Lyme Disease

My daughter has been gradually getting worse again, little by little, so that anyone who doesn't really know her wouldn't pick up on it. More mood swings, pains in joints, headaches, blurred vision (no, her eyes have been checked), insomnia, difficulty breathing (that's a new one) etc She's not ready to go on an even stricter diet than she already is on and to be honest, I don't want to have to put her on one if I don't have to. Being a child is difficult enough as it is.

So back to the doctors today after lots more research and wonder if we are both struggling because of Lyme disease. 10 years ago, I was btiiten by a tick then had meningitus with complications several weeks later. I was tested for it but the tests came back negative so it was left at that. Several months later I became pregnant with my daughter. What I do know now is that you don't necessarily have a positive test to Lyme, particularly so close to the bite as your body hasn't had time to make antibodies. I have also learnt that you can pass it on to your baby in the womb or by breastfeeding, and I breastfed all of my children for four months. According to research, Lyme disease in more common than we think. One of the top specialists in America gives a list of symptoms and says that if you have more than 15, there is a strong possibility of Lyme. I have 34 and my daughter has 26 - not bad, eh!

So armed with my papers and table of symptoms, we took off to the GP. I explained that I had been researching into possible causes (he accepts that he is sure we have something but doesn't know what) and came up with Lyme. He almost laughed and said but you need a red mark and have you been bitten by a tick. research also shows in America that around only 30% of people have red marks and only about half of people diagnosed remember being bitten by a tick. We have lots of ticks here and one of my dogs has at least one a week in the warm season so we aren't lacking in them. Plus the dogs used to sleep on the beds at night (stopped now) and have easily contaminated use with the little critters. So after a quick explanation to the doctor (who isn't sure whether to take me for a paranoid mother, a mad-hatter or a hypochondriac), he admitted that they know little about these diseases and agreed to test us. The problem is that there is a high result of false negatives so a negative wouldn't mean we don't have Lyme so I'm trying to find a specialist for that in the region. It's getting tiring trapsing round everywhere.If only I could find a real life Dr House...!!!! The doctor exmained us both and still manages to find an explanation for each different symptom and I agree that I could do the same, but at some point, how do you have soooo many symptoms. If I took medication for each different symptom, I'd spend an hour a day taking medication!

My daughter has had her blood tests done (I ate this morning so couldn't have mine done) and we get the results before the end of the week. Yet more waiting, but at least not too much this time.

This is the information that I found concerning Lyme disease:
The hallmark of Lyme Disease is for symptoms to mysteriously appear and then disappear weeks later, or for pain to move around the body.It is important to note that you can be infected for years without becoming disabled due to the morphologic nature of the bacteria. In other words, the disease can lie dormant in your body for months or years, taking over when you are worn down physically or if your immune system is suddenly (or gradually) compromised. If you have symptoms in two or more bodily systems, you should consult a Lyme Literate Doctor.

Below you will find a chart of the symptoms for Lyme disease, just in case you were wondering.

		Yes	No
1.	Tick bite
2.	Rash at site of tick bite ‘bull’s eye’
3.	Rash or raised rash on other parts of body, disappearing and returing
4.	Joint pains and swelling (knee, wrist, fingers, hip...), arthritus
5.	Swollen toes or feet
6.	Pain in ankles
7.	Sore soles of feet or palms, especially in the morning
8.	Cramps in feet
9.	Fevers, excessive sweating, shaking
10.	Muscle pain or cramps, difficulty walking
11.	Fatigue, tired, poor stamina
12.	Abnormal hair loss
13.	Persistant swollen glands
14.	Sore throat
15.	Pain in pelvis or testicles or genital area
16.	Unexplained irregular menstrual cycle
17.	Sore breasts, unexplained milk production
18.	Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
19.	Loss of libido, erectile dysfunction
20.	Heartburn, stomach pain, queasy stomach or nausea
21.	Intestinal problems (constipation, diarrhea, low abdominal pain, cramps)
22.	Chest wall pain or ribs sore
23.	Breathlessness, “air hunger”, unexplained chronic cough
24.	Palpitations, skips, heart murmur or valve prolapse heart block on ECG…
25.	Neck/back: creaks and cracks, stiffness, pain
26.	Sharp stabbing pains in muscles
27.	Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin -hypersensitivity
28.	Tremors in one or several members
29.	Pain in jaw, teeth and/or chewing
30.	Twitching of the face, eyelids or other muscles
31.	Facial paralysis
32.	Eyes/sight: double, blurry, floaters, pain
33.	Ears/hearing: buzzing, decreased, ringing, pain, sound sensitive
34.	Off balance tippy feeling, lightheadedness, vertigo, spinning, increased motion sickness, need to sit or lie down
35.	Brain fog
36.	Headaches
37.	Confusion
38.	Difficulty thinking, concentrating, poor attention
39.	Forgetfulness, poor short term memory
40.	Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
41.	Difficulties with speaking/writing : errors, wrong word, misspeaking
42.	Mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, panic attacks
43.	Insomnia, fractionated sleep, early awakening, excessive sleeping, napping during the day
44.	Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
45.	Unexplained change in weight (loss or gain)
46.	Symtoms flare up every 4 weeks
	TOTAL