Veggiemom,

While I'm terribly sorry that you've been pushed into the "Lymelight", you must feel a bit relieved to finally have an answer. I know I felt that way when I was diagnosed.

And I agree with you, I strongly believe that there are many, many people (even on this board) who have "tick borne diseases" like Lyme and have been undiagnosed, or have tested negative on the worthless preliminary blood tests. A local doctor here has said publicly many times that millions of people are being misdiagnosed -- that is, they have undiagnosed Lyme and have instead been told that they have some other illiness (i.e., lupus, MS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, ME, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).

I put "tick borne diseases" in parenthesis because it is now known that Lyme and all the co-infections (i.e., babesia, erlichosis, mycoplasma, bartonella, etc.) can also be transmitted by other biting insects such as, mosquitos, horse flies, other biting flies, biting mites, etc.

That was an outstanding article that you found and I hope that some of our UK friends here will read what you posted. I noted that Tracy said that she teated negative for Lyme, but I doubt they did the proper testing.

Bex, given how long you've been ill, I can't stress enough how important I think it is for people to get GOOD Lyme testing done. If anything, it should be done for the sole reason of eliminating it as a factor in ongoing chronic illness.

My Lyme Doc says that heavy metals, candida and Lyme go together. I'm going to be treating everything at once. Treating these individually will not heal me because they will not leave my body. All of it must be treated.

I tested CDC negative. That was just a plain-Jane bloodtest that looked for antibodies and it was using the very stupid standards that the CDC uses. The CDC and our FDA have already warned practicing doctors here that they MUST NOT rely on CDC standards in diagnosing Lyme patients. THe CDC standards are very high and they are only used in tracking the illness and for surveillance.

Doctors have been warned that ultimately Lyme MUST BE a clinical diagnosis. Testing can be unreliable but there are some better tests then the "CDC" test that can be done.

I tested CDC negative. But my Igenex test came back positive. Also, my CD57 test came back positive as well and it indicated that my Lyme is Late Stage and now chronic. Because of that I'm in for a very long road to recovery.

Here are some Lyme Symptoms:

SYMPTOM LIST
Some Of The Many Symptoms of Lyme Disease Are:

Head, Face, Neck: Headache Facial paralysis (like Bell’s palsy)
Tingling of nose, cheek, or face
Stiff neck
Sore throat, swollen glands
Heightened allergic sensitivities
Twitching of facial/other muscles
Jaw pain/stiffness (like TMJ)
Change in smell, taste

Digestive/excretory System:
Upset stomach (nausea, vomiting)
Irritable bladder
Unexplained weight loss or gain
Loss of appetite, anorexia

Respiratory/Circulatory Systems:
Difficulty breathing
Night sweats or unexplained chills
Heart palpitations
Diminished exercise tolerance
Heart block, murmur
Chest pain or rib soreness

Psychiatric Symptoms:
Mood swings, irritability, agitation
Depression and anxiety
Personality changes
Malaise
Aggressive behavior/Impulsiveness
Suicidal thoughts (rare cases of suicide)
Overemotional reactions, crying easily
Disturbed sleep: too much, too little,
difficulty falling or staying asleep
Suspiciousness, paranoia, hallucinations
Feeling as though you are losing your mind
Obsessive-compulsive behavior
Bipolar disorder/manic behavior
Schizophrenic-like state, including hallucinations

Cognitive Symptoms:
Dementia
Forgetfulness, memory loss (short or long term)
Poor school or work performance
Attention deficit problems, distractibility
Confusion, difficulty thinking
Difficulty with concentration, reading, spelling
Disorientation: getting or feeling lost

Reproduction and Sexuality
Females:
Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
Reproduction problems, miscarriage,
Stillbirth, premature birth, neonatal
Death, congenital Lyme disease
Extreme PMS symptoms
Males:
Testicular or pelvic pain

Eye, Vision:
Double or blurry vision, vision changes
Wandering or lazy eye
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Oversensitivity to light
Eye pain or swelling around eyes
Floaters/spots in the line of sight
Red eyes

Ears/Hearing:
Decreased hearing
Ringing or buzzing in ears
Sound sensitivity
Pain in ears

Musculoskeletal System:
Joint pain, swelling, or stiffness
Shifting joint pains
Muscle pain or cramps
Poor muscle coordination, loss of reflexes
Loss of muscle tone, muscle weakness

Neurologic System:
Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
Burning/stabbing sensations in the body
Burning in feet
Weakness or paralysis of limbs
Tremors or unexplained shaking
Seizures, stroke
Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
Increased motion sickness, wooziness
Lightheadedness, fainting
Encephalopathy (cognitive impairment from brain involvement)
Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
Meningitis (inflammation of the protective membrane around the brain)
Encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
Academic or vocational decline
Difficulty with multitasking
Difficulty with organization and planning
Auditory processing problems
Word finding problems
Slowed speed of processing

Skin Problems:
Benign tumor-like nodules
Erethyma Migrans (rash)

General Well-being:
Decreased interest in play (children)
Extreme fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion
Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
Flu-like symptoms (early in the illness)
Symptoms seem to change, come and go
Other Organ Problems:
Dysfunction of the thyroid (under or over active thyroid glands)
Liver inflammation
Bladder & Kidney problems (including bed wetting)


Hugs,
Sharon

P.S. By the way, Bex, Cat's Claw is used in treating Lyme. It was using Cat's Claw for another ailment last Spring and my extreme reaction to it that tipped me off that I might have Lyme. When Lyme patients use Cat's Claw it can cause some powerful Herx Reactions. It has to be used very slowly.

My Lyme Doc has placed me on another type of Cat's Claw, along with a bunch of other meds, herbs, etc. I'll be using an integrated healing approach which will include antibiotics, herbals, homeopathics, vitamin/nutritional therapy and I.V.'s, oxygen therapy, physical therapy and rehabilitation -- the whole nine yards.