I started getting sick back in 2005. It started w/ a "foggy" feeling all the time. Then I started to have problems w/ double vision. My eye doctor sent me for a MRI immediately, since my eye muscles were not functioning at all. There was some myelin missing on the MRI, so that started the MS testing.

Negative for MS. Possibility of a stroke, but that didn't really pan out. Finally went and saw a neurologist specialist in 2006. He told me it was al lin my head and I was making my body do this Um.. okay!

I saw a holistic doctor who said I had a yeast overgrowth. So for months I ate no sugar, no wheat, etc. I also took a milion supplements. Lost tons of weight I didn't need to lose and felt the same, just crabby. Went back to eating normally and feel exactly the same!

Now I am seeing a new doctor. I am taking sleep medicine to help me sleep better and that has helped with the fatigue. I am also taking Adderall (ADHD med) to help w/ the "fogginess". It helps a little.

I ran across an article in Self magazine last month and it sounded like I could have written it. The author had lyme disease.

My doctor just called me back after my appointment today and said she checked my charts and I have NOT been tested for lyme disease. She was extremely surprised, since I live in a tick infected area, and my symptoms are not atypical for lyme disease.

I go in tomorrow for two different blood tests.

What do you guys think? Is lyme a possibility? I've had it so long, I don't even know if treatment would help at all. However, I almost hope it is lyme disease, so at least I have a name for this!!

BEG, no DEMAND to be tested thru IGENIX. It's the only dependable lab really . your doc will probably just run a simple ELISA test, the majority of the time that comes back negative. You can go to www.igenix.com I belive it is and get a test kit.

pm me if you have any questions or need a lyme literate doc.

jaime

I would demand, like Jaime said, to be tested through Igenex or Immunosciences.

If she wants to do western blot and insurance pays, why not? But if it's negative, I wouldn't believe it. Lyme is also a 'clinical diagnosis' anyway. You don't need a positive 'test' to be diagnosed with Lyme.

Keep reading and researching. You are on to 'something'. I still remember the first time I heard the word 'lyme disease.' It was a fluke. I was diagnosed with 'fibromyalgia' in 2004 and after that the docs quit testing me for anything and I continued to spiral downhill , despite all the meds for 'FM.' I was told by my docs that I had every test in the world and that there was nothing else wrong with me. "Just put your brave face on and go see a psychiatrist," is what my rheumie advised. So, you have to be your own advocate for your health. When your body is screaming in pain, something is wrong. You are NOT making this up....give me a break. I was told the same thing.

So, like I said, keep reading and researching and speaking up. You can get well. Good luck on your quest for a diagnosis.

In the meantime, try to take really good care of yourself. Probiotics are a good general supplement to take for good health, even for the healthy population. Drink lots of water (tea made with water counts, too....I drink about 4 cups of green tea per day sweetened with Stevia...i'm in the South and we like 'sweet tea' ,exercise , even if it's just a tiny walk, eat healthy (organic fruits, veggies, meats). Stay away from processed and artificial ingredients. . I gradually switched everything and became more conscious of everything that goes in and on my body. I gradually switched my make up, deodarants, body lotions, soap....everything. That's just what I did. However , that won't get rid of Lyme, but for me, I thought the less toxins going in (that I can control), the better.

Sorry , I didn't mean to blab on and on.

Good luck and keep us posted

Peace,

Connie

My story is similar to yours and Connie's...12 specialists over a year and a half, all telling me there was nothing wrong with me...I even spent 4 months doing therapy with a psychologist (not a psychiatrist...I was not going to let anyone push psychogenic drugs on me) to help deal with the pain, and because my wife - an RN who believed there was nothing wrong with me because all the tests were negative - thought I was suffering from anxiety and depression, just like the doctors.

You read an article about Lyme that you could have written? I saw a television program about a man with Lyme disease, and I thought I was watching a documentary of the past year of my life. When I told my wife about it, she got all over the internet and finally believed me.

One footnote, the psychologist believed the whole time that I had a systemic problem of some kind, not a mental problem. She stuck with me and kept me from falling in to a black hole that I may not have made it out of. She even told me a story about another patient that was hospitalized and the doctors could not find anything wrong with her. She did her mind stuff on the young lady and determined that she was not making anything up and stuck with her and intervened on her behalf. The doctors agreed to do more studies and found a very difficult to diagnose type of spinal cancer. She saved that girl's life. Sorry for the tangent, but I like to give credit where it's due....

Like Connie says, if your insurance covers the Western Blot, go ahead and get it done. However, there are labs that have better testing facilities...Igenex being one of them. If it's negative and you still have symptoms, consider finding an LLMD.

And I could not agree with you more; once you have a name for your enemy, it makes things a lot easier on you. I certainly had a great deal of anxiety to deal with while I was searching for answers, but once I got my diagnosis, bye-bye anxiety.

Do your thing and keep us informed of your progress. We want to know how you are doing and are here to help you in any way that we can!

Be well.

Tom

I went to see a psychotherapist for a year after the neurologist told me I was somatic and making it all up. She told me the same thing yours did... basically that I was completely fine mentally and that something was physically wrong and the docs just hadn't figured it out. She finally told me she felt bad taking my money, because I was fine. She was the one that convinced me to find a new general practitioner and demand help.

I'm going in an hour or so to get the test. I called the office and they aren't sure who's the lab. Getting ELISA and Western blot today.

Most likely it will be LabCorp doing the testing, or something like that.

The reason folks suggest these other private labs is that LabCorp is using old "samples" to compare your blood against. They do a smear, or something like that, and compare it to a smear of blood that has Lyme. I have read that some of their locations are using smears from as much as 30 years ago. Needless to say, things have changed a bit since then.

Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers for you finding an answer.

Tom

We are all frustrated by the doctors that we have had. Lab Corp is awful. It's almost a joke!

If your test comes back negative, look into purchasing a kit from Igenex...

www.igenex.com

Best of luck!

jaime

So... I'll call tomorrow. We'll see. I'm almost scared it IS positive. While I would love to have an answer, the prognosis isn't exactly rosey is it??