Monica
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 224
posted
I'm posting this rather lengthy post in the hope that someone may have words of wisdom for me, maybe gone through it themselves, or even just have words of comfort.
I have been experiencing a virtual non-stop herx since I started taking Ketek in March (and then added Plaq and Doryx).
The herx involves joint pain, but most notably, my right knee. It crunches and grinds and is hideously painful much of the time.
The herx also involves muscle cramps in my right thigh.
You can imagine how difficult it is for me to drive under these conditions. I have been a two-footed driver since I broke my right ankle four years ago.
Add to that the fact that my left leg is now very weak and unresponsive to a lot of what my brain tells it to do.
Did the magnesium thing and that didn't help.
Take Klonopin for some muscle spasm relief.
I drive 19 miles each way to work, mostly back roads, but I can use cruise control for some of the trip.
Yesterday afternoon my knee pain went away, but driving home I had muscle pain in my right thigh that made me see stars. By the time I got home it took me about 10 minutes to make it from the driver's side front to the driver's side back to get my walker out. Then I had to walk to my unit which took another 10 minutes. (A healthy person could make both legs of this trip in 2 minutes. No pun intended.)
I am getting very nervous about being further incapacitated by herxing. I notice it takes my brain a while to switch gears from driving to walking and vice versa and it's all the worse when the pain is bad and/or when I am nervous.
I have been fortunate in that I don't have brain fog and mentally am still able to perform my job, but instead of improving I feel as if my inability to drive is getting worse. It will not be a good thing if I can't at least get myself to work.
Posts: 1757 | From Somerset County, NJ | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hi Monica I know how you feel, I used to drive a pickup truck with a cluch. I was a land survayor and one day I fell climbing over a downed tree. Well to make long story shorter.It turned out that I herniated three disc in my lower back and developed scatica in my left leg. But I would tell the Dr.s That I was tired alot, driving I would forget were I was.Shopping one day at the check out counter I had to leave all my stuff get to my truck and get home and passout. I was haveing panic attacks. And all the Dr.s would say was that I had a shock to my body when I fell. That was in 1 1989 instead of getting better I was haveing more trouble walking.Six months latter I had one of my attacks were I couldn't stand up in the Docs office. He did a blood test and guess what I had lyme.Sorry I have been babbling. This is my first time I wrote anything or a post. Well I started to to drive a automatic car but I would get lost or my arms would get tired I couldn't hold them up. I kept getting worse I had to stop driving. I lost my lyme Doc because of workers comp. Then in 97 I found a lyme Doc.Who put back on the IV. for 2 months and started to treat the pain with stronger meds. He said he had a woman who hadn't driven in years back driving. But some people thought I must be high as a kite but I could only tell they were working by the amount of pain I felt The Doc said that nurologic pain is hard to treat and that I wouldn't feel the meds like other people would. It felt good to have the pain reduced. Pain is a disease in it self,no way to measuse it or have somebody beleive. Well I have to stop getting headache. Sorry for the spelling. Hope you feel better.
Posts: 1 | From Long Island N.Y. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200
posted
Monica, I admire your determination!
I'm sure you've tried everything in the book for muscle spasms. My mother has really wicked ones unrelieved by anything. Frankly, I think she has Lyme, too. She finally got on a medication which has saved her so much misery. She cannot be without it. It's called SINEMET (Levidopa). Maybe a trial of it would help with the spasms, though I don't know that it helps with pain.
I think, depending on how long you've been treating, you might be asking your LLMD for a new approach, or a better pain management scheme, if you're to remain working...
Maybe Lymie Tony Z or some other knee sufferers will have some good suggestions for easing knee pain for you.
I sure wish you luck.
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
char
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8315
posted
Hi,
Trazadone, alone and with nuerotin has helped our family with muscle pain. (bad aches, and striking pains)
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/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic