also on the increase. Unfortunately most
doctors are woefully ignorant on the emerging complex of Lyme and
other tick borne infections. It is apparent that not only physician
education, but more Lyme specialists, research and better tests are
vital to make that early diagnosis possible. The one thing that is
certain is that early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial to
help prevent the more difficult to treat chronic stages. In 1993 I
took a trip to the Pacific NW. (Whether I was bitten on that trip or
had latent infection since the 1970’s when I was exposed to
ticks...I will never know) But following the trip I developed a
cascade of confusing and frightening symptoms...starting with a VERY
stiff neck. I never saw a tick or had an EM rash and so a Lyme
disease diagnosis was not made easily. (Actually only around 20%
ever do see the tick that infects them and contrary to touted
misinformation, fewer than 50% get or see a recognizable EM) It took
me 4 years and more than 15 doctors before I was diagnosed. By that
time I could no longer work, thought that death was impending, and
had made out my will. I had twitching and fasciculations, burning
pains & stabbing pains and peripheral neuropathy. Night time pain
was the worst and I would be jerked out of sleep with frightening
neuropathic sensations. My worst symptoms involved a radicular
pattern from infected nerve roots: right Upper Quadrant pain that
resulted in the removal of a perfectly good gall bladder, a band of
pain and weird sensations around my chest if I were to lie flat (so
I slept in a recliner), an abdomen that would distend as the day
proceeded and my right abdominal wall nerve innervations were too
tired to keep the muscle working. In actuality my entire Right side,
head to toe, was more affected than the Left: R ear pain, R jaw
twitching & R jaw pain, and R glands swollen. I had crunching at the
base of my head and head pressures. I developed a sinus infection
that I had not had before...and have not had again...since
treatment. As time progressed I became sensitive to sound and light
and felt dissociated and unable to focus. I had a restless leg sort
of thing too. My feet hurt, my R rib cage hurt and R arm tendons
hurt. My R calf was swollen and my R kidney had dull pain. I was not
tested for co-infections at the time (except for Babesia microti
–which was neg); many co-infections had not yet emerged, plus I was
paying out of pocket: and my pockets were shallow. Even with a CDC
positive WB, I initially doubted the diagnosis....until I started
herxing. Herxing was my private, subjective Gold Standard Hell. The
term Jarish Herxheimer Response, “herx” for short, was initially
used to define an acute (often death dealing) response to die off in
Syphilis patients. It has been adopted by Lyme patients to define
their often less acute, but repeatable, die off responses, when
taking antibiotics. In other words patients with disseminated
disease often go thru a period of feeling worse with each die off
response. (This is actually one time when it is GOOD to feel BAD).
Then I found a doctor who fortunately knew a lot about Lyme disease
and he made the clinical diagnosis and treatment was begun. It took
2 years of treatment (multiple, high dose, oral antibiotics) before
I felt well enough to start part time work again; and then another 5
years or so before I stopped herxing in response to each new round
of antibiotics. At this point (2007) I am almost 100% functional,
but still have minor relapses every few months...at which time I
take a course of antibiotics. If I don’t the symptoms continue to
worsen. I really don’t ever want to see another antibiotic, but it
seems to be working, so this is what I do.
* * * * * * * *
Phyllis Mervine - I wasn't
a doctor shopper, having 5 young children, a farm and plenty to keep
me busy. But at age 44, after 10 years of unexplained illness, I
thought I woul d probably die soon. The two doctors I did see did
not think of Lyme. Nor did I. I felt terrible almost all the time. I
had vertigo, tinnitus, iritis and episodes of double vision, extreme
fatigue, heart arrhythmias, arthritis in several joints and my
spine. I lucked out in 1987 when a neighbor suggested I get tested
for Lyme, which was being diagnosed in my neighborhood. I was
positive, but had zero response to the recommended treatment - 3
weeks of antibiotics. Luckily, soon afterward, my vet introduced me
to an LLMD who put me on high dose penicillin. Three months later I
finally started to feel better for the first time in years. It was a
long haul: after 3 years of treatment I was able to start planning
my life more than a day at a time. Even now, almost 20 years later,
if I stop antibiotics for more than 3 months, symptoms start to come
back. I say I'm on "maintenance" therapy. They keep me functional. I
started a newsletter (now a respected journal), the Lyme Times, in
1989, and was the founder of the California Lyme Disease Assn
(formerly LD Resource Center) in 1990. Both are still going strong.
I thank my husband for standing by me and for his support of my
work, which by now has helped hundreds of people with Lyme disease
find care and support. It was not the life I had envisioned for
myself, but it has been very rewarding and I work with great people. * * * * * * * *
Gay Ann Morrisette
- I contracted Lyme disease in the SF Bay Area of California in
1988. I had been an avid athlete, riding my bicycle over 100 miles
every week, and hiking in the foothills on weekends. There was 1 day
that I will never forget; I woke up barely able to climb the small
flight of stairs in my home. I knew that I had had several ticks
embedded and, since I had relatives in Connecticut, I thought right
away that I had Lyme disease. But the doctors connected with
Stanford and Palo Alto Clinics were very ignorant about Lyme and
refused to believe me. I went to at least 6 different doctors trying
to get help, but they all turned me away, saying I had chronic
fatigue or fibromyalgia or, even worse, I just needed to see a
psychiatrist. I gave up eventually and just tried to live as best I
could. It was at the 8 year mark that another doctor told me I had
Lyme, but that now it was too late for treatment. After another 2
years and because of the purchase of a computer, I finally found a
brave doctor who was willing to treat late-stage Lyme. By this time,
I was barely able to walk, needed to do any shopping in short trips,
because I could not manage to walk around even a small grocery
store. After almost 10 years of antibiotics, I am now walking about
4 miles every day and feeling overall pretty good. I will never
regain those 20 years of suffering and it had immense impact on my
life - I lost my job, my husband, my children - it isn't easy to
live around a chronically ill person. I am slowly rebuilding my life
and beginning to enjoy what I can now do. If I had only been given
antibiotics in the first place, it would have saved me years of
suffering and many thousands of dollars out of pocket.
* * * * * * * *
Sarah Olson - Anyone is welcome
to email me if they want. My name is Sarah Olson and I have
semi-facilitated the support group in Santa Cruz County for 8 years
now. We have the highest MIR for adult ticks in all of California-
17.8% MIR in adult ticks in Nisene Marks State Park. I was bitten 9
years ago clearing brush at our new home at the base of Nisene Marks
State Park. I had an EM rash at bite site and positive ELISA. Within
a year, I had deteriorated dramatically. I was caught right away and
diagnosed by my PCP and then a local Rheumie but undertreated. I
developed fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, incontinence,
chronic fatigue, progressive weakness leading with my left side,
slowing, chronic nausea with bouts of vomiting triggered by multiple
chemical sensitivities, chorea in my left hand- the writhing
twisting kind- micrography, arthritis and arthalgia throughout my
body, facial swelling, Adie pupil, body wide rash, burning
sensations, chills, 101 fever for 4 years with episodic 104 fevers,
encephalopathy and what a local Rheumie called "a progressive
multi-system neurological disease triggered by Post Lyme Syndrome."
I tested positive for HME as well as Lyme and was treated for
Babesiosis and Bartonella as well. I needed one year of orals and 9
months of IV to get to 99.9% well which is where I am today. The
.0000001 is that I can't go off antibiotics without declining-
otherwise I am normal again. Aptos is #1 in all of California for
Lyme disease infection in ticks!!! The 2003 San Jose State
Entomology Study in The Journal of Medical Entomology proved that. * * * * * * * *
Mary Owens - Before my diagnosis
and proper treatment, my life was simply one day after another of
pain and misery. If it was not for the courage of a lyme literate
doctor who was willing to aggressively treat this disease, I would
not be well today. I was diagnosed with MS, a form of polio, gambary
virus, potenailly haunta virus, potentially ALS etc. It was always
lyme and its co-infections. This disease is a public health crisis
that is unrecognized.
* * * * * * * *
William Peace
- (told
by his spouse). Bill
was first infected with Lyme when we were living on
our property in Oroville, CA in late 1999. Being unaware of Lyme at
the time, we did not know that the "bull's-eye rash" on his back
that was causing him an enormous amount of pain was the result of a
Lyme infected tick. To follow in what is accepted as normal for Lyme
infections, based on observation of his symptoms, we believe the
disease settled in Bill's back. Bill started having some "attitude
issues" at that point. He became anxious and irritable. He would "go
off" on me for no reason at all. He couldn't keep a job because he
couldn't keep his opinionated mouth shut and his opinion was the
only one that mattered. Or he couldn't go to work because his back
and everything else just hurt too much. After moving several time so
that I could work, we ended up on a horse ranch in Paso Robles where
I was training horses and Bill was taking care of the ranch. On
August 14, 2000 Bill ruptured two discs in his back while working at
the ranch. We believe that his back was weakened by the Lyme. Bill
was seen by the ranch owner's chiropractor who tried to say that
Bill was faking his pain. "He couldn't be hurting that much." Within
two weeks of his injury, we were ordered to move immediately. "I
can't have him hanging around my ranch doing nothing."
We moved back to Oroville where we lived in a tent for the next six
weeks. Then we moved to Reno where I was able to get a previous job
back and got Bill on the insurance offered through my
employment. Now we were able to prove through x-rays that Bill was
in fact injured. We then ventured into the Workman's Comp system
where Bill was given pain pills to the point of addiction. (It's not
easy living with an addict.) I thought he was going to die when he
was refused a refill on his Percocet and spent the next two weeks
"coming down" from the narcotics. When I convinced him to travel the
two hour drive down the windy mountain road to the hospital he was
"two steps away from death" when we arrived, according to the
attending physician. After recovery, Bill returned to that doctor to
find that "he was no longer that doctor's patient." After fighting
with the Workman's Comp system for two years, Bill was designated as
66% disabled based on his back injury. We did not know we were
dealing with Lyme at the time and it was never mentioned as a
possibility with the medical world. They just kept passing on the
word that Bill is "aggressive" which made it even more difficult to
get medical help because they would read the notes in his file. The
truth of the matter is that Bill was aggressive and verbally abusive
in a lot of cases because Bill was in a great deal of pain and no
one would listen to him. They were telling him that it was all in
his head and tried to get him to see a psychiatrist. Bill was even
"kicked out" of the local clinic as the result of a conversation
with the director. I have pictures of Bill looking like he had just
taken the bad end of a bar room brawl when he woke up in the
morning. His eyes were almost swollen shut and he had bruises all
over his body. There was no medical reason for this to be happening.
It was suggested by a NP that he might have Lupus. "His immune
system had taken a hit."
Bill has ongoing pain in his right side accompanied by a "feelable"
lump. But after $15K in tests, we know that "there is nothing
wrong" He throws up several times a day. He's even gagged in his
sleep on vomit. His legs are covered in hives and sores from him
scratching them open. He makes a valiant attempt at not scratching
by covering the sores with Band Aids. I can't buy enough Band Aids!
He has a constant head ache and starts each day around 3 or 4 am
with a couple of Excedrin Migraine. He usually ends the day around 8
pm with a couple as well. He has trouble finishing sentences and
seems to be one step behind everyone else at times. His joints are
swollen, some worse than others at any given time. But, "there is
nothing wrong with him." Then one night I was watching "Medical
Mysteries" and saw a carbon copy of Bill on the show. Here was a
strong, active man who had been reduced by pain and depression to a
point of not even being able to get out of bed on some days. He had
been to every medical person in his hometown and had to revert to an
outside city to get a doctor to even see him. He was being labeled
as "crazy" and was angry because no one would believe he was "going
through so many symptoms." I found myself standing inches away from
the TV by the time they stated his condition as that of Lyme. On
went the computer and Bill started reading about Lyme and other
sufferers of Lyme. I can't read it without crying.
The closest doctor that we could find to our area that knows
anything about Lyme or is willing to treat Lyme patients is 8 hours
away. We don't have insurance. Bill has just been denied social
security for the 11th time and has just sent in another appeal.
Over the past five years Bill has emailed, called, and written
almost all of the senators, governors, committee members, and even
the President in an attempt to get someone to listen to, not just
him, but the Lyme world. Only leading to more frustration. Bill,
like a lot of other Lyme victims, does not have a positive Lyme test
as the FDA would recognize but knows through symptoms that he does
have Lyme. He has also come to terms with knowing that he is most
likely beyond curing and with this knowledge has redirected his
anger into energy directed toward educating the public so that other
people don't suffer. This is a good thing because he's not yelling
at me, he's yelling at someone who should be able to do something
about Lyme.
It doesn't help when the medical industry is in denial that Lyme
exists in a lot of areas. Bill had a test come back as "retest using
the Western Blot". It was filed as a negative test by the doctor's
office. We would not have this information if we had not requested
a copy of the test results ourselves. We have a friend whose
positive test was filed without any action being taken to address
the Lyme by the VA hospital that he goes to for medical treatment.
Which brings up another issue. Why is the government treating Lyme
disease like it is another Area 51? In my opinion, when a definitive
test for Lyme disease is developed we are going to find that Lyme
disease is bigger than we will be able to comprehend. It's going to
make AIDS look like a common cold. As for now, in my home, we are
living for the good days and praying for a cure and hoping someone
will hear the cries for help that are going out from so many and
falling on deaf ears.
* * * * * * * *
Vanessa Sawtell-Jones - I
contracted Lyme disease as a college student while traveling abroad,
returning with a classic bulls-eye rash. The university clinic
doctor that I saw put me on the CDC-recommended 1-month course of
Doxycycline, on the basis of the rash. Six weeks later, my left
vocal chord became paralyzed, which was a problem as I was in my
senior year as a classical voice performance major and was now
unable to sing. During the next couple of months, I went to see 3
top specialists: an ENT, a voice specialist, and the Chief of
Infectious Diseases at a local big-name teaching hospital. All
insisted that my problem could not possibly be related to Lyme
disease, and refused to do further testing, treat with additional
antibiotics, or even do a simple neurological exam. None could
explain the paralyzed vocal chord but suggested some mysterious
virus (which they'd "never find"), or maybe MS. Finally, my mom flew
me home to see a Lyme Disease specialist who happened to be a
neurologist. His standard neurological exam revealed that I now had
partial paralysis on one side of my face (Bell's Palsy), as well as
a seriously weakened left arm and hand which had the strength "of a
stroke victim". He ordered the Western Blot test from the IGeniX lab
(which is the only test that includes bands 31 and 34 which are
specific to the bacteria Borelia burgdorferi (the Lyme bacteria),
and he put me on oral antibiotics immediately based on his clinical
assessment. The test came back positive for Lyme disease several
weeks later, and an MRI came back negative for MS. After two months
on Biaxin, my vocal chord began to come back and other neurological
symptoms had all but disappeared. I continued on the Biaxin for
another 3 months, to make sure the Lyme would be put deep into
remission. A year later, I have no symptoms, although a follow-up
Western Blot and other tests show an active infection and a
compromised immune system. I can only imagine how sick I would be
now if I had not gotten the correct diagnosis and treatment.
* * * * * * * *
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