Lymes Disease ?
Discussion
Anyone out there had experiance of Lymes Disease ? GP's, Doc's or have you suffered from it yourself ?
Over the past 20 years or so I've had quite a few different symptoms which have never been full explained or diagnosed. These range from joint pain, mainly hips and shoulders. Night sweats which come and go. Severe muscle cramps, mainly legs. About 10 years ago I developed a cough which resulted in a CT scan and lymph glands in my chest were enlarged. Sarcoidosis (sp) was suggested by hospital and GP at the time but never firmly diagnosed.
Since then I get occasional tingling and numbness in my hands and arms and the odd twitching muscle which I can't stop. I did put this down to stress at the time as there was a lot s
t going on my life.
All this has got me wondering though as I have always done a lot of Hillwalking and Lymes would fit a lot of the above.
I undertstand that the only way of diagnosing this is by a specific blood test ?
I wait the usual AIDS replies as well as the more helpful ones.
Thanks
Over the past 20 years or so I've had quite a few different symptoms which have never been full explained or diagnosed. These range from joint pain, mainly hips and shoulders. Night sweats which come and go. Severe muscle cramps, mainly legs. About 10 years ago I developed a cough which resulted in a CT scan and lymph glands in my chest were enlarged. Sarcoidosis (sp) was suggested by hospital and GP at the time but never firmly diagnosed.
Since then I get occasional tingling and numbness in my hands and arms and the odd twitching muscle which I can't stop. I did put this down to stress at the time as there was a lot s
t going on my life.All this has got me wondering though as I have always done a lot of Hillwalking and Lymes would fit a lot of the above.
I undertstand that the only way of diagnosing this is by a specific blood test ?
I wait the usual AIDS replies as well as the more helpful ones.
Thanks
S3 Don't remember ever having a Tick bite but I can recall having a rash after a walking holiday in the Highlands a few months before this all kicked off. It did resemble what I know now is the rash you get around the bite site with Lymes disease but this was all over my body. Being a 20 something male I ignored it and it faded after about a week.
Tonsils have always been a mess as long as I can remember.
Not sure on the Lymph infections front. Did have the return of the dry and persistant cough about 5 years ago which was the same when I had the CT scan. Didn't last as nearly as long though. Maybe 2/3 weeks or so.
ytrebil...no, no visual disturbances.
Bobthemonkey....isn't that Weals disease that your thinking of ?
Tonsils have always been a mess as long as I can remember.
Not sure on the Lymph infections front. Did have the return of the dry and persistant cough about 5 years ago which was the same when I had the CT scan. Didn't last as nearly as long though. Maybe 2/3 weeks or so.
ytrebil...no, no visual disturbances.
Bobthemonkey....isn't that Weals disease that your thinking of ?
Edited by Scotfox on Monday 12th January 21:01
I have it. It sucks. I got treatment early, and it seems to be ok. You will get all your symptoms, and you can have many others--extreme fatigue, baker's cyst, joint aches, headaches and fever, etc. Waking up drenched in sweat also.
I highly recommend researching it thoroughly, online and via a few good books, so you know your options. At the least, get started on antibiotics right away.
While I am ok, apart from the susceptibility for arthritis later, I have come across people whose lives have been completely ruined. They are now confined to wheelchairs, have lost the ability to control their limbs, and in one case, have completely lost their mind. It can devastate your and your loved ones' lives, so treat it aggressively.
Don't mean to scare you, but do get it seen to RIGHT AWAY, and make sure the person knows what they are talking about. Tick bites, rashes, etc. are only remembered in 40% of the cases, so it does not mean anything if you don't remember it. I don't remember mine.
I highly recommend researching it thoroughly, online and via a few good books, so you know your options. At the least, get started on antibiotics right away.
While I am ok, apart from the susceptibility for arthritis later, I have come across people whose lives have been completely ruined. They are now confined to wheelchairs, have lost the ability to control their limbs, and in one case, have completely lost their mind. It can devastate your and your loved ones' lives, so treat it aggressively.
Don't mean to scare you, but do get it seen to RIGHT AWAY, and make sure the person knows what they are talking about. Tick bites, rashes, etc. are only remembered in 40% of the cases, so it does not mean anything if you don't remember it. I don't remember mine.
I don't remember what antibiotics I was initially prescribed, 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with it, but I remember there were two different types. I did a course of Amoxycillin a couple of years ago, just to be sure. I researched it myself and asked the doctor to prescribe it, since being out in bright sunlight used to give me pounding headaches and just wipe me out with pounding headaches and fatigue. I would have to come home and sleep for 4+ hours to feel ok again, and that would screw up my sleep cycle for weeks. I don't know if it did much good, and I intend to keep getting tested every couple of years. I still have the sensitivity, but can live with it if I wear dark sunglasses. If I forget those, though, it's a nightmare.
I am getting a fair amount of arthritic symptoms that usually don't show up in healthy men for another 10-15 years, even though I really take care of my body, eat really well, and am in excellent athletic shape (run marathons, do century bike rides, etc.). Still, when the aches set in and you feel creaky and sluggish, it's very depressing and frustrating.
Get it seen to and treat it very aggressively.
I am getting a fair amount of arthritic symptoms that usually don't show up in healthy men for another 10-15 years, even though I really take care of my body, eat really well, and am in excellent athletic shape (run marathons, do century bike rides, etc.). Still, when the aches set in and you feel creaky and sluggish, it's very depressing and frustrating.
Get it seen to and treat it very aggressively.
Read this
http://www.ilads.org/files/publications_stricker_0...
And, this counterpoint
http://www.lymemd.org/Auwaerter.pdf
I have seen what this disease can do, it scares the crap out of me. I decided if there was anything I could to actively prevent any of the symptoms, I would take those measures. Hence the antibiotics. The "wax and wane" argument might be true, but I will be damned if I am not going to take any precautions that I can.
http://www.ilads.org/files/publications_stricker_0...
And, this counterpoint
http://www.lymemd.org/Auwaerter.pdf
I have seen what this disease can do, it scares the crap out of me. I decided if there was anything I could to actively prevent any of the symptoms, I would take those measures. Hence the antibiotics. The "wax and wane" argument might be true, but I will be damned if I am not going to take any precautions that I can.
http://www.lyme.org
HTH... Wasn't aware Lyme Disease was even known in Europe, it's named after Lyme, Connecticut.
Sorry about that, wasn't aware that we exported the disease, I thought Jerry Springer was bad enough.
HTH... Wasn't aware Lyme Disease was even known in Europe, it's named after Lyme, Connecticut.
Sorry about that, wasn't aware that we exported the disease, I thought Jerry Springer was bad enough.
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