Well since I've been talking about my symptoms, I feel I should list all the symptoms I currently have / have had during the past 2 years.
Foot pain
Gait disturbance
Muscle weakness
Sore soles
Clumsiness
Pain or swelling moves to different joints
Backache (unexplained)
Rib soreness
Fibromyalgia (generalized muscle pain & tenderness)
Tendonitis
Headache - persistent / severe
Headache - intermittent
Headache - Migraine-like
Burning or stabbing pains, in odd, shifting places
Sudden lightning-like jabs
Tremors or unexplained shaking
Numbness in parts of the body and / or extremities
Tingling sensations
Pinprick sensations
Weakness or partial paralysis
Pressure in the head
Lightheadedness, wooziness, vertigo
Twitching of muscles
Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking, vertigo
Increased motion sickness
Warm / cool sensations at various locations
Abnormalities of taste or smell
Constant low body temperature
Diminished reflexes
Hearing music or sounds others can't hear
Visual or auditory hallucinations
Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
Memory loss (short or long term)
Distorted memory
Confusion, difficulty in thinking
"Brain fog" (inability to concentrate; inattention)
Declining performance in school or work
Forgetting how to perform simple tasks
Speech difficulty (slurred or slow and hesitating)
Trouble finding the right word
Drop in general IQ
Dyslexia: letter, number, or word reversals
Stammering, stuttering speech
Mood swings, irritability
Easy frustration
Unusual depression
Crying impulses for no reason
Over-emotional reactions
Panic, anxiety attacks
Aggression, rage, road-rage
Sleeping too much
Napping during the day
Obsessive-compulsive behavior
Suicidal thoughts
Paranoia
Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
Depersonalization (losing touch with reality, feeling "unreal")
Stiff or painful neck
Twitching of facial or other muscles
Dental pain (unexplained)
Painful teeth
Difficulty swallowing
Hoarseness (unexplained)
Pressure in head
Sore throat
"Floaters"
Double or blurry vision
Pain in eyes
Sensitivity to light
Pressure in eyes
Flashing lights
Tearing eyes
Dry eyes
Decreased hearing in one or both ears
Buzzing, clicking, or ringing in ears (tinnitus)
Pain in ears with no medical cause
Sensitivity to sound
Constipation
Abdominal pain, cramps
Frequent need to urinate
Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting
Bloating
Shortness of breath, "air hunger"
Persistent head congestion
Chest pain (crushing sensation)
Night sweats
Unexplained chills
Heart palpitations or extra beats
Flu-like illness, after which not feeling completely well
Extreme, persistent fatigue
Symptoms change, come and go
Unexplained weight gain
Unexplained weight loss
Malaise
Unexplained sweating
Swollen glands
Unexplained fevers (high or low grade(
Itching
Increased sensitivity to allergens
........Sucks, huh?!
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Life With Lyme Disease
"But they who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
- Isaiah 40:31
- Isaiah 40:31
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My Story: My Battle with Lyme Disease
Wow, it's been a LONG road. Let me explain; here's my story: For 3 years I suffered from a previously undiagnosed chronic illness that we eventually discovered was Lyme disease. I had every kind of symptom you can imagine. For the majority of this time my life was a living hell.
In February of 2008 I lost the ability to write...I couldn't even hold a pen. That started my 3+ months of, for all intents and purposes, being paralyzed. I could barely walk, couldn't hold a pen let alone write, couldn't go to school, or even move without pain. I had such a horrible, foggy feeling in my brain that I couldn't think at all. You'd be surprised how much you miss the "little things" in life once they're gone. Things like signing your name....writing an email...walking up the stairs...stretching...getting dressed (pain-free)...feeding yourself...washing your hair without crying because the pain in your arms is so excruciating... I couldn't do ONE of those things during those few months (and some of them for much longer). It was the worst time of my entire life.
Around the end of May 2008, all of sudden my pain started to dissipate. I started being able to do all sorts of things I hadn't been able to do in months!!! By the middle of June I was living mostly pain-free. The pain stayed away for a long time...it was magical! We thought I'd been miraculously cured. Then, in October 2008, I again started feeling the loathsome symptoms I had felt the previous January that turned me into a multiple brace-wearing cripple. It was horrible. I dreaded the day the pain would again take over my life.
From November 2008 to June 2009, the pain increased daily. Every day there would be a new pain, or a previously existing pain would measurably worsen. I have only mentioned the physical things this far though. Starting in January 2009, I had quite a bit more neurological symptoms. My vision got really blurry, I had double vision, colored eye spots, black eye spots, flashing lights, floaters, brain fog, severe memory loss, stuttering, dyslexia, other speech impediments, hearing loss, several different kinds of hallucinations, and tremors/shaking (to name a few). All these symptoms got worse every day. I thought it would only a matter of time until I wouldn't be able to move. Just like the year previous,, I would again be a cripple. Barring a miracle, that is.
That miracle happened in March 2009 when my mom heard a radio show “by chance” that talked about Lyme disease. Listening to that, attending a lyme disease support group meeting, talking with lyme survivors, and more, led to my swift diagnosis via my symptoms and a very specific, rarely done blood test within two weeks of hearing the radio show. Then we got an appointment with a local infectious disease specialist who was known to truly treat lyme until it was irradicated - even if it was long-term. He was booked solid until July 22, which was when the appointment got scheduled for. But I started to get a lot worse. Then God performed yet another miracle by allowing someone to cancel and move my appointment up to the beginning of June. I then started on oral antibiotics and was on those for 5 months.
After having felt better for awhile, I started getting a lot worse near the end of those 5 months. On 3 November 2009, the doctors decided that I had been on meds for long enough and that I was lyme-free! We were ecstatic, as we were expecting me to be on meds for up to a year or even two. It seemed too good to be true. After getting off the meds I felt better; I even felt really good! ...That was over 4 months ago. A lot of my symptoms didn't change throughout treatment (and post-treatment) and there is still leftover pain and after-effects of the disease.
In February of 2008 I lost the ability to write...I couldn't even hold a pen. That started my 3+ months of, for all intents and purposes, being paralyzed. I could barely walk, couldn't hold a pen let alone write, couldn't go to school, or even move without pain. I had such a horrible, foggy feeling in my brain that I couldn't think at all. You'd be surprised how much you miss the "little things" in life once they're gone. Things like signing your name....writing an email...walking up the stairs...stretching...getting dressed (pain-free)...feeding yourself...washing your hair without crying because the pain in your arms is so excruciating... I couldn't do ONE of those things during those few months (and some of them for much longer). It was the worst time of my entire life.
Around the end of May 2008, all of sudden my pain started to dissipate. I started being able to do all sorts of things I hadn't been able to do in months!!! By the middle of June I was living mostly pain-free. The pain stayed away for a long time...it was magical! We thought I'd been miraculously cured. Then, in October 2008, I again started feeling the loathsome symptoms I had felt the previous January that turned me into a multiple brace-wearing cripple. It was horrible. I dreaded the day the pain would again take over my life.
From November 2008 to June 2009, the pain increased daily. Every day there would be a new pain, or a previously existing pain would measurably worsen. I have only mentioned the physical things this far though. Starting in January 2009, I had quite a bit more neurological symptoms. My vision got really blurry, I had double vision, colored eye spots, black eye spots, flashing lights, floaters, brain fog, severe memory loss, stuttering, dyslexia, other speech impediments, hearing loss, several different kinds of hallucinations, and tremors/shaking (to name a few). All these symptoms got worse every day. I thought it would only a matter of time until I wouldn't be able to move. Just like the year previous,, I would again be a cripple. Barring a miracle, that is.
That miracle happened in March 2009 when my mom heard a radio show “by chance” that talked about Lyme disease. Listening to that, attending a lyme disease support group meeting, talking with lyme survivors, and more, led to my swift diagnosis via my symptoms and a very specific, rarely done blood test within two weeks of hearing the radio show. Then we got an appointment with a local infectious disease specialist who was known to truly treat lyme until it was irradicated - even if it was long-term. He was booked solid until July 22, which was when the appointment got scheduled for. But I started to get a lot worse. Then God performed yet another miracle by allowing someone to cancel and move my appointment up to the beginning of June. I then started on oral antibiotics and was on those for 5 months.
After having felt better for awhile, I started getting a lot worse near the end of those 5 months. On 3 November 2009, the doctors decided that I had been on meds for long enough and that I was lyme-free! We were ecstatic, as we were expecting me to be on meds for up to a year or even two. It seemed too good to be true. After getting off the meds I felt better; I even felt really good! ...That was over 4 months ago. A lot of my symptoms didn't change throughout treatment (and post-treatment) and there is still leftover pain and after-effects of the disease.
After being off meds for over 3 years now, I see a lot of neurological and physical effects which have been pretty severe. I certainly have brain damage and reduced cognitive function from the lyme disease. Along with those neurological affects, I have discovered that my cardiovascular system will never be the same; I have no endurance. Because the lyme ate its way through my body, I am much more prone to illness and injury now...my body seems much older than it is. I have a weak back and hip/knee/ankle weakness. All of that has been fun to deal with in college, but God is with me every step of the way and He has richly blessed my life in spite of everything.
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