posted
My friend that I have works in an office where a new girl started. He knows my health problems and mentioned that a new girl at work has health problems also. I asked what was wrong with her and he said, "She has MS".
I had never known anyone with MS and I just asked him if he could "tell" if she had it. She is very young, 21. He said "No, not really. The only thing is that one eyelid is a little bit different than the other and she said she had Bell's Palsy but it's gone now"
I am the LAST person that thinks everything is Lyme. I could rant forever about how irritating it is when people that have Lyme find Lyme in everyone else. Buuuuut, I just thought that compared to MS, that Bell's would be more associated with Lyme than MS, and that it seemed to be more than a coincidence that she had Bell's Palsy and also an MS diagnosis.
I might not be very informed, so pardon me. This friend of mine is actually (and also) my mom's friend. My mom believes in my Lyme but can be really critical of me saying ANYTHING could be Lyme. And trust me, like I said, I'm the last person to suggest anything and everything is Lyme.
I don't know why, but she wants to downplay scary symptoms or make up silly, non threatening reasons for things when they are Lyme symptoms, or tell me in a condescending way that "not everything is Lyme". I think she might be trying to make me not worry about things but on the other hand, it makes me feel dumb and it irritates me.
Anyway, I told her that I thought it might be Lyme and what if she was doing MS treatments for nothing (she takes shots a few times a week and it makes her very ill, she can't come to work a few days after her last shot). My mom took the same treatments, ironically.
My mom has (or had) Hepatitis C (no, she wasn't a drug user or anything, like ppl think - it was a blood transfusion) and she did Interferon treatments like this girl does for MS. My mom did Interferon with something else as a treatment for Hepatitis C. It worked, by the way. My mom was SO ill from those shots for a year.
If that girl really did have Lyme, she would be putting herself though so much, when she could be going through another type of hell (Lyme treatment) but it might be worth it.
Would you try to get your friend to talk to his friend, even when YOU personally didn't know her? Am I being a Lyme freak? lol
I don't want to make my mom angry by bringing this up, is the point. I wanted to get your advice to see if it's worth it.
-------------------- ---Beautiful Disaster--- IgeneX WB: IgM: 18+, 31+, 41+, 58+, IgG: 31++, 39 IND, 41++, 31kda Epitope Test: Positive Labcorp: IgM: 23+, 41+ No LLMD due to money since Sept 2008. Was on Doxy, I.V. Rocephin (30 days), Flagyl. Also dx with Bartonella. Posts: 139 | From United States, East Coast-ish | Registered: Aug 2009
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
I would suspect lyme too if I knew a young woman on the east coast who has Bell's Palsy that went away, and now has MS.
What would be the harm in her checking with an llmd? A diagnosis of lyme could be more treatable than a diagnosis of "MS".
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
Yeah, I would bet my money on it being lyme/co-infections.
It drives me crazy when I hear of people diagnosed with MS at such a young age (20's, 30's, even 40's!!!!).
I know someone -- well, not really know them, but more of an acquaintence, who has a mother that was diagnosed at 25 years of age with MS and had to live that hell for over 30 or more years, and now her mother is at the point of not being able to talk, feed herself, dress herself, and is completely bedbound... and her family has to take care of her. It makes me really angry that this woman pretty obviously has lyme and was diagnosed with MS at the age of 25. She could have taken care of it before it got to this point, but she chose to believe it was MS and/or no one told her it was probably lyme. I have told the daughter that her mother probably has lyme. I've also told her that she most likely has lyme too because she has most of the symptoms as well (and is probably congenital), but she chooses not to believe it. She says she believes the doctors who have told her that it is not lyme disease for her mother and for herself.
So even if you do tell this girl, remember that it's her decision to believe it or not. You can try to be as helpful as possible and give her lots of information, but sometimes that's not enough. They will believe what they want. It's always hard to tell someone you think they have a different diagnosis than they were given, etc. Most people take offense to it. Most people would rather believe their doctor over just 'some' person or even a friend... which, in this case, is unfortunate, because most doctors and lyme do not mix...
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
Because of the Bells Palsy, I think Lyme also. My Aunt was diagnosed with MS when she was 22, but guess what? I believe she truly has MS. I've never thought she had Lyme. The reason being because she has done so well with MS treatment and she's not "sick". She has far more energy than I could ever dream of having.
As long as she gets her treatments she's fine and they've kept her active and healthy for almost 15 years. She's had 3 beautiful children and they're all as healthy as they can be.
BUT if she started having more typical Lyme symptoms...aches, fatigue, etc. then I would feel obligated to talk to her about Lyme disease. Bell's Palsy has always seemed to scream Lyme to me. If I were you I would mention it - what she does with the info is entirely up to her, but at least you know you tried.
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
I agree with mentioning lyme to her too. You could be saving her a lot of pain now and definitely in the future.
I was diagnosed with MS too and avonex shots( for 2 years) made me extremely ill. I could barely move. It was my daughters lyme diagnosis and treatment that drove me to get tested for lyme.
I will always be indebted to her.
Posts: 677 | From Virginia | Registered: Sep 2002
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sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
It is very common to be diagnosed with MS in your early 20's. My nephew was diagnosed at 20 and I believe he truly has MS because he does well with his treatments. Numbness in his legs was his first symptom.
I have mentioned to him and his wife that some people who have MS actually have LD. They did actually know people that were misdiagnosed with MS and found out it was LD, so they were at least somewhat educated on the possibility. But don't seem to believe that is their case.
No matter the symptoms, I can't help but wonder if possibly LD or some other bacteria or virus is the cause of MS; but I also believe it is possible that the pathogen resolves and then a person is left with true MS.
It can't hurt to mention the possibility of LD to a person who has a MS diagnosis, since they probably don't know about LD. Then it is up to them to do what they want to do and up to you to back off at that point.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
When in doubt...
Leave a "Basics" book on her desk or in an area where she may see it.
That way she can read it and maybe something will "click" and she will ask questions.
Like Grandma said...
Not many folks are willing to give up their MS diagnosis. They are the hardest of all to try to suggest it might be Lyme to.
To get copies of the absolutely wonderful "Basics" book by Doug Fearn .... very cheap (the book, not Doug- HA!), and packed full of great info...
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