posted
My son is 18yrs. I am very concerned about him. Maybe someone can help.
I had lyme when I had him w/o me knowing. He is starting to have some problems... he has lost 20 pounds in 3 months. He wasn't big to begin w/ 144lbs down to 124lbs.
No appetite change, he says he actually is eating more now, replacing what he has worked off plus extra food and calories.
(he eats well, salmon, steak, chicken, pasta, fresh fruits and vegies, lightly steamed, he has a chef and can request anything he likes.
other symptoms: nose bleeds, both sides, alot of blood coughing, non productive, no allergies fatigued insomnia night sweats muscle weakness (he actually lifts less weight now that before). sucking air while running/ competitive soccer player (he has played all over the US/premier soccer. Awarded scholarship(merit $$ also) to play soccer in college.(37,000.00 a year for a 43,000.00 a year university) loans for the other $$'s. yikes!! "stretch marks" on inside of shoulder blades, both sides, purple marks Not stressed or depressed. No swelling of lymphnodes(can't spell that) Liver feels good No nausea, vomiting, or stomach problems urine looks good...had urine done today at Dr's. No fever extremely cold hands and feet
Theses are my thoughts Hyperthyroid?...tapeworm/parasites?... Lyme disease?...
The doctor was great. He is fresh out of college(that is kinda why we chose him also son is too old for his pediatrician)
Dr. will test for Lyme using ALL tests. He wants to compare different types but agrees Western Blot will helps us more. Gave son a TB test. Took vials of blood for Thyroid panel, mono, parasites (antibodies).
Any ideas out there? Please? He is great kid, very very intellegent, great sense of humor, sky dives, soccer, great friends, great girlfriend, likes to race cars, and loves to work on physics/math. He is kinda like a cool, get into trouble geek.
It is hard seeing him so thin and w/o muscle. Any thoughts out there?
Thank you so much. Foggedup
Posts: 106 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2005
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Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
Fogged,
First, I'm really sorry to hear your son has been going through this, but I'm glad you've got a doctor who's willing to test him for Lyme.
The thing that got my attention as I read were what you described as "stretch marks." I was wondering if they could be a bartonella rash.
At any rate, I just wanted to encourage you to have your son tested not just for Lyme but for other tick-borne diseases. Please have your doctor send the results to a sensitive lab, such as Igenex.
I just you're able to find what's wrong quickly and get your son back to the place where he feels great again.
IN the meantime, take care of yourself, too!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Bart! YES my thought too. I did tell the Dr. I felt the stretch marks could be a co-infection...bart. He said he had never seen it in person, but he has in photos. (my daughter has the Christmas tree looking one up her back along both sides of the spine)
Dr did know 'some' about Lyme, but wondered how he could have got around a tick in Texas. grr (the vet had no prob testing my dog for lyme and did not wonder how she came into contact w/ a tick in TX. Yes she did have Lyme)
He told my son to stop the Minocycline(for outbreaks on face) for 2 weeks and we will test w/ Igenex. YES...he knew that on his own. I could not believe it. I gave the Dr the Igenex phone number, so he wouldn't have to look it up.
So glad he will work w/ us, but if my son does have Lyme/coinfections he will see Dr C in MO.
posted
"wondering how he got a tick bite in TEXAS"???? Is this guy delusional, or he just stays indoors all the time?
Hope you find out what's wrong very soon. I'm sure dr C can help him regain his health.
Too bad he continues to endanger himself on the soccer field....scary!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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david1097
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3662
posted
See below, These are just some quick thoughts which might be of some interest. (sort of like a flash card test..)
I had lyme....144lbs down to 124lbs.
The implication is the posibility of a silent subcliniacal infection. So, has there been any added stress in his life. I ask this for a number of reasons, one of which is that this may have triggered the latent and silent infection to come out.
No appetite change....
So what I read here is more calories but less weight.. is that correct? Have you checked urine protien and keytones? (I am thinking Type 1 diabeties here)
nose bleeds.....
Several possible causes. How often? How long before it stops? Has there been a nose trauma at any point in time?
coughing......
Have any tests been dome for mycoplasma infections?
fatigued ..... Number of possible causes. Is it worse in the morning, during the day, at a specific time, does it get worse as the day goes on. Does it occur in cycles?
insomnia..
Are there odd dreams, vivid dreams, no dreams. Does it occur all the time and/or certain times during the month?
night sweats....
If drenching night sweats maybe babesia but also could be due to any chronic condition
muscle weakness.....
Is it constant or does it come in cycles? If in cycles (ie, every month or every 2 weeks) then I would strongly suspect lyme. If no cycles I would suspect one of the other infections below
sucking air....
Babesia perhaps. Babesia will sometimes result in a feeling of inability to breath enough air. It is actually quite scary if you do not knwo what is going on.
Awarded scholarship...
Could this have triggered additional stress. A stress trigger is well known to be a precursor to the emergence of infectioen that prior to the stress were silent. Stress increases the corosol levels and if present long enough depresses the immune response allowing an infection to expand.
"stretch marks".......
If not due to trauma...Bartonella!
Not stressed or depressed..... see above
No swelling....
Are they at all painful? Did you check them all?
Liver feels good................
Babesia affects is celared in the spleen. Us the Spleen enlarged?
No nausea.......... H pylori is out then....
urine looks good...
Watch for episodes of dark urine-> this can be present with babesia.
No fever
What is the average temperture high , low or normal?
extremely cold........
Are they pale or blue? How s the feeling in the extremities?
Hyperthyroid? This would be noticable in behaviour (very hyper active/racing heart with this condition) and does not jive with the fatigue and only night sweats.
...tapeworm/parasites?... tapeworm...Maybe causes weight loss but not the other stuff
parasites - lots of posibilities
Lyme disease?...
I will get slammed on this but if no joint issues, no remit/relapse cycles, no rash, and low risk, then lyme is low on the list of direct causes. I would check it but even it is present my guess is that it would be a co-infection that is causing most of the symptoms at this time and that they should be addressesd first.
In Texas, Masters disease might be a more politically aceptable label.
Let us know on teh questions above, maybe we (the lyment members) can come up with some possible leads.
Posts: 1184 | From north america | Registered: Feb 2003
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I will go over these w/ my son. I would think going away to college is stressful and majoring in engineering, studing constantly would be a major source of stress.
He does not think he feels stressed, doesn't really look or act it either, but I never thought I was stressed, it was just my way of life!
good ideas, thank you again foggedup
Posts: 106 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2005
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this is my sons off season- he is coaching skills to some high school kids on the weekends. No contact soccer right now and he has slowed his workout down so he can find out what is going on.
Is that what you meant by scary, soccer geing a contact/vigourous sport? Sometimes you gotta draw me a picture...where has my common sense gone?? Oh yeah, a tick sucked it right out of me.
Thanks!!!!
Posts: 106 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
fogged up,
has he had any food allergy testing? last year i found out i'm alergic to these foods:
valymemom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7076
posted
david
My 18 year old had no joint issues but he dropped weight and had temperature disregulation (is that a word?)......mono-like symptoms....fatigue, insomnia, some eye twitching, cognitive problems. All this two months after a tick bite.
Babs and bart and lyme.
Posts: 1240 | From Centreville,VA | Registered: Mar 2005
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david1097
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3662
posted
valymemom
So just to clarify, I am not saying lyme is out, I am saying other things causing the immediate symptoms are more likley and should also be considered...before Lyme as the sole cause. You have to deal withe co-infections first (or at least that what I have heard) so I thibnk you need to look for the signs of the co infections to be able to do that. Unfortunately some co-infections do not reposnd to lyme drugs so you need to have some idea up front.
On a personal note,
When I was 18 I had a similar episode. No joint issues either. In all I was pretty sick for 3 years and missed 1/2 of school. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. It turned out to be babesia. Over 20 years later I got lyme. I never did get rid of the babesia. Maybe I had lymne too, but the symptoms where all babesia. When I was treated for Lyme, the babesia was long forgottnen. I later relapsed on babesia when the lyme cleared up.
Posts: 1184 | From north america | Registered: Feb 2003
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi Fogg--
I really doubt that your son got this from you-- 17 yrs OK now sick--
He got from tick bit I bet--
Stretch Mark type bruse --Bart-- Night sweats-insominia--Babs-- so look at those first--
No Lyme in Texas-- BS ---
I got bit in Austin 20 yrs ago-- I had only lived in Austin 2 yrs before I got bit so its Very common--
Tick are Everywhere--Travel easily and Fast-
Hope this helps-- Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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D Bergy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9984
posted
One of Minocycline's side effects is exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus.
If you read up on the symptoms many match your sons symptoms.
The outbreaks on the face could be the butterfly rash associated with the condition also.
Of course it could be a hundred other things also, and this is just a long shot guess, but it is something to eliminate anyway.
Patients with SLE can develop different combinations of symptoms and organ involvement. Common complaints and symptoms include fatigue, low-grade fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches, arthritis, ulcers of the mouth and nose, facial rash ("butterfly rash"), unusual sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitivity), inflammation of the lining that surrounds the lung (pleuritis) and the heart (pericarditis), and poor circulation to the fingers and toes with cold exposure (Raynaud's phenomenon).
I hope you get it figured out. Sounds like a very talented young man.
D Bergy
Posts: 2919 | From Minnesota | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Thank you for all of your ideas and thoughts. I will re-read your posts and follow thru with suggestions/thoughts.
I need to read up on SLE. I know he is being tested for lupus, but I don't know too much about it. He does have alot of the symptoms listed and sores in his mouth too.(I forgot to tell the Dr about that!!)
I am to read his TB test tomorrow, then call it in to the Dr monday. I would think all of us-family/girlfriend/friends would be really sick if he had TB.
Today, he had just a pair of shorts on and I wanted to cry when I saw how thin he was and w/o his muscles so well defined from soccer.
Dang, he is just too active and enjoying life so much. I hate to see him like this. sniff-sniff
I will post if we find out anything, and if we don't, off to Dr C and let him run some tests.
Foggedup
Posts: 106 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
fogged up,
3 times i was diagnosed with lupus! NEVER treated for it. 1 doc told me i had lupus and walked out of office without any info given to me!
so i feel western blot igm and igg blood tests done by IGENEX, CALIF. is best way to go with outcome and CLINICAL diagnosis.
btw, i had nose bleedds galore! ending up having 2 separate septoplasty surgeries to correct a "deviated"/crooked septum. to date i still have nose bleeds! didn't do any good for all pain i went thru.
after nose bleeds, blood goes to back of throat and shows up when coughing it up or onto kleenex.
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I am amazed at what we are put thru and all of the pain. I guess that is why I am trying so hard for my son, I do not ever want him to go thru the crap I have. (that is why my name is fogged up, kind of a nice take on f'd up.)
We will do the western blots in 2 weeks after he stops the antibiotic for his face. Do you think that would be enough time?
yes, one dr. gave us a sack full of allergy medication, pills, nose sprays, handfull of scripts. After 2 months taking all of that, and if no change w/ nosebleeds they would cauterize his nose....hmmm, don't think so.
Anyway, I am reading and taking notes and am hopeful this new Dr will help w/ tests and do his own research.
Thank you for responding always, I don't know how you do it!!! fogged up
Posts: 106 | From Texas | Registered: Jun 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
fogged up, i am committed to helping others with my personal experiences, suggestions, and SUPPORT as needed.
also, my nose was cauterized many times; wasted time, and that AWFUL smelly stuff they spray up there to deaden it ... putrid!
also, nose bleeds ... not enough humidity in your home; i'd wake up with nose bleeds ... just a thought there.
as you can see, i am on here at god awful early am hours! i can't sleep so i use that time to read and help others.
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