Lyme Disease Support Group

My Lyme has several symptoms: fatigue, irritability, varying vision, floaties, brain fog, facial paralysis, and occasionally other stuff. One or more symptoms are almost always there because of herxing. Herxing is the intensifying of symptoms as Lyme bacteria die off. And since killing the bacteria is everyonje's goal, we usually are suffering symptoms to one degree or another.

Do oyu have any other symptoms? Have you consulted with a Lyme literate MD?

I have always attributed everything to anxiety...but I can tell you that I have had symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia, diabetes (my sugar was high and I need to get that tested again), chronic fatique, achy back and legs..and arms..come and go. My fatique is not as bad today..but a lot of the times, I am just pushing myself through the day. I am more awake usually at night though...but go to bed at like 12pm. So I never know if my fatigue is due to lack of sleep. However, on weekends, I can sleep the whole day away. I do have two disk protrucions in my neck (that was found on the MRI) and I have a brain lesion. I do get dizziness...wierd feelings in my head. Pins and needles in arms and hands. If I take my glasses off at night, I know that one eye has worse night vision than the other. It's almost blind like.
What do you think? I do not have facial paralysis although I do get twitching in my eye. I also know that sometimes my leg will jump for no reason (every once in awhile).
I must say that since my MRI I have not been in as much pain as I had been in the past...but I would say that there is only one week out of the month that I can do things and have energy. The other three weeks I am complaining about something. I hope that my test says that I have lyme..because I certainly don't want it to be anything like cancer or anything.

Your symptoms are all very typical of lyme disease. Including the twitching. Every lyme case presents differently which is another reason why it is hard to diagnose. So you may hear replies that are very different than yours but that is just because lyme looks so different in each body. (there are over 100 different strains of the bacteria plus possable co-infections) And yes it comes and goes which makes you think you are going a little crazy.

Be warned that lyme testing is not all that accurate. (especially if you have had it for a long time) If your tests come up as negative but have some bands ositive then post again for help interpreting the test. The lab reads positive or negative based on the number of bands positive but in reality certain bands only correlate with lyme specifically. The lab also does not test 2 bands anymore because many years ago when they had a vaccine (that didnt work) these 2 bands would show as positive. So they don't test them in anyone.

Another lab called Igenex has a much better testing rate and only tests for tick related illnesses so if it is a negative then I would recommend getting tested by them.

Hope I've not overwhelmed you. But getting the correct diagnosis is the first step to achieving health.

Thank you. I pray that I have lyme, because then all of these symptoms would have a cause. Everyone says "it's all in your head" or "it's your anxiety." I want to prove them wrong. Although..what is herxes?

I would agree, everyone's Lyme presents itself differently. I just finished reading a tiny book called "Making Sense of it All". Everyone in the family had/has Lyme, and they all present very differently. The small boy had sever seizures to the point of needing surgery, the daughter had arthritis and the list goes on. The reason it is called "the great imitator" is beacuse is can imitate so many other diseases. It can attack your nervous system, your blood, your muscles, your joints, and on and on and on. If you get on
www.lymediseaseassociation.org
there is a link to a symptom list. You will be shocked at the long list of possible symptoms. I had most of them, some people don't. And yes, symptoms come and go. For me, they came and went for 10+ years. The only one that never, ever left was overwhelming weakness and fatigue. Let us know what your test says!

I will keep you posted. Thanks.

I have to say that I too have bad days and better days. It seems to cylce. My symptoms vary. My main complaints are pain and fatigue as they are the most severe and persistent symptoms I have. My pain is in my joints, mainly my knees, hands and feet. My back always hurts. I have a back injury, but I've dealt with that for years, with the Lyme it's like horrible flu aches from my neck down, added to my prior back injury, it can be unbearable to sit at my desk or drive my car. I get headaches and fevers. I get rages and anxiety and depression at varying degrees. I have heart issues. I think Lyme has made me hyperthyroid. I have horrible digestive issues. I have brain fog and some cognitive and visual complaints. My menstrual is very irregular, and sometimes I do not get a period for months at a time. And many more minor, yet bothersome, symptoms.

I am continuously symptomatic, however, some days some symptoms are worse. They cycle. I may feel horrible for a few days, I may feel okay. I never feel great and rarely feel good. I sound very down and bitchy. But that's how it is for me, you asked, lol.

Lyme is a tricky thing and I think it's different for everyone. Good luck to you!

Thank you. I hope that you find relief. I can only imagine at this point how terrible you feel. Today I feel okay..with the exception of some brain zaps, fatique and weakness....
But many days I have excruciating back pain. I will say a prayer for you right now for some relief.

hi kbr0632
I'm not able to post many replies but wanted to respond to you because my first symptom was vertigo. I woke up on nov 17th 2008 and my head movements did not match with my eyes. Within 2 hours I was vomiting and was nauseous, felt like the floor was moving for at least the next 2 months. Anyway, I had an MRI that just showed 'linear enhancement' whatever that means but it was questionable. All of my auditory testing was negative so not causing the vertigo. Long story short, I was diagnosed with Lyme in May after having joint swelling, gastritis, feet burning, floaters etc I'm now left with fatigue, irritability, brain fog and depression.
I hope you get some answers/relief soon.

Hi all, my chronic lyme has been near-death.
but gratefully now, I am finally healing, after many years of being misdiagnosed.

My symptoms - hyper coagulation of the blood that caused pulmonary embolisms; back, neck and head pain; nerve pain and loosing feeling; muscle weakness and trouble walking and climbing stairs; intermitant vertigo; floaters and eye pain; colon issues; low thyroid; brain fog; tremors; sleep problems; fevers; sinus problems; extreme fatigue; vision problems; bone pain; facial pain and jaw pain -- oooeee -- the list goes on. Much is changing and healing now - though many symptoms come and go and more when I herx. hugs, CJ