Hello there!
Well its official I have lyme disease, I went back to my doctor in February to finally get the results of all my blood tests. My doctor was slowly going through each test on his computer explaining to me about this and that when he finally got to the main page. 'You've got it!" he cried, I had to laugh at his enthusiasm even though the news was a combination of bitter sweet!
I always knew in my heart it was lyme disease, all the symptoms just fit and pulling a tick of me was the icing on the cake. However after years of being shot down by doctors and looked at like your a hypochondriac, it can start to eat away at your self confidence and you begin to doubt yourself. So having it confirmed finally was a very surreal experience! I felt like grabbing that piece of paper and waving it in the face of every doctor that had ever dismissed me!
This brings me to another important life lesson :) Always ALWAYS listen to your own body!! No one is going to know how you feel better than yourself. Is the doctor there with you at 2am when you have a random stabbing pain in your foot?? no I think not. So if you're concerned about your health then note down all your symptoms daily and don't take no for an answer!
After the initial glow of my diagnosis wore off my doctor talked me through my treatment, what to expect and then gave me a bunch of scripts. If anyone is interested I will post up my regime at a later date. But basically it consists of an antibiotic that I have to build up to a full dose slowly, a few different pills to help make the antibiotic more effective and a whole bunch of herb pills that will support my immune system, help me detox and support my gut health so the antibiotics don't completely ruin it.
I'm taking about 20 pills a day and the cost of a three month supply of all my drugs is around $800 dollars! although this figure will probably drop slightly next time as one or two of the pills were a one off. I was stunned when the pharmacist told me the amount, who can afford to pay that every three months! especially if your so sick that you cant work (luckily I am able to work). Its not covered by medicare or private health, its all on you. I still don't know how I'm going to pay for everything especially since my husband needs treatment as well (lyme disease can be passed sexually). He is also suffering from symptoms but we simply can't afford to get him tested. Needless to say I am keeping all of my receipts for the day when Australia finally recognises that lyme disease or a similar strain is in Australia and chronic lyme is a real condition!
It probably took a few weeks of me slowly building up my antibiotics before I got my first real herx reaction. The herx often hits me in the afternoon and it basically feels like all of my internal organs have been punched! my body just hurts and I don't mean muscle wise but internally. I get a weird buzzing sensation all over my body like my body is humming but not in a good way and some days I get nausea from morning till night. Although I'm not sure if this is just due to the pills I'm having or the toxicity in my body caused by the dying bugs. Perhaps one of the hardest things is just trying to swallow 20 pills a day, having that many pills just doesn't sit right with me at all literally! Despite all the herxy stuff I have had some improvement, my mind has come back to me and the nerve twitching, mood swings and tiredness have lessened quite a bit so that's a bonus! Plus I have lost 8 kilos! *fist pump* I'm almost at my normal weight! :) I don't herx this bad every day which is good and on the days I do feel like crap I just take comfort in the fact that the bugs are dying and I'm on my way to good health :)
This has been a really hard couple of months. Not feeling well and the financial stress of it all has sucked. Not to mention the fact that my husband and I have had to delay having children for at least two years :( I am so grateful that even though lyme disease has seriously disrupted our life it hasn't completely taken over. Despite having a multitude of symptoms we have for the most part been able to work and function every day. I hope my husband and I can beat this and become healthy again. I REALLY hope that lyme disease is recognised soon and that anyone suffering with this disease can get the help and support they need. People need to be educated on what this disease is and how to protect themselves from it. While its been a tough road, I'm really grateful that I finally know what is wrong with me and that I can start getting back to normal :) Remember to listen to your body and take care of yourself, no one knows your body like you do :)
Jen :p