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TENNESSEE
Beverly Almo
- I found out I had lyme in
2003 when I went completely blind. I have seen many lyme ignorant
physicians here that keep telling me lyme does not exist in
Tennessee. Thank goodness for the opthalmologist or to date I would
not know what was wrong with me. The black outs, seizures, tremors,
memory loss, pain, etc. Still praying that Lyme will be cured, and
praying for all of us with lyme. I never got the infamous rash, I
did get a rash but it was brushed off as cellulitis. The headaches
were stress, an MRI showed multiple hygromas on my brain. Still,
there was "nothing" wrong with me.
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Karen Powell -
As a child, I was always sick. In 7th grade I can remember speaking
and mixing words or letters. In high school, algebra was easy...and
then it would be difficult, and I didn't know why. We had a family
farm in Wisconsin that we visited to get away from our home in
Chicago. The farm had woods, deer, critters, and tons of ticks.
Following a a trip to the farm, my mom found a large tick on my head
while brushing my hair. I married at 19 and we moved to the farm in
Wisconsin. The ticks were so bad some years they would be crawling
up the screen door. Health-wise something always cropped up. I saw a
gastroenterologist due to problems with my stomach. An upper GI was
clear, and they diagnosed IBS and treated accordingly. I had
horrible panic attacks, and for a period of time became agoraphobic.
I said "no way will this control me" and I went out despite the
attacks. Following that was a weird rash all over my body. The
doctor diagnosed measles. Every doctor told me it was all in my
head. I was sent to psychiatrists, the worse visit involved 2
physicians standing in the doorway while I explained my symptoms.
One cupped his hand over his mouth and looked at the other one and
burst out laughing. We lived in Colorado for 2-1/2 yrs and I was
very sick, I thought from the altitude. I was in and out of the
hospital over 3 weeks, in 1986. I was very dizzy and slurred my
words. I had an episode where I awoke and had my vision go for a few
seconds then a stroke in my brain. I was partially paralyzed on my
left side, my face was droopy on my left side, a mini-stroke and
bells palsy. I also had a nodule on my left side of my thyroid...3/4
of the lobe was removed, and benign. Another nodule grew on the
fourth remaining lobe. Following surgery, recovery was difficult. In
1989 I went to a clinic in Minnesota and was told I had chronic
problems. Finally I was told a Lyme test returned positive. Weeks
before I could not pull the blanket up to my neck I was in such pain
and very weak. I took the first pill and was sick all night. I went
to another doctor who gave me other antibiotics. Later I discovered
the medicines I took for 2-1/2 years were ineffective for Lyme. I
had pneumonia twice in one month. I could not remember from one
sentence to the next what I had said, suffered anxiety and panic
attacks, hallucinations and I could not raise my arm without
excrutiating pain. I found another tick on me on my left forearm and
had a red hot rash. More hallucinations and difficulty swallowing. I
visited another WI doctor who said anxiety/depression. A doctor said
my painful left arm was bursitis, so I had steroid shots and
therapy. Pain would migrate down into my legs and knees until I
could hardly walk. In 1993 we moved to Tennessee and nightmares and
mood swings were getting worse, panic attacks returned at a rate of
8-10/day. I would awaken with horrid tremors. I could not hold a
normal conversation with anyone because of exhaustion. I saw an
infectious disease Dr., who gave me meds. The capsules dissolved too
fast and caused me severe stomach upset. I begged my doctor to give
me IV meds. I have Stevens-Johnson syndrome (if you take penicillin
your gums and tongue turn black and the skin peels off of them).
That happened when I was little. I was set up for a picc line and 3
weeks of IVs. About 3 weeks later the Lyme returned with a vengence.
I used a walker and could not stand for more then 10 minutes without
severe pain. I thought I'd never be able to type my story and prayed
to God to let me help one person. The typing makes my hands numb and
shooting pains go through my wrists. My back feels like it has been
hit by a truck. I have poor memory, I'm afraid to file anything
because I won't remember where I put it on the computer. I can't
remember what I purchased at the store so I keep receipts in the
microwave for quick review. My eyesight is blurry and I know I have
left out a ton. If one person benefits from my story, it will all
have been worth it. I went to a TN doctor who said ”THERE IS NO LYME
IN TENNESSEE”. Why do doctors deny this when there are people
suffering and dying from this HORRID disease? If ONE of those
doctors ever got Lyme disease I guarantee there would be mandatory
education about Lyme in that state. Perhaps a doctor will read this
and be more compassionate to his patients. For everyone who reads
this story, know that there is hope.
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Michael Schack - I am 39
years old. Bitten October of 2001, had the bulls eye rash but did
not know what it was. Was sick in December 2001 diagnosed with
e-coli. Again in April 2002 diagnosed with e-coli even though both
tests showed negative. Headaches started in August 2002, then
hospitalization in October and given massive amounts of steroids.
The doctors dismissed the rash and the symptoms. Finally, May 15
2003 was tested and diagnosed (out of state); treatment for 1 year
did not work. I have lost my hearing and voice, have seizures,
rashes, uncontrollable pain, forgetfulness and the list goes on. I
have finally been approved for SSI disability (4/06). My wife has
90% of the symptoms yet the doctors refuse to test her, my daughter
has 50% of the symptoms and the doctor lied and said her test was
negative, yet when my wife received a copy of her medical records,
there was no test results, so she called the insurance company to
find out if there were charges for the test, there were not. She has
yet to be tested. My daughter has syncope, headaches, mood swings,
bradycardia, muscle pain, increased floaters, and more, (she is only
15).
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