posted
I started getting sick last week--had tachycardia, high blood pressure, and a heavy sensation in my chest and I could simply not get a good breath. I went to the ER, was admitted to telemetry, but wound up checking myself out AMA the next morning. The care was very substandard, and I am not kidding. I slept in the same clothes I was admitted in, was never offered a gown or towels and washcloth to clean up the next morning, and never really seen any medical personnel all night. Once I left, I went to my family physician and she scheduled me for an echo cardiogram and a stress test next week because of my elevated heart rate.
Three days after that, I was up all night with severe pain in my right arm pit. I wound up taking some Alleve and it stopped. The next day, I felt tired, from lack of sleep I imagine, but I wound up sleeping 14 hours the next night. I simply could not get awake. When I got up, I felt fine, but the next night it was the same thing. I have extremely sore lymph nodes in my neck, my right armpit, and down my right arm. When I cough or laugh, I have a stabbing sensation right around my right shoulder blade on my back.
I went back to the doctor and she put me on Tetracycline 500mg. I take four total per day. She didn't do any bloodwork since the hospital did plenty; I just signed a release for her to get the results although the bloodwork was taken a week ago. She didn't seem concerned about Lyme disease; she just said whether it was an infection or Lyme disease, the antibiotic would take care of it.
I clearly remember a tick bite over Labor Day weekend which my husband removed from my back. I don't know how long it had been there, I just remember it because I kept an itchy bump with a rash about the size of a quarter around it for about two weeks. I don't recall a "bullseye" rash, although I didn't look for it after the the initial reaction to the bite itself.
After researching, I am quite worried about Lyme Disease. Will this antibiotic take care of it? How long should I be on it? Is there something else I should be doing or asking my medical practitioner for? Does it sound like Lyme Disease to you?
Posts: 2 | From Whitley City, Ky | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Debbie, Get yourself to an LLMD as quickly as you can.
No one can tell you whether it is lyme disease, but since LD is the great imitator, it could be . . . it invades the central nervous system in some people.
The common treatment for early LD is doxycycline and flagyl. Read Burrascano's guidelines, posted here on Treepatroll's links.
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
How do you find an LLMD? I live in rural Kentucky and when I say rural, I mean VERY rural.
Posts: 2 | From Whitley City, Ky | Registered: Oct 2007
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Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200
posted
Post in our forum "Seeking a Doctor." Be sure and put your city and state. While the Tetra's better than nothing, you should be on a longer course of doxycycline, 400mg a day, and should be checked for coinfections. Definitely hunt up a specialist!! Good luck!
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
debbie,
i just sent you llmd info; NONE in kentucky!
sent you also a private message with my 79 pages of newbie links, advise, symptoms, tests, disability, much more including treepatrol's link archive of over 1000 good lyme links!
look for dr. burrascano's 05 lyme treatment guidelines; print it off; 33 pages.
you can be CURED geting prompt action of doxycycline, dosages shown in dr. b's guidelines!! your primary could get you started on them until you see a llmd!!! glad you found us!
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Debbie, hey there. I'm sorry about the tough time you are having nowadays. I'm in Louisville and lyme(and others) since 99. This is my advice from Ky.
You are closer to some LLMDs in Nashville/Tenn. I don't have any experience with them. Seek out people from Tenn on this site. All I know is I went west to Missouri for LLMD. Which was an 8 hr trip one way.
Another option might be east to Carolina docs? Make sure to post using KY in heading in the Seeking a Doctor" page.
Good luck, Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
If it is Lyme disease, no a short course of tetracycline, or any other antibiotic for that matter will not take care of it.
Lyme is a serious disease and you need a doctor who can treat it seriously, which would be a LLMD ( lyme literate medical doctor).
If lyme could be knocked out with a short course of antibiotics, it wouldnt be called a disease .
You do not have to have the tell tale bulls eye rash for it to be lyme. I didn't. TONS of other people did not either.
One single tick could be harboring tons of other infections as well that need different antibiotics to get rid of.
If you got bit on Labor Day weekend and are now experiencing symptoms, my best GUESS would be that yes, you contracted lyme. My KNOWLEDGE is that you can find a LLMD now, get on the proper antibiotics for the RIGHT amount of time ( ive been treating for over 4 years for LATE stage lyme), or you could end up with a wallop of a chronic lyme disease case. I do not mean that to scare you. Only to give you the facts.
Treat it now. Even if that tetra makes you feel FINE ( my antibiotics I took when I first got bit made me feel fine- for a month,then I would end up sick again, etc). I just didn't know I had lyme.
You have one up. You put two and two together. Now, find a LLMD and let them help you. I dont want to see you back here with advanced lyme.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I have to travel to my LLMD as many of us do ... I go from Ohio to NY.
It would be worth traveling because if you treat it now, there's a good chance it will be easier to get rid of now than later.
With the rash around the bite, I would highly suspect Lyme.
Don't mess around with this ... you only have one chance to get rid of it without becoming chronic like us. An LLMD will also treat for coinfections, and honestly, I would suspect Babesia with your heart involvement.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Debbie, are you still doing abx? This doc might not be worried about lyme or tick illnesses, but you are!!!!! Tell her you had an attached tick.
Keep a daily log of any and all symptoms that are unusual for you.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6478 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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