I am a 28 year old female who had a severe tick bite at 13 years of age. I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder at the age of 15 and have had a myriad of health problems since that time. I have basically been constantly sick since that age. Right now I am suffering from severe flu-like symptoms, fever, extreme dizziness, nausea, swollen feet and ankles, sharp pain and stiffness in all joints of my body, night sweats, severe nightmares, constant diarrhea, eye and ear pain, vibrations and a sizzling noise in the back of my head, jaw and tooth pain, slow emptying of the stomach due to swelling of the duodenum, heartburn and insane headaches. I was doing research on all these symptoms when I came across an article on Lyme disease. I immediately began crying because it literally described my entire life. Today I was able to see my regular doctor. I told him what I had found and he immediately sent me to get the blood work done for an ELISA IgG and IgM, with a contingent Western Blot depending on results. I have read a lot of articles now about people with severe long term symptoms that had negative test results. I am so exhausted and frustrated and I am desperately looking for answers. If anyone could please send me any info or help me contact a LLMD in WA state, I would be forever grateful. Thanks
Posted by hopeful4 (Member # 8486) on :
Hi flare,
Sorry you've been so ill, but glad you found lymenet. The ELISA test is very unreliable. It often gives a false negative (shows negative even when infected with lyme disease). The IGENEX Lab Western Blot, although not perfect, is significantly better. However, a non-LLMD may not know how to interpret the results adequately.
Looking for an LLMD is your best bet. I am going to send you a PM. There may be other LLMDs, but I'll send the ones I know of.
Unfortunately, the Support Groups link, does not have a listing for Washington State.
Best wishes.
Posted by Siciliano (Member # 15920) on :
Hi, Flare21amg and WELCOME to our lyme site. We're glad you came to us for help.
I have sent you a private message (pm) also.
Also, check out our great "Medical Questions" forum where you can ask all the questions you might have and our wonderful, knowledgeable members will answer them. Just read some of the threads and you'll see just how informative they are! Posted by Nutmeg (Member # 7250) on :
Flare, I sent you a PM earlier as well.
Where were you (geographically) when you were bitten?
![[hi]](graemlins/hi.gif)
Flare21amg and WELCOME to our lyme site. We're glad you came to us for help.![[Smile]](smile.gif)