My lyme beginning continued...

So in July of 09 I was FINALLY admitted to the hospital in total agony and feeling like well...not good. The drs. who were treating me in the hospital were treating me for a terrible migraine, but didn't have much thoughts about all the other "stuff" going on-Fibromyalgia was tossed out there, but I knew it wasn't that. But they were so good and vigialant it was just that not one of us thought to recheck lyme as my previous dr. was ADAMANT that I didn't have lyme.

My skin hurt to the touch. I had a sharp stabbing constant pain in my left shoulder blade that kept me from any kind of rest. My headache was so severe i could barely hold my head up or keep my eyes open because of the light sensitivity. My neck hurt and was stiff. Narcotics did not take away my pain, nor even offer me some medicated sleep. A few days in the hospital and I developed severe right flank pain-thinking it was a kidney stone they took me for a CT, nothing found. I spent my nights alone in tears from the pain and lack of sleep. I actually begged God to make it stop, I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

I was taken for a nerve block in my neck which did relieve the head issues some what but all else persisted. My experiences during this time were dragging me down physically and mentally and I didn't know how much more I could take. I wondered how people with severe chronic pain managed day to day, because I was NOT doing very well.

They finally placed a fentanyl patch on the pain in my back/neck area-all that did was make me extremely nauseous-I couldn't eat for days.

Finally after nine days, I asked to go home. Even though there wasn't any diagnosis or resolution, I think I just wanted to go home and give up. Still in pain and still trying to cope and find answers....

Almost one week later I developed a right sided facial palsy. Called my neurologist, and after I asked if he thought I was having a stroke (which I really didn't think I was), he said I needed to go to the ER. Great back there again! But this time... I INSISTED they run a Lyme test, can you believe they didn't want to initially? They gave me a 7 day course of antibiotics. I had to return to the ER as I had an adverse reaction to the original prescription. But mind you...only 7 days and all my problems would go away????

Well I kept calling the hospital lab for my results and finally 4 days later..test in...Lyme Disease off the charts
My Lyme Screen was >5.oo High
Out of the 15 bands tested I was non-reactive for three. All other bands were reactive or positive. Imagine?

Within a few days of starting the antibiotics, the palsy left (altho my right eye is still blurry) and my severe pain and other symptoms began to lessen (Imagine the immediate changes all from just a little old antibiotic? )Gee if only I had been given a course of antibiotics back in the beginning when I asked my then GP, perhaps it all wouldn't have gotten so far!?!

So my new dr agreed to prescribe antibiotics and as thirty days came and went, the symptoms returned, so we eventuall went with a ninety day course of antibiotics. I finally began to feel huma again AND I slept like a baby-no pain, no muscle twitches, no cramping, nothing.

So I began to heal....but then...IT"S BAAAAAACK!

Lyme Disease-the Beginning for me

June 2009, as I stated previously, I began to feel unwell during this time. My body began to ache like a bad case of the flu. During this time I also began to develop a pain in my neck (literally) and of course the headaches were becoming more intense. (I do suffer from migraines). I did have rashes but not the "classic" circular rash that so many rely so heavily on. I had a rash on the right side of my face along the jaw line that seemingly would come and go. Later on I developed what my husband referred to as a "belt strap slap" on my left shoulder blade. I had an MRI of my neck revealing minor age related changes. I was prescribed muscle relaxants to no avail. I ended of in the Emergency Room several times due to severe headaches and neck pain-each time I was given narcotics which barely took the edge off, and sent home. (Oh I did get some basic blood work too) Since we were not getting any answers for my downward spiral, I began to think it was fallout from all the narcotics given for my headaches. Two Lyme screens came up negative, but the second test was taken after an ER doctor prescribed me a 10 day course of antibiotics for a "viral syndrome." So naturally the second test was tainted by treatment. I continued to feel worse and worse. My symptoms: severe neck pain, severe headaches, overall joint and muscle pain (not aches-real pain), my joints felt as if they were swollen yet they weren't, extreme lethargy, muscle twitches/jerks, inability to sleep due to pain, shooting pains radiating down my legs from my hips, lower back pain, shoulder and elbow pain, nausea, dizziness/lightheartedness, numbness, extremity tingling, and severe pain in my left should blade area which became the pain in addition to the headaches that kept me from sleep for weeks. Early in July I had asked for another course of antibiotics recognizing that I did feel a little better on that ten day course prescribed by an ER Dr. but I was turned down. And everything continued to spiral downward....
I went to the ER several time over the next few weeks only to be given narcotics and sent back home. Once I even came in by ambulance because I couldn't walk, ad was so light headed-the ER gave me more narcotics and left me WALK out of the ER. This went on for several weeks. Oh and lest I forget the Dr. who never even looked at me in ER but wanted me to have a spinal tap. I looked at the ER Dr and said, "He wants me to have a procedure that will likely intensify the pain (headache) I'm already in?" I told him "not now" and he concurred, and besides he said I wouldn't really want him to do it, and I said "no only a neurologist or surgeon experienced with lumbar punctures." I later learned from an infectious disease Dr. and neurologist that the tap they would have put me through probably would have been to no avail as it might show some infection, but without looking specifically for the "Lyme et al" it wouldn't have provided any info. They might have spotted an infection and given me a short course of antibiotics but it would not have been enough to eradicate the disease at that point. So I'm glad I said "no." I was in so much agony I couldn't bear the thought of more pain. After many ER visits a I laid on the the dirty ER waiting room floor, I begged for relief. They took me in (I guess they didn't want me on the floor). I begged (imagine!) to be admitted-I couldn't take it any more. I was refused once again by a Dr who never even saw me. A kind ER Dr came on and after reading my lengthy info over the past month and hearing me today said we'll keep you here until the hospital Dr. comes on. BLESS HIM!!! But alas...my turmoil was not over..

Lyme disease..it is more than a bite!

Stay tuned as I will be utilizing my blog to journal my battle with Lyme disease. In 2009, after successfully rescuing a dog that was lost on our mountain for a year, I began to feel down right bad physically. My entire body just ached, it felt like I had a bad case of the flu. My stamina was diminishing, and my dive into the "unknown" began....