sheesh! why does everything seem the same?! cfs fibro candida lyme and now ...guillain-barre syndrome they all have similar symptoms, the all have little credibility in the medical world... no treatment 100% sure accept maybe GBS....etc etc. so frustrating. and im startin 2 pay attention 2 a slight effort needed 4 me to swallow on occassion... i hate this. even lou geregs(sorry spelling) disease sounds similar!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
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[ 21. October 2006, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Lymetoo ]
Posted by klutzo (Member # 5701) on :
Moni, GB syndrome is very serious, so if you have been dx'd with it, I hope you are getting tx right now!
Yes, some of the sx are so much the same, that mis-dx often occurs. I was dx'd with MS for 4 yrs.,then with FMS for 17 yrs. before finally getting a Lyme dx.
Due to mis-dx, some people are getting tx, like cortisone for MS, that will make them much worse, since they really have Lyme.
The people I feel most sorry for are ALS (Lou Gehrig) patients who really have Lyme. There is no reason for them to have to die so horribly,when ABX might save them.
I have known several Lyme patients with swallowing trouble, but, IMO, you must rule out two more diseases, (MG) Myasthenia Gravis, and (MSA)Multiple System Atrophy, before just assuming it is caused by Lyme. It could also be someting as simple as GERD (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease), which is common in Lymies.
This confusion is frustrating and expensive and mostly time-wasting, but I don't know of a solution, since our medical system seems hell-bent on ignoring intracellular infection as a cause of significant disease.
With empathy,
Klutzo
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
I feel your frustration. I've been diagosed with cfs, fibro, candida, lyme, dysautonomia and more over the years. I think the reason so many of these illnesses look similar is because they are probably all caused by an infection or combinations of infections and symptoms/damage from infections are often similar.
I've heard that lyme often causes throat and swallowing difficulty so you aren't alone. I have a swallowing problem which has been severe over the past few years. I beleive the throat swelling is why I have sleep apnea. My throat is often inflamed and swollen and I can feel it become more swollen when exposed to certain allergens. My throat swelling is so bad sometimes that I feel like I have a large lump in it.
I've had all the tests and the doctor said I have swelling in my lingual tonsils and my throat looks inflamed but that the culture didn't show any infection. I think it's likely caused by lyme but of course they don't test for Bb and even if they did, they would probably not find it even though it is likely the culprit.
You might consider that you could have an allergy that is causing or exacerbating the swallowing difficulty. Could be food or something airborne. Or, like someone else suggested, it could be GERD. If it's GERD, you should do something about that because you can get severe damage from the acid in your esophogus.
Try not to be discouraged. Just keep working on your infections, detoxing your body and building your immune system. I think that's all any of us can do. Many have success and we will too as long as we keep at it. Terry