Lyme Disease Video
News report about the impact of the Lyme disease epidemic on Long Island, the New York Metropolitan Area, and across the United States. But as bad as the illness has become, so has treatment for it – health insurers have discouraged long-term treatment for what is often a long-term illness. Video:
Tags: Bacteria, Health, lyme disease, Medicine, Science, Video
I have suffered the ravages of Lyme Disease from August 1989 to present. I have had a brain aneurysm rupture and when I was given IV Rocephin after the brain rupture in August of 1999 I noticed an almost complete removal of the symptoms of a disease that I had been suffering from 1989 to the day the IV was started to help prevent a brain infection after the aneurysm repair. The rupture was a horrible experience, but the 10 years leading up to it was a nightmare. Brain fog, loss of eyesight, Extreme Fatigue that took me from my job as RN, the loss of my ability to play tennis, or jog. To take care of my wonderful family had become a challenge. In August of 1989 my family had gone horseback riding in the hill country of San Antonio, Texas. Any person that had known me up to the day after that ride, would have said that Pam Mitchell was a fibrant, happy mother, wife, nurse, and a fun loving athelete. That changed in one day. The morning after the ride I woke up with a horrible headache and dizzyness that brought me to the floor upon arising. I asked my husband about a grape size lump I found on the back of my head. He looked and said it was an engorged tick. We took it to the Brooke Army Medical Lab quickly and were told not to worry. My husband and I are from Wisconsin and my fear was it might be a dear tick. The not to worry was stated because “Texas does not have Lyme Disease.” That day I left the hospital without any treatment and proceeded to go down hill so quickly that I went from doctor to doctor for many months to be told I must have chronic fatique, but why? No answers because the tests given could find nothing wrong. Must be a psychological problem. So off to the psychiatrist I went gladly. Ten minutes into my conversation with him he stated that I was a very cheery person and he felt that I probably had an undiagnosed syndrome and not to give up. I finally told myself to get moving and I dragged myself to the gym everyday and got up to 4 miles on the Nordic Track. Then I was exhausted for the rest of the day, but I had exercised. My neck, back, knees, and shoulders hurt like hell, but I continued. I finally had these areas xrayed and the doctors found a very aggresive osteoarthritic condition that seemed odd. A hemotologist noticed an abundance of blood cells that were questionable. So I had several knee aspirations. Two arthroscopic shoulder surgeries, a cystc ovary revoval. Multiple trips to the opthalmologist, who could not explain the loss of vision in my right eye. I guess the inability to remember things and extreme fatigue bothered me the most and I could not get an answer for any of these problems until I had the brain rupture in 1999. While I was in rehab to learn to talk and walk again after the artery rupture, my daughter, a second year dental student at the time, had a morning medical class that discussed a patient that had all the surgeries and symptoms I had and while he was hospitalized for his aneurysm some smart doctors ran some tests for Lyme Disease and this man was positive. My daughter called me that day and said she thought she knew what I had been fighting for the last ten years. She told me to get my blood to the IGENEX Lab. I did and 15 days later the doctor told me that I was found to have two types of Borrelia (Lyme Disease Spirochete) and Babesia WA1 and possibly Babesia Microti. The Babesia would explain my malaria symptoms. To make a long story short I finally had a chest catheter placed in May of 2005 and as long as I am on IV Zithromycin, IV Flagyl, IV Rocephin I function near normal. When the IV’s are stopped I go back to square one. I am also found to been immuned compromised with CMV, Epstein and many other Herpes viruses as well as positive for Clamydial pneumonia, which I Take INH for. In 1999 the IV Rocephin given for a two week period helped me to find my way back from the dead. Six months later we moved from Ft. Carson back to Ft. Sam Houston, Tx. and all symptoms came back. I saw an Infectious disease doctor who told me I had Post Lyme Syndrome and diet and excercise would help. I could barely walk from the bedroom to the restroom by then. I could not wait to get back to Colorado and see the doctors that had helped me in 1999. When I arrived my oxygen saturation was dropping to 60 in my sleep so sleep apnea was diagnosed and I was in a wheelchair with an ALS possibility facing me. A Lyme literate doctor opened a clinic and in 2005 I started the above meds and thank the day I met the Martz Clinic. Sad to report the clinic closed in July of 2007 and I am now going to have to find a new Lyme Literate doctor to monitor my care. I have reserved a spot with a doctor in San Francisco and after my second spinal fussion is healed I will head there. Why do we have to fight for everything that helps us and why do most infectious disease doctors tell us that 2 to 4 weeks of oral antibiotics will help. I am living proof that Chronic Lyme Disease does exist and destroys the immune system beyound belief. If anyone reading this can help in anyway please write to pam482@hotmail.com Thank you.
I need a doctor that specializes in Lymes Disease in the San antonio, tx area. I’ve been diagnosed with lupus now for the past 10 years. All of problems started after an insect bite which left me with a bulls-eye rash, since then I’ve been in and out of hospitals. I have tested negative for Lymes, but I dont agree with the test. I went from jogging 7 miles everyday, bodybuilding heavy weights, eating so perfect, to not being able to move at all in so little time. I know that this rash was the beginning of my problems. Dr’s refuse to treat me because test came out negative. Can anyone help me, i’m desperate, and I feel so sick.
Lisa
I read with great interest Pam Mitchell’s battle with Lyme disease. I am also an RN. I came back to Missouri in the fall of 1997 to care for my bother and elderly parents. By mid-summer in 1998 I knew I had some kind of tick borne illness. I read what I could on the internet and thought perhaps it was erlichosis. I mentioned that to my mother’s doctor, he did a CBC and Chem Panel, said he doubted I had erlichosis, but gave me two weeks of Doxycillin anyway. My bother and parents all died that spring and fall, and other than deep grief and depression, I felt well physically.
By spring 2002 I went to a local PMD, told him my symptoms, he suggest tickborne illness and I took doxy again. Then I got worse. Went to the university hospital ER and was given more Doxy and diagnosis with tick borne illness. A month later I fainted watering my horses, who tried to help me up off the ground using their hoof and teeth. I crawled out of the barnyard for about 40 feet and started screaming to no one “Help me, Help me.”
I lost 2 units of blood before some one heard me and called an ambulance. I look up once and see all my neighbors gathered around that had heard the call on the CB, local responders staunced the blood and I was transport for surgery.
My chin was crushed, right lower jaw–clean fracture, the weight of my horse broke the opposite clavicle from the shoulder he left the hoof print, I was semi conscious for five days, went home in seven, and was severely dizzy and mostly in bed for the next six months.
I had lots of IV antibiotics before and after surgery, oral when I came home and was so miserable the “tick borne illness” was all but forgotten in trying to recover.
I felt bad all the next year, lost interest in being out of doors and gardening which is my passion. I became so depressed I thought I was not going to make it, so I drove to our capital city to enroll in the university. It was a hot Aug, last day to register, and by the time I walked up and down the hills of the campus to get to administration, I was overheated, lay down on a sofa near registration and eventually told them to call an ambulance. After a few hours of IV fluids and some food I felt better and my daughter came to take me to my car on campus. I told her to stop at registration. She refused. I said then take me to my car and I will walk back. She let me out and I registered for six hours of art classes, ceremics and intro to art.
I did not feel well, Lyme disease was still active, but determination pervailed and I took 11 hours the next semester. Carried a 4.0 grade point, but two weeks before school finished, I again was bit by ticks, became so ill could not finish two of my finals and went home to bed.
I researched on the internet, went to the university hospital again, saw an infectious disease doctor who offered no lab work and said Missouri does not have any Lyme Disease ticks.
More research turned up Ignex Labs in California, I ordered a kit from them, took it too my local PMD who sent if off to them. It came back with 5 ++ Western Blot to Lyme, and antibodies to Babesia and Bartinella. Within a month I had located a lyme literate MD in our state and started on 18 months of treatment of antibiotics, slivers of flagyl, and treatment of the other tick borne illness. By the spring of 2007, I was off all treatment and felt great by summer.
Fortunately as a nurse who knows my body and recognized the changes in 1998 and 2002, and got some doctors to listen to me, I think the Doxy those two years saved my life. The doctor who specializes in tickborne illness in my state, cured me. I have been ill and out of work for 10 years but feel well enough to return to nursing have have an application with Indian Health Services to work in the Navajo Nation.
I recently had all the titanium taken out of my jaw and chin and hope to replace some of the teeth I lost in the accident so my self esteem is greater when I do go to work. I am a survivor.
All of you with Lyme Disease all over the USA, not just upper midwest and New England, take heart when reading my story and know with persistance, you can be diagnosed and find a doctor who specializes in Borrelia/Lyme/Master Disease and the other tick borne illness. It is a long road to health but well worth it.
Lisa write to me if you have not yet found a doctor and I can give you some names. Early Gardner RN earlyann@yahoo.com
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