posted
Hi all, I am 29 years old now. About two years back, I suffered from what seemed to be like a bad flu then went to the stomach. I wasn�t able to eat any real solid food for two weeks, and the doctor at that time put me on antibiotics (forgot which kind) and then prevacid for a month. My stool was at first like diarrhea, but then it started to become like cat stools. It wasn�t until after about two months that my stool returned to normal, and I was eating like a normal person again without any stomach issues.
Then about a year ago, I started experiencing similar symptoms, but not as bad as the first time. I went to a GI, who ordered an endoscopy. Upon inspection, I had an inflammation of the stomach lining (but not ulcers), and the doctor put me on Protonix for two months. They also tried to find some bacteria that might be causing it, but the result was inconclusive. While on Protonix, I felt the burning sensation often in my stomach, but not as bad as when I got off it. The doctor decided to try to get me off it and try Zantac 150 instead. This seemed to not work so well. I am now on a proton pump inhibitor again, which seems to somewhat contain the issue. There�s no stool problem at this time.
While dealing with the stomach issues, I was also experiencing a weird episode with my urine patterns. I seem to have lost that feeling of the extreme urge to go, like when you hold to go for so long and then you feel you really need to go badly. At that time, that feeling was nonexistent. Instead, I felt slight pressure to go, and that�s when I would go. It almost seemed like my urinary system was numb. I also experienced burning sensations around the two kidneys. However, after the stomach issue subsided, the urine pattern came back to normal also�nothing was done to correct it.
On top of that, about a year ago also, I started experiencing vision issues. At one time, I was very motion sensitive�anything on TV that had fast movement would make me nauseous and I could not watch it. In addition, I started seeing a lot of eye floaters. I also had trouble focusing, and everything just seems to be in a �background�. Whenever I focused on looking at something, it would cause me to be nauseous. I also started seeing white flashes when I close my eyes to go to sleep, and have the feeling of my eyes pulsating. I went to see an opthamologist, and she said my eye looks perfect and nothing was wrong. So, I moved on to suspect maybe it was a sinus infection issue and went to see an allergist.
The reason why I was suspecting some kind of sinus infection was that I was also experiencing headaches around the temple and usual sinus areas on my face. Also, I was suffering from a low-grade fever in the afternoons. Constantly I was feeling like my head was in a fog. It got really bad during one meeting at work where I almost couldn�t understand anyone talking in the meeting�I just felt like I was sitting there in a daze. I was also having a lot of postnasal drip and sometimes when I blow my nose, there was a light green mucus, but not a lot. Upon seeing the allergist, he noted some kind of infection and put me on zipro for a week. This seems to have cleared up the sinus issue and the �head in the fog� symptom. Now, I am on two nose sprays (astepro and nasonex) to help me with ongoing allergy/sinus issues.
In addition to this, I have been noticing that I�m shedding a lot of hair, also around at the time all this happened last year. I was not going bald, but it was alarming how much hair I found on the pillowcase (it�s white and my hair�s black so I can clearly see it). I would say there�s still some hair shedding today, but not as bad as before.
Another symptom that I�ve been experiencing is whenever I feel like my immune system is weak, I would get these flu-like aches. It would seem to be widespread to all limbs of my body. Sometimes the tendons on my arms would hurt really bad, too. The pain seems to be like a bone ache than just muscular. Joints would also hurt. However, I would recover from these episodes pretty quickly within a day, but it just seems odd to me that I would be getting these flu-like aches, yet not get the flu.
Daily, I also experience TMJD symptoms. When I open my mouth wide, the jaw would click. No jaw locking, however. My dentist thinks this could be due to nighttime teeth grinding, so she�s making a mouth guard for me to use at night.
I also experience, though not often, twitching of muscles. The twitching would occur at random muscles like the thigh tendon or arm, and sometimes I get eyelid twitches. There�s also stiffness of the neck and I feel like I have to crack my knuckles, arms, legs, and foot a lot. I am a computer professional, so I thought maybe it�s just due to me sitting in front of the computer for a long time.
I also get these weird chest pains sometimes which are pretty sharp and only occur on the left side of the chest. It would only last for a few moments, and I�m pretty sure it�s not the sensation of heartburn. The pain seems to radiate from the sternum and upper ribs.
And ever since I got sick two years ago, I feel like my energy level has gone down a lot. I was attributing this to maybe getting older and losing energy, but perhaps there is more to it than that.
Now, the issue that bothers me on a daily basis is the stomach. I also see a lot of eye floaters but have learned to ignore it. Other than that, just the occasional flu-like body ache that shuts me down for about half a day.
So to summarize my symptoms in the past: - GERD/stomach issues - Vision problems (blur, floaters) - Sinusitis-like symptoms (head in fog, sinus pain, postnasal drip) - Hair loss - Bladder/urine issues - Feeling of stiffness of neck, shoulders. Need to crack knuckles and limbs. - TMJD symptoms - Chest pains, waking up with heart palpitations. - Muscle twitches - When immune system weak, flu-like joint and muscle ache. Goes away within a day.
A lot of these symptoms don�t seem to really be connected, but upon reading the lyme disease checklist, I found that I had a lot of it. Right now, it�s bearable for me because as I said, it�s only the stomach issue that bothers me on a daily basis, and that is somewhat manageable (I�m going through new medications right now so we�ll see). Is it worth it to go check out for lyme disease or some other disease like Bartonellosis?
I am thinking of going to see an LLMD first. My PCP is not very helpful. He thinks I am just being a hypochondriac. He said I�m young and I should just go out and enjoy life. However, it�s kind of hard to fully enjoy when I was experiencing all these symptoms. I had to take matters into my own hands and go see these specialists by myself (I have PPO so I can do that easier than if I had HMO).
Thanks for reading this long post and please forgive me if any of the paragraphs are too long and hard to read. Please comment if you�ve experienced something similar to this or if you have any additional insights to my condition.
-- kj
Posts: 4 | From Millbrae, CA | Registered: Mar 2011
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If you want help finding one go to the Seeking a Doctor forum on this site, and put your state in the title, ie, LLMD in MO, KA,or AR.
Posts: 81 | From Rhode Island | Registered: Nov 2010
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posted
my daughter, age 23, diagnosed with lyme six years ago and bartonella has had hair loss too and she also has white hairs on dark hair, which is strange, because you mentioned the same thing. Find a doctor and make sure they do blood testing through igenex lab in california.
Posts: 256 | From Boston, mass | Registered: Jan 2008
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steve1906
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16206
posted
Hi krispyjala, it certainly sounds like you have Lyme, and maybe co-infections.
I think you need to seek a LLMD, as you said, your doctor is no help. As you�ll find out, no PCP will help you. The only reseaon I�m showing these side affects is because you mention some problems you�re having and may be relate to Astepro & Nasonex.
If you have Lyme Disease one of the first things they will tell you is � do not take steroids � Please do some research on this. I believe Nasonex is a �steroid�. I have to go for now but, I'm sure someone will address the steroids to you.
Common Side Effects of Astepro Astepro has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials in which the side effects of a group of people taking the drug are documented and compared to another group taking a placebo (a nasal spray with no As a active ingredients).
result, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, the most common side effects of Astepro included: � Bitter taste -- in up to 7 percent of people � Nasal discomfort -- up to 4 percent � Headaches -- up to 3 percent � Nosebleeds -- up to 3 percent � Fatigue -- up to 2 percent � Drowsiness -- up to 2 percent.
Serious Side Effects Some side effects with Astepro, while occurring infrequently, are potentially serious and should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider. These include, but are not limited to: � Excessive drowsiness � An irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) � Feelings of a rapidly or forcefully beating heart (known as heart palpitations) � Confusion � Signs of an allergic reaction to the medication, including an unexplained rash, hives, itching, and unexplained swelling.
Other Possible Side Effects After medications are approved and are in use by the general public, healthcare providers may voluntarily report side effects. This information may point to possible side effects that were not seen in clinical trials.
However, it is very difficult (or impossible) to tell how frequently such side effects occur or even if they are actual side effects, since they are reported voluntarily (and since the "side effects" could be coincidental). These reported side effects are known as "postmarketing experience."
Possible side effects of Astelin (an earlier version of the same medication) reported in postmarketing experience include (but are not limited to): � Blurred vision � Chest pain � Dizziness � Shortness of breath � Facial swelling � High blood pressure � Nervousness � Sneezing � Loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell � A rapid heart rate � Difficulty passing urine.
Common Side Effects of Nasonex Nasonex has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials in which the side effects of a group of people taking the drug are documented and compared to another group not taking the medicine. As a result, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, the most common Nasonex side effects included:
� Headaches -- in up to 26 percent of people � Viral infections (such as the common cold) -- up to 14 percent � Coughing -- up to 13 percent � Nosebleeds -- up to 13 percent � A sore throat -- up to 12 percent � Painful menstrual cramps -- up to 5 percent � Muscle or bone pain -- up to 5 percent � Sinus infections -- up to 5 percent � Vomiting -- up to 5 percent. Other common side effects, occurring in 2 to 4 percent of people, included: � Joint pain � Asthma � Bronchitis � Chest pain � Conjunctivitis ("pink eye") � Diarrhea � Upset stomach or indigestion � Earaches � Muscle pain � Nausea.
Serious Side Effects of Nasonex Some side effects with Nasonex, while occurring infrequently, are potentially serious and should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider. These include, but are not limited to:
� Signs of steroid toxicity, including: o Changes in your menstrual period o Acne-like skin problems o Weight gain in the abdomen (stomach), face, neck, or upper back o Unexplained stretch marks on the skin � Frequent infections or infections that do not go away � Frequent, severe nosebleeds � Signs of an allergic reaction, including an unexplained rash, hives, itching, and unexplained swelling. � What is Nasonex?
Nasonex is used to treat and prevent nasal symptoms such as congestion, sneezing, and runny nose caused by seasonal or year-round allergies. Nasonex is also used to treat growths in the nose (nasal polyps) in adults.
Mometasone is a steroid. It prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. Nasonex may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Important information about Nasonex Before using Nasonex, tell your doctor if you have been sick or had an infection of any kind. Also tell your doctor if you have glaucoma or cataracts, herpes simplex infection of your eyes, tuberculosis, sores or ulcers in your nose, or if you have recently had injury of or surgery on your nose.
It may take up to 2 weeks of using this medicine before your symptoms improve. For best results, keep using the medication as directed. Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after a week of treatment.
To be sure Nasonex is not causing harmful effects on your nose or sinuses, your doctor may want to check your progress on a regular basis. Do not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor. Nasonex can lower the blood cells that help your body fight infections. Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Call your doctor for preventive treatment if you are exposed to chicken pox or measles. These conditions can be serious or even fatal in people who are using Nasonex.
Avoid getting Nasonex in your eyes. If this does happen, rinse with water and call your doctor. Steroid medicines can affect growth in children. Talk with your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using Nasonex. What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before using Nasonex? You should not use Nasonex if you are allergic to mometasone.
Before using Nasonex, tell your doctor if you have been sick or had an infection of any kind. You may not be able to use Nasonex until you are well. Also tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have: � glaucoma or cataracts; � herpes simplex virus of your eyes; � tuberculosis or any other infection or illness; � sores or ulcers inside your nose; or � if you have recently had injury of or surgery on your nose. Good luck and keep us updated.
-------------------- Everything I say is just my opinion! Posts: 3529 | From Massachusetts Boston Area | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Thank you so much all. Some have already PM'ed me for LLMD/ND references, so I will definitely check them out!
Posts: 4 | From Millbrae, CA | Registered: Mar 2011
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posted
@Lymetoo I don't have a cat, but I've been to houses with cats, so I am not sure. As for ticks, I don't remember ever having a tick bite me.
@steve1906 Thanks for the info. Though the stomach and eye issues preceded the astepro/nasonex prescription. But still, definitely something to look into NOT using if I do have lyme.
Posts: 4 | From Millbrae, CA | Registered: Mar 2011
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