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Seriously I'm sick


Seth R.
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Every inch of my body is in pain or itches, I'm chronicly fatigued, my ears ring, I have labored breathing, neuropathy. On top of that I am extremely irritable, My plan right now is to goto the VA hospital in Philly.

Seth

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Are you thirsty? Can you eat normally?

If you answered "no" to either of those questions, get your blood glucose checked NOW! I suffered from several of the symptoms you described as a diabetic before I was diagnosed.

WG

Thanks, I'll ask them to do that tomorrow. they scheduled my appointment for tomorrow, jerks. They wouldn't even take my vitals until seeing the patient advocate twice.

Seth

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Go to the ER

I'm going back tomorrow. If it is diabetes I'm going log a formal complaint with the hospital director and demand a formal apology from one of the Dr. who refused to allow me to see a nurse. Maybe I'll ask for his job, with health care practitioners like that who needs diseases?

I lost my cool and punched the wall, they had security tail me for a while. They wouldn't even check my vitals until I got the hospital administrator involved, twice!

Seth

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Holy crapola!!!!! I was outraged when I read how you were treated. You serve our country, put your life on the line and you are treated like that. UUURRRGGG!!! Illegal immigrants and unwed women who spit out a plethora of babies with many having different daddies are treated better than that in the hospital or doctor's office!!!!!

Thank you for putting your life on the line to defend our freedom. I am indebted to you.

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Seth,

I should have said if you are thirsty all the time that is a sign of elevated blood glucose. Also if you can't eat or have no appetite. So I misspoke myself, sorry. Occasional blurry vision is also a sign of elevated glucose.

Hopefully you just have a bug. There are some nasty ones going around right now.

Anyway you are in my prayers.

If you do have diabetes, there are a kazillion resources out there to help - including me.

WG

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Glad to hear you're feeling better...still have you in my thoughts & prayers...my dad was a medic in WWII, seriously wounded from a mortar shell and suffered from post traumatic stress - and I remember him complaining about some of his VA treatment being pretty shabby. He moved from the east coast to mid west - me not being a vet but from what I heard from him it seems like some VA Hospitals are better than others AND sometimes he had the help of my sister in getting better treatment....Thanks for serving our country.

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Seth,

I should have said if you are thirsty all the time that is a sign of elevated blood glucose. Also if you can't eat or have no appetite. So I misspoke myself, sorry. Occasional blurry vision is also a sign of elevated glucose.

Hopefully you just have a bug. There are some nasty ones going around right now.

Anyway you are in my prayers.

If you do have diabetes, there are a kazillion resources out there to help - including me.

WG

I gave my Doc enough info she's a smart cookie, she is thinking about diabetes along with what else it could be.

on friday I go for a neck MRI, oh joy more contrast.

Seth

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Seth!

You said your symptoms were:

  • Every inch of my body is in pain or itches
  • I'm chronicly fatigued
  • my ears ring
  • I have labored breathing
  • neuropathy
  • I am extremely irritable

On top of that, you are live in an area endemic for Lyme disease. And a neck MRI, why? Do you have a stiff neck?

You sound classic for neuroborreliosis (late-stage, neurological Lyme) + babesiosis (a co-infection also carried by deer ticks). That would account for the labored breathing. Do you have chills or night sweats, headache or near-headache?

The most comprehensive symptom list I know for Lyme is at:

http://www.lymepa.org/Basics2007v1.2Rev.pdf

Antibody blood tests for Lyme can help confirm a Lyme diagnosis, but they should NOT rule Lyme out, because you might not be making enough antibodies to test positive. It is a diagnosis based on symptoms. Feel free to IM if you need to know more,

Take care,

Shaz

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my headaches come and go, the lingering kind have been present at times, but I thought it was the weather, I was thinking it could be lyme. The chills are harder to nail, but yes, and the sweats night and day sometimes. Crap I don't think I had a blood draw for lyme. I've had a stiff neck for a while.

Thanks for the concern, and lyme has come up more then 2 times in my past I better have it looked at.

holy crap I looked at that booklet and I have most of the symptoms on the check list, the unexplained dental pain has been recent. Could I have had Lyme disease since grade school?

Seth

Seth!

You said your symptoms were:

  • Every inch of my body is in pain or itches
  • I'm chronicly fatigued
  • my ears ring
  • I have labored breathing
  • neuropathy
  • I am extremely irritable

On top of that, you are live in an area endemic for Lyme disease. And a neck MRI, why? Do you have a stiff neck?

You sound classic for neuroborreliosis (late-stage, neurological Lyme) + babesiosis (a co-infection also carried by deer ticks). That would account for the labored breathing. Do you have chills or night sweats, headache or near-headache?

The most comprehensive symptom list I know for Lyme is at:

http://www.lymepa.org/Basics2007v1.2Rev.pdf

Antibody blood tests for Lyme can help confirm a Lyme diagnosis, but they should NOT rule Lyme out, because you might not be making enough antibodies to test positive. It is a diagnosis based on symptoms. Feel free to IM if you need to know more,

Take care,

Shaz

Edited by Seth R.
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Yes, Seth, it's very possible that you were undertreated for Lyme previously. And if you've never been treated for babesiosis you could be experiencing symptoms from that. Headache, chills, sweats, and a feeling like a deep breath isn't enough to catch your breath are typical for babesia, which is a protozoa related to malaria, not a bacterium like Lyme, and requires a different test and treatment.

Add to that the fact that Lyme is often misdiagnosed and undertreated, and you can be one sick puppy.

Babesia is usually treated with a combination of atovaquone (Mepron) and azythromycin (Zithromax). But be sure to tell the doctor you have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), as Zithromax can possibly damage your hearing, and you should be monitored if you already have hearing symptoms and are taking it.

I'm not a doctor, blah, blah, insert disclaimer, just a patient who has been there.

-- Shaz

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Thanks for your help, I'm wondering if I had one of them since childhood and just recently got the other from a deertick bite.

My friend may have carried a hitchhiker into my house, and I might have picked up the tick from his clothes. I noticed a small bullseye on my hand, but it didn't look like what I saw online, so dummy me I ignored it.

I hope don't have irreversible brain damage from it, if that's what I have.

But the symptoms are explaining why I have developed these problems with memory and irritability and bad misspelling. Really frustrating.

Seth

Yes, Seth, it's very possible that you were undertreated for Lyme previously. And if you've never been treated for babesiosis you could be experiencing symptoms from that. Headache, chills, sweats, and a feeling like a deep breath isn't enough to catch your breath are typical for babesia, which is a protozoa related to malaria, not a bacterium like Lyme, and requires a different test and treatment.

Add to that the fact that Lyme is often misdiagnosed and undertreated, and you can be one sick puppy.

Babesia is usually treated with a combination of atovaquone (Mepron) and azythromycin (Zithromax). But be sure to tell the doctor you have tinnitus (ringing in the ears), as Zithromax can possibly damage your hearing, and you should be monitored if you already have hearing symptoms and are taking it.

I'm not a doctor, blah, blah, insert disclaimer, just a patient who has been there.

-- Shaz

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I don't know so much about lyme, but I suspect that it would have manifested long ago if it were from your childhood. Don't get your panties in a bunch. You are going to be fine. You may need to watch your diet a bit, though. Let us know what the tests show.

I'm still praying.

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Cave, I'm going to respectfully disagree with you. There is ample evidence that Lyme disease can be acquired with no rash at all, and no initial symptoms, only to become evident later, perhaps after another bite or an event that lowers the immune system.

In Seth's case, he said he had symptoms back in childhood, and thinks he may have been bitten again. He reports a rash on the back of his hand, and a "non-bull's eye" rash is actually more common than the classic one with central clearing. He also reports a flurry of symptoms that so far have not been clearly associated with other diseases.

He may not have Lyme or co-infections. But if he does, antibiotics will probably help, in the hands of an expert in this disease. But to misdiagnose often leaves the patient with symptom support only, and often no support at all.

Sorry, I'm heading to work this morning, but if you want documentation on any of this, feel free to ask. Meantime, I will refer you to this collection of documents, most of them from peer-reviewed medical literature or government sources:

http://del.icio.us/lymebrarian

Regards,

Shaz

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