LymeNet Flash: Lyme wife in hospital

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Posted by hwilsonvt (Member # 7453) on :

My wife is being treated for Lyme on Plaquenil and Biaxin. She is 28 and used to be physical active up to March. Her heart felt like it was pounding and being squeezed and her chest felt tight. Well the emergency room attendent told me she thought it was jsut anxiety. They did two EKGs and the doctor there listened to her heart. They didnt say much and then admitted her for overnight observance. The cardioligist today said he does not believe she has Lyme Disease. He did an ELISA to prove it!!! Anyways he says she has a heart murmur and that a different part of the heart is trying to control the heartbeat and it makes it feel a little wierd but it is safe. Seems to think it is anxiety. So she has to stop anitbiotics and she had been herxin really good this week. This is going to slow recovery. I know this is a long post but are they any thoughts out there??

Posted by kgg (Member # 5867) on :

I am sorry that you and your wife are going through this. I am sure many will come along with their 'duck motel' comments.

We can have the critters in our hearts causing irritability. Take what help she can get as far as calming this heart issue down. Maybe a different antibiotic would be less irritating. Also learning to control the herx may help.

So get the help she needs there and then contact her doc to see what to do next once she is out of the hospital.

Hope she is feeling better soon.
Karen

Posted by nan (Member # 63) on :

Sorry about your wife.

Heart palpitations are common with lyme but scarey.

It is probably just as well she stopped abx temporarily is she was herxing and miserable.

Don't worry...it won't slow her recovery. A really bad herx can be just too hard on the body. Like your wife, many of us have landed in the hospital with a herx!

Might be a good idea to contact her doctor?
Hope she'll feel better soon. Lyme is nasty! I'm sure she would agree.

nan

Posted by tabbytamer (Member # 3159) on :

I agree. Get her heart issues taken care of, let her Lyme doc know, get her home, rested, and don't forget to take care of you, too.

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Tabby

Posted by HEATHERKISS (Member # 6789) on :

Hi VT,

I'm not a doctor and I don't know how serious your wifes heart is. But from what you've explained I've had the same thing except I didn't go to the hospital.

I went to my primary who happened to have an opening that day.

I would get out of there. Call you LLMD now and get his/her opinion.

Recently I had chest pains that woke me from a dead sleep. You know what my LLMD said....... It's common with lyme probably a muscle spasm.

It hurt so bad I couldn't move, or breath for half a minute. Finally I was able to sit up. What a scare.

You know what's really funny........ I would probably not know a heart attack if it hit me at this point. We'll mabybe I would.......

Get out of the duck motel fast,
Heather

Posted by janet thomas (Member # 7122) on :

I am not a doctor, this is not medical advise, just my opinion.

Herxing-my heart pounds and I have palps sometimes- I figure it's Lyme

When I herx past tolerable I back off meds for a day or two (like right now)

Hospitals-It's hard to get any rest there

ELISA-junk, junk,junk, need I go on?

I recall your wife had Lyme specific bands in her WB, didn't she?

Sorry if this is brief but I'm not doing so well right now.

janet

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

I've had the same problems. I had several heart tests run. I have MVP with regurgitation. Your wife may be having problems because of a "herx" as someone said...but just to play it safe, I'd suggest asking her LLMD about this! [as others have said]

An echocardiogram would make you both feel safer.

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Do not take anything I say as medical advice. I am not a doctor, but I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express!
oops!
Lymetutu

Posted by CLC (Member # 7112) on :

Just my two cents but....

Stop the biaxin and I bet the heart problems and anxiety will calm down. I discovered that biaxin and zithromax cause me to have palpitations - premature beats, skipped beats, etc. Also a pronounced increase in anxiety. Have wondered why I can't tolerate it. Then the other night I came across a link to a heart problems forum where I discovered prescribing information about this class of abx. They are contraindicated in people with prolonged QT intervals (and a couple of other heart problems I believe).

I wish these damned doctors would pay attention to what they're doing when they prescribe all this crap. They don't know what they're doing. They'll tell you the palpitations are probably herx symptoms. I don't think so.

Right now I'm herxing BAD on a third of a Minocin capsule and am having no palpitations at all.

My humble suggestion:
Until the biaxin can clear her system (can take a few days if I remember correctly), increase potassium and magnesium intake PLUS, klonopin can really help with the anxiety and arrhythmias.

(Sorry if the tone of this post is a little off. I'm so pissed off and disenchanted with the doctors I've been seeing over the last few months)

I swear....I've learned more from the people on this forum than from either of my doctors.

Posted by hwilsonvt (Member # 7453) on :

Well, I have called the Lyme Dr. last night and he was the one that said go to the emergency room just to be safe. They did blood tests and her potassium was really low. The cardiologist claimed that he understands Lyme and that he has treated many with Lyme heart and that he consults with and an "expert" at Dartmouth. That expert says that there is NONE in vermont. YIKES.. thank you all I do learn more from you guys than any doctor. You are great help and a special thank you to janet thomas. I hope you feel better.