Lyme Disease

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I've been sick for years and have recently found the cause... I've been on antibiotics for a few weeks and hope to feel better soon. Does anyone else have it?

Good for you for getting some help.

You might want to do the antibiotics for several months, like a person might do for acne or an ear infection. Or maybe even longer.

Short-term only for Lyme seems to be an example of medical orthodoxy. Apparently there was a committee of infectious disease doctors who were asked to come up with recommendations, well, they came up with recommendations and now it's etched in concrete. A minority of doctors take the view, hey, Lyme is caused by a tricky spirochete, just like syphilis, and once it becomes entrenched in a person's body, you need a longer course of antibiotics.

My older brother knew some people whose little daughter got it, but the docs didn't find out what was wrong with her until it had affected her brain.

We also had a border/lab cross who got it--yes pets can get it too. We didn't realize for a while that anything was wrong, but he did start developing arthritis faster than normal, but since he was an older dog, we just assumed for a while that it was age related. Then, at one point, over the course of several days, he started to go deaf. It was so sudden and going so fast that even the dog was aware of his hearing loss, and was both puzzled and bothered by this sudden and unpleasant change. At that point we realized he needed to see the vet, because going deaf that quick normally only happens if someone has been exposed to very loud noises. The vet found the dog had Lyme's Disease, and put him on antibiotics. Fortunately, the help arrived in time to save a little of his hearing. Also, I had always been in the habit of using both hand and vocal commands with the dog, and I had also used a whistle code to get his attention sometimes. After he got hard of hearing I was able to use the whistle signal to get his attention and then let him see my hand gestures, while calling him loudly, so it was still possible to communicate with him.

Lyme's Disease can affect a number of body systems, and takes a much longer time and course of antibiotics than many doctors recommend. Definitely do not stop taking the meds you are given for this as soon as you think you are feeling better. Take the full course that has been prescribed, and make sure your doctor knows that Lyme's needs a longer course of antibiotics than most other germs.

I hope you get well soon.

Thought I had it, found out later the doctor lied, but I was on such strong antibiotics for so long that my liver was starting to give out, so I stopped taking them, and nothing changed.

It turned out my symptoms were being cause by a misalignment in my neck that was putting pressure on my brainstem. I have to see a chiropractor every few weeks or it'll come back, but it took a year and a half to find that out.

I hope that the treatment works for you, lymes can be a nasty disease.

Now, the tricky part of course many of the same symptoms can be either Lyme or an autoimmune thing or fibromyalgia (I think cause largely unknown) or probably about three dozen other things. Now, if you're getting better with antibiotics, that in itself is part of the diagnostic puzzle. And roll with a good thing. As I've read, people like to think medicine is more exact than it is, when in fact a lot of it is trial and error in respectful.

Ellendra, I'm sorry they really loused up on the antibiotics. And they definitely should not have lied including saying they're more sure than they really are. And a doctor is supposed to work this wide range between an effective dose and a toxic dose. Hope your liver is kind of okay now? And I'm glad the chiropractor sessions are helping.

Honest to gosh, I think there's a lot of benefit to a general practitioner with some horse sense. And even here, doctors tend to go way too fast and not be very good listeners. I have had some success writing three bullet points on one half of a piece of paper and simply handing this piece of paper to the doctor. (Seemed to work 4 times out of 5. One guy was a jerk, but he might have been a jerk anyway.)

With lesser doses of antibiotics, like what someone might take for months and months for acne, I think the main issue is eating yogurt or taking probiotics in order to keep healthy bacteria in one's gut.

I've had Lyme for 20 years. Thankfully I was diagnosed and treated within the first year, but I've had lingering symptoms all my life nonetheless. Chronic fatigue, joint and muscle pain, weakness, bad coordination, brain fog, memory problems, general confusion... It's not fun!

Sorry you're dealing with that too. But like everything, it's got to be better to at least know what you're dealing with, rather than not! I hope you can get some help for your symptoms... Good luck!!

Thank you guys for the kind words I think things are finally going to get better for me. I had much more energy today than i've been used to. I've mainly had to deal with inexplicable fatigue and my brain feeling foggy, but I've had really bad anxiety and depression-like symptoms since I was infected (we think it was about 3-4 years ago). I had a traumatic bullying experience a few years ago so I thought it had all been due to that, but I guess I was wrong. Hopefully once this is resolved I can live again!

I've been on a heavy dose of antibiotics and probiotics... the antibiotics have made me sick of numerous occasions, I have learned to eat mostly bland foods, as cheese and really spicy foods make me nauseous. I've been on the antibiotics for about a month now and only today have I felt okay... I think this is the turning point!

And trust me, I've been tested for everything under the sun. Vitamin deficiencies, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, narcolepsy, sleep apnea... you name it. I've even had multiple doctors tell me I may just have to accept that I'm tired all the time, and imply that it is a part of having Asperger's. I know that can be the case due to sensory overload but I didn't think it was to such an extreme where I'd wake up exhausted after sleeping for 12 hours.

Also, you know what's weird? It has made my Asperger's traits more pronounced. I haven't had noise sensitivity issues until I got Lyme- I can hear noises that are happening rooms down and they are hugely distracting. My tactile sensitivity has gotten worse as well, I can now only wear certain fabrics when I used to be able to wear everything. I also fumble around my words a lot more due to the brain fog. Also, on a side note, my hair completely changed texture- it used to be thick and wavy and is now baby-fine and stick straight. So strange. That's the least of my worries though. I'm glad we've figured out what is wrong so things can get better!

Ellendra, I can't believe your doctor lied to you. I'm so sorry that happened. I'm glad you figured out what is wrong though so that you can get it properly treated! Feel better

And Questor, I didn't know pets can get it... luckily my cats are indoor cats, so I don't think they have much of a chance of getting it haha.

It's nice to talk to you guys about it!

pinkbowtiepumps and Kyra71,

Knowing what I do about Lyme disease, I'm really sorry to hear that it took so long for the pair of you to get a diagnosis for it and that you are now having to live with the consequences. I do hope things improve for the pair of you as and where they can now you have both received treatment, although I do appreciate that treatment does not alleviate all symptoms.