Lyme disase vs MS

[misslux]

Shiela, wow! I am looking forward to hearing more about your improvements as time goes on!

[Shiela]

Thanks misslux. I am already starting to rebuild my life and it's great.

[Shiela]

MS vs Lyme

Here is the list of Lyme symptoms that I have had in the last 4 years.

Incontinence, diarrhea, constipation, rectal spasm, crushing abdominal pain, numbness and tingling in my feet, legs, hands and face, intractable insomnia, droopy eyelids, motor/sensory ataxia, myclonus, Bell's palsy, headache every day for four years, feeling like I peed my self but did not, cessation of breathing when falling asleep, spasticity, hyperreflexia, cognitive impairment, irregular heartbeat, orthostatic hypotension, brain lesion, weight loss (39 lbs), impaired swallowing and choking on food and water. My fingernails developed deep horizontal crevices, developed fungus on my arms (prior to abx), blurry vision, physical collapse with total loss of reflexes and inability to speak during these collapses. They lasted 5-12 hours. I was awake but unable to move or talk. A few months of being too weak to bathe and toilet myself--bed bound. Hoarseness and difficulty moving my mouth muscles to speak, tibial nerve dysfunction. Shooting pains all over my body. Ice pick headaches, intention tremor. Muscle siezures and violent full body shaking, electrical shocks through my abdomen, arms and fingers. When not bed-bound I used a cane, walker and wheelchair as necessary. (My husband had to carry me upstairs).

Small fiber neuropathy causing excruciating burning from my waist down, phantom smells, Raynaud's Syndrome, night sweats. Temperature dysregulation, deep unending fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, tinnitus, cramps in my legs and feet, emotional liability (pseudobulbar affect), wandering atrial pacemaker, vertigo, involuntary gasping, lymphadenopathy, allodynia, blackouts, muscle twitching, radiculopathy, feeling of vibrations inside my legs, balance issues, difficulty with word finding, choking on my saliva at night, palpitations, weak urination, neck muscles weak causing my head to shake, fasciculations in my tongue, prickly goosebumps when I wasn't cold, photophobia, hyperacusis, pain around the peripheral of my eyes, burning 'hot poker' pains all over my body, Lyme arthritis in my joints, both arms fall asleep at night at the same time, left side and throat felt 'heavy' or dead, head pressure, hearing loss, chills, throbbing in legs, swollen throat glands, back, neck and shoulder stiffness, gout or something that appears to be gout.

DXd w/ Borrelia Burgdorferi and Bartonella.

[Shiela]

Oh yeh--memory loss, frontal lobe and cerebellar atrophy.

[dkakavas]

Lyme and MS

After finishing up my time in the Air Force back in 93', I decided to get involved in K-9 search and rescue team. In 96' I was diagnosed with Lyme. 25% of the time there is no typical "Bulls Eye Rash" as it was with me. Ever since I contracted Lyme, my life/health has never been the same. My immune system was barely existent, I had Pneumonia 7 times, Extreme fatigue, neurological issues ect... However, there is no DRG (diagnostic related group = codes that doctors offices use to code the reason of your visit for billing purposes) related to Chronic Lyme disease which never made sense to me. Unless it was gov. related. This is unfortunately not as far-fetched as it sounds... Anyhow... Fast forward 14 years... I was diagnosed with MS in 2010. I have been on copaxone for the last 3 years. My neuro put me on tecfidera and I had a 4 day all inclusive stay at the nearest hospital. Needless to say, I am back on copaxone. The similarities between both of these diseases are quite remarkable. Yet, few doctors especially neurologists will state Lyme is a chronic long term illness. Thousands of Lyme patients beg to differ... I being one of them!

[JerryD]

I think that I have missed something, here. Shiela, you mentioned that you are on 'abx'. What is that ? I a glad that you have some answers for your symptoms. I hope that you have found a permanent fix. Good luck

[misslux]

abx is short for antibiotica

[durgastiger]

still think I have Lyme Disease

About 8 years ago my girlfriend at the time and I went to a nature center. We saw wild turkey and we went to a den to take pictures and a person who walked by us said to stay out of there because of ticks. We didn't listen and that night she found a tick on the tip of my *****. I pulled it off but did not keep it. I went to the hospital showed them the mark but they said I was fine. They never tested me or asked me to come back.

About a month or two later my hand went numb in the show but this was weeks after my girlfriend complaining of the same thing. She wore the carparl tunnel braces on both hands and then I did too when sleeping it went away then I started to get the flu a lot and was at the Dr. often.

We broke up and I haven't been able to find her since. Then last year I had a big attack landed in the hospital and was told I have M.S.

Does Lyme lead to M.S. if left untreated?
Is the medical industry lying about lyme disease and its relation to M.S.?
Can I demand to get blood work done for Lyme at this point?

Any helps appreciated!

[hunterd]

Lyme does not cause MS. It may be coincidence that you have both, but it will not be anything more than that.

[misslux]

Definitely get tested. You may have both or just one but getting tested will help to rule it out if it comes back negative.

[durgastiger]

@misslux

Thanks I am going to get tested and I would like a link or more info. stating that lyme disease if left untreated can not progress to M.S.

[dkakavas]

Shiela,

Thanks for sharing your Lyme history. So many areas you mentioned brought back memories... Mostly frustration that no one would or could believe Lyme was a long term disease and just treated the symptoms (time after time). When I first was diagnosed with MS, I actually felt relieved because there is now tangible disease I could wrap my head around. The dir. of neurology at Hopkins has Lyme and going against her piers, knows/believes it's a long term complex disease. All Hopkins neurologists believe otherwise. "You had Lyme, you were treated so there is nothing more to discuss about this". Can you imagine? And yes, physicians who take a bold stance to help folks with Lyme, do so with their license on the line. I have never been the same since contracting Lyme... "things" are a bit worse now but it's now all related to MS. Or is it?
Hopefully, someday we'll know the correlation.

Be well always!

[durgastiger]

Lyme Disease Home Elisa test kit

I was wondering if anyone has used any type of home ELISA lyme disease test kit?

This one in particular:
Lyme Disease IgG, M ELISA kit
I found a kit online it is $352.00 and they said they will not sell it to me because I am not a Dr. or company.

Also if there is a home test kit for Western Blot.

Any help appreciated.