posted
I apologize in advance - this will be long as I am going to try and be thorough. However, I would appreciate any thoughts, advice, etc. from anyone who reads.
I've lived in the Columbus Ohio area all my life. Around age 10, I had a tick burrowing into my scalp. I remember mom trying to get it to "back-out" using rubbing alcohol. She eventually got it detached (I think after a few days). Not sure if it was fully intact. Not sure what type of tick it was. Also around age 10, I started having digestive troubles and anxiety (don't recall if that we before or after tick incident).
At age 19, I was a very health aerobics instructor. One day, I went to teach a class, I was totally fine. After class I went home and napped. I woke very ill with a fever of 103.9 and terrible body pains.
I was sent to the ER with suspected spinal meningitis. It was determined that I just had a severe kidney infection (nowever, looking back, I have had several kidney infections / UTI's and I always felt them coming on. I did not feel anything coming on when I went to the hospital at age 19).
Not long after, at age 19 or 20, I was having more digestive troubles and was diagnosed with pancreatitis. After tons of testing, it was determined to be ideopathic. I was treated with strict diet, but would have occasional bouts of pancreatitis over the years. Through my 20's, I kept a pretty strict diet and exercised.
I was the picture of health to everyone who knew me. I had one period where I lived in an old house broken into rental units and I developed the worst headaches. I believe that house to have had black mold. Once I moved, the headaches went away.
At 32, I became very ill with gall bladder problems. In the process of trying to get that diagnosed, I developed what I thought was the flu, but 4 days later I was hospitalized with another kidney infection.
While in the hospital, I developed pneumonia. The good news was that my ailing gall bladder was diagnosed and later removed, the surgeon saying it was atrophied and full of sludge.
Within the years after the hospitalization and surgery, I got married and quit my stressful professional job to become a personal trainer. I was in the best shape of my life at 14% bodyfat (I know, WAY too low for a healthy lady), competing in triathlons and Crossfit competitions.
A few days after a particularly long and brutal Crossfit workout (with 3 minutes left, I felt like my arms had nothing left, but I pushed through), I woke with very swollen and painful triceps. I literally couldn't bend my arms.
I went to the sports med doc and he gave me a short course of prednisone to eliminate the swelling telling me that it's not rhabdo (I believe he may have been wrong, but I didn't suffer severe kidney damage due to always over-hydrating).
I went through months of physical therapy with no improvements when the PT suggested that maybe I had a neck injury. I had once been in a car accident and thought maybe it's now presenting itself from the trauma of a hard workout. The prednisone and injury sent me into adrenal fatigue.
That was 3 years ago. Ever since, my health has been going downhill. I have very little tolerance for exercise, particularly weight training. It leaves me in severe pain, esp. my neck. I had to quit working because I couldn't handle teaching people how to exercise. I couldn't sleep on top of numerous other problems. I went through numerous doctors until some people convinced me that I needed to ask to be tested for Lyme. The doc I saw at the time refused to let me take the Igenex test, so I tested using Labcorp's Western Blot.
Band 23 came back positive. My doc felt that was enough to treat men for Lyme since 23 is a Lyme-specific band. We treated with 5 months of antibiotics and I started improving. I was able to start working a fairly active job at a DIY store.
I started swimming and using the rowing machine, even did a little light weight training. I stupidly wanted to see how I would feel off the antibiotics, so when they ran out in November of last year, I went without. I started regressing and with it being cold-season, I caught illness after illness until the flu took me out and seriously crushed my adrenals.
I'm now back on antibiotics - Minocycline 100mg 2x's daily and Zithromax 250 mg 1x weekly. I am REALLY struggling to dig out of the deep adrenal fatigue hole. I struggle to sleep through the night, my blood pressure is always low, if I walk or stand too long, I pay with lots of low back and leg pain and cramps in my feet and calves.
It doesn't seem to matter how much salt I take in. My Sed Rate was very low - I assume that means hypercoagulated blood.
Several vitamin and mineral imbalances. Tested for Pyroluria, which came back negative despite an inverse relationship with zinc/copper via serum test. I am diligent with my vitamins and supplements. Am not taking any adrenal supplements for fear I will make myself worse, not better.
Also taking Samento and Banderol as I was taking those last year concurrently with the antibiotics (when I saw improvement). I have experimented with elimination diets to find no benefits, although I remain gluten, soy, some dairy and legume free (I'm basically on a Paleo diet).
I was also recently diagnosed with nasal polyps, but am hoping the antibiotic might clear those up. I really want to avoid nasal surgery! I keep Dr H's book as my Bible.
As you all know, it is extremely depressing to go from being the picture of health to being this ill. I feel fortunate that I am not bedridden, but I suffer depression from time to time that I am only 38 and it seems that life is passing me by. I'd like to be able to mountain bike again, before I become too old and feeble to do it!
Thank you all to those who have read this. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing ideas and knowledge with you.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
Topic Closed
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic