My 25 yr. old son just called me from work. He passed out. He's numb and shaking and dizzy. He's been on doxy for bartonella/borrelia for several weeks. He passed out before his diagnosis once also. Is this normal for lyme or is it something more?
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Hi there. I pass out sometimes and I have Lyme and about 11 other coinfections. I also go numb and have dizziness. In my case, it is from something called dysautonomia, or malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system. Your son would need some neurological testing to confirm if he suffers from this but yes, dysautonomia and its associated symptoms are very common w tick borne illnesses.
I hope yr son feels better soon. Jess
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Some other possibilities that need to be considered--
hypoglycemia -- tickborne infections can contribute to low blood sugar
seizures -- may cause loss of consciousness
Bea Seibert
Posted by jlf2012 (Member # 36002) on :
Thanks to both of you. Are these things that should improve with treatment or do they need to be addressed separately? He had several full blood screens done before lyme dx so I'd think they would have found hypoglycemia (maybe not) and he saw a neurologist before lyme dx and dysautonomia wasn't brought up. He had several MRI's and a spinal tap. I wondered about seizures...do they also cause the numbness and shaking? My hubby just went to pick him up and bring him here. Gosh, what to do?? We will contact his doc tomorrow and take it from there...
Posted by jlf2012 (Member # 36002) on :
He's also very weak and feels like throwing up.
Posted by lymegal23 (Member # 28573) on :
Several weeks into treatment is a very early stage in treatment. Alot of heavy herxing happens during the first few weeks or treatment
I know for me it did. after my first few doses of meds i was passing out exactly two hours after each dose. I was herxing HARD. I couldnt even stay awake
Honestly I wouldnt worry TOO MUCH. considering that he just started treatment and the beginning is ROUGH for treatment. Have him come home and try to get plenty of sleep. Perhaps hes overloading his body? does he do physical labor for a job? is he working alot? is he getting enough sleep? when youre herxing too much exertion can make you very very weak.
but obviously talk to his doctor about it.
Hope he starts to feel better soon!
Posted by jlf2012 (Member # 36002) on :
He does physical labor and lives on his own, so at age 25 I doubt he's taking very good care of himself. Thanks for calming my worries and sharing your experience lymegal. This is scary stuff! At least we know the doxy must be working, right?
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote:Originally posted by jlf2012: He passed out. He's numb and shaking and dizzy.
He had several full blood screens done before lyme dx so I'd think they would have found hypoglycemia (maybe not)
. Hypoglycemia can be diagnosed using a Five Hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I had the test done in my early 20's, and it was brutal. My blood sugar went down to 43...felt like I was dying.
Previous blood tests had not shown anything, but I had symptoms since I was a child.
If it turns out that low blood sugar was the cause of his problems tonight, he needs to be careful to eat on a regular schedule. Never eat just carbohydrates, as the pancreas releases insulin and the blood sugar goes waaay down.
I used to take food along when I was going out somewhere...cheese, hard cooked eggs, or a protein bar. Bean burritoes are a good snack in a hurry...protein, fats, not too many carbs. And the beans have magnesium!
Do you know if he's taking magnesium? This can help alleviate so many symptoms.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- In addition to other good suggestions such as hypoglycemia, seizures, low magnesium, dysautonomia . . .
dysautonomia (POTS, NMH) and the like is in some of the replies to your similar thread 2 weeks ago.
QT rhythm,
and certain tests such as SPECT to check for hypoperfusion.
All this just goes with lyme - and other tick-borne infections.
I passed out hundreds of times. But I never had a LLMD. I never had even one doctor who took it seriously.
Good thing he does. His LLMD should be called Monday morning.
Still, even when on treatment, this is not uncommon at all for tick-borne infections. Yet it can get better. He'll have to really pay attention to warning signs which he seems to have been getting for quiet some time.
He passed out before, be sure someone starts connecting the dots from diet, beverages, temperature, chemical exposures, etc.?
There can be one (or more) cause - but there may be triggers, too.
A trigger may or may not be a cause. Usually, a trigger is the last straw sort of tipping point, though still important when putting it all together.
His LLMD can help him figure out what those warning signs mean and what to do to prevent or minimize effects.
Remember - with good comprehensive treatment, this can get better.
"Does anyone pass out from them? He's been trying to work the past few days and I think he's afraid it's a sign that he's going to pass out, which he did before at work." (end quote)
-- See detail in the replies here, too. -
[ 06-18-2012, 02:51 AM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by lymenow (Member # 36175) on :
"Neurally mediated hypotension" confused with hypoglycemia a lot.
sounds exactly like it.
refer to Dr. B's guidelines page 6
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
I don't know how anyone could do physical outdoor labor in the summer, on doxy, with lyme disease. Yikes! I think most of us want to believe we are not seriously infected and a couple of months of treatment will have us back to normal, but that is rarely the case.
He needs to take it easier and brace himself for the long haul. Bart can cause seizures but babesia infects your red blood cells so you are not getting enough oxygen. I nearly passed out when I over exerted myself.
Dizziness is a classic symptom of babesia. Does he feel spacey (like walking off the mountain top into the clouds) or have trouble thinking? He needs to be careful or he could have an accident. He shouldn't be operating machinery or driving if he is at risk of passing out.
Doxy is a good starting drug because it is somewhat effective against all the infections but it can make you sun sensitive so it would be better if he could work inside.
I know you must be worried. It is so hard to have your children out of your control when they are sick - all you can do is offer them advice. It is up to them to take care of themselves.