My name is Shauna and I was bitten in Africa by a tick. I got the EM rash and was 'treated'. This was when I was 11 years old. I lived in Southern Africa for 11 years afterwards, so I could have been exposed many times. I also have pets.

I was not diagnosed for 6 years after the symptoms started. Like many of you, I have had many excused pulled for not treating my problems. This all started up when I came to Canada.

I suffer(ed) from severe migraines( requiring opiates ) joint pain, fever, chills, depression, mood swings, insomnia, cystitis etc. For me, the fever is the worst, as my personality/self alters with it.

After a complete fluke I found on an intersitial cystitis support site a link to Lyme Symptoms. My initial illness and memories flooded back. Of course, this was IT!
I was relieved to have finally found a group of people with the same febrile symptoms.

One poster from a yahoo group recommended I try this Canadian doctor - and I haven't looked back so far. He found Rikettsia on my third ELISA ( we did three in a row, on three consecutive days, when I was at my most flared ).

My MD has been supportive of this treatment, but also doesn't fully understand it, though he tries to. He was good enough to let me do the labwork at IGenex if I wanted to, etc, but he just didn't know how the heck to treat this. Frankly, he seems alarmed at all the ABX I am starting.

Well, last week I had an adverse effect from the quinine - I had hearing loss and psychosis. It was so un-fun and I was alone. The ER didn't catch the problem, neither did the two pharmacists. I started the Clindamycin with it aswell, and noone bothered to assume it was a SFX except I knew I was not well at all.

Interestingly after my FIRST abx treatment on Flagyl and Biaxin I started doing alot better.( 6 weeks ago I started this TX )

He has now switched me over onto the more difficult combo to deal with the suspected Babesiosis.

I understand Mepron can be quite a difficult course to do, so I hope to have my hand held through this, even if it's just a cyber hand. Last weekend on my own was so frightening, and my friends etc, also wouldn't know how to deal. My stepdad will fly down here on a moments notice. I am lucky that way. But I also don't want anyone around, as I don't feel well, and well, I am not the best to be around.

This is as short as I could keep the intro, but we all have similar stories. You would think because I lived in Africa that people would take more notice of what I am suffering from. But not so. It was up to me completely, to get myself well.

In addition I do practise alternative health options such as salt therapy, herbs and Supps. ( WITHIN REASON )I am starting a mini yoga routine - and I hope I can sustain it.

Another Lymie Friend on the Net recommended this group.

It's good meeting you all. I love this group - the one group I was in had alot of infighting and people trying to sell their supplements etc. People fought over wether one should even take ABX'es or not - something that is such a medical no no.
There was a constant heated discussion about it being sexually transmitted or not- and there was so much misinformation, I am so glad to have come here, where it really seems like you support each other, even if someone isn't having a good day, and not coming across 'lucidly' and clearly.

Thanks for listening, I hope to be of help aswell, Shauna

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Originally posted by janet thomas:

quinine and clindamycin treatment for babesia has been pretty much replaced by zithromax and mepron because there are less adverse effects. There are lots of posts in medical questions about this. Have you been tested for co-infections?? since you were in africa maybe a PCR for malaria? What were you tested for and what were your results. What meds are and have you taken?

this should be in medical questions.

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