Lyme Revelation!!!!!!!! Long Post.

[Guest guest]

Dear Kathy,

Thanks to your posts, I am certain I have finally worked out what really happened to me 22 years ago. I was 22 years old, fit and working full-time in Pharmacy. I was also studying and doing lots of things. I was very much in love with my fiance and happy.In 1979 we were married and bought a house. It was an exciting time. Within a few weeks of getting married, my husband, Egon developed a dreadful red rash in his armpit. (You can probably see where this is leading!) We thought it might be from deoderant, so he stopped using it. I brought home various creams from work, but nothing would clear it up. It lasted for weeks. In the end, he went to the doctor who took a swab and decided it was a "nerve" rash. He prescribed cotisone cream and it cleared up. The doctor said Egon must be under a lot of stress, but this didn't make sense to us. Meanwhile I came down with what seemed to be an "upper respiratory tract infection." I had a sore throat, swollen glands and felt like I was going through some sort of personality change. My doctor was sure it was Glandular Fever, but the test came back neg. Then he tested for Diabetes, but that test came back negative. Then he decided it must be Psychological, but that didn't make sense to me as I just felt ill. My workplace put me down to part-time as I was not coping. I started getting severe migraines and on it went from there. Nine months into the marriage, someone suggested that maybe it was the pill making me sick. So I went off it and immediately fell pregnant with Katheryn.

I worked most of the pregnancy but had bad morning sickness and migraines. My daughter was 1 week early and very tiny. She would not feed properly and I couldn't make enough milk despite doing everything I was told. When she was a few weeks old I could hardly get out of bed. I was having visual disturbances and panic attacks and depression. I felt enormous pressure in my head and was dizzy.

Kathy, I will get to the point, otherwise, I will be here till midnight. Both my children were extremely low birthweight. Both had feeding problems. All through school my daughter was not just small, by the time she got to college, she was 3 years behind in her growth! My son , suffered from allergies, asthma and behavioral problems. I taught them with flashcards how to read etc before they started school. Now is 19 and I've watched him get worse and worse with a learning disorder. He suffers chronic knee joint pain, swollen glands, headaches, upset tummies and memory loss. He gets disoriented in crowds and can't remember things he's been taught. He is also very depressed.

During the 16 year marriage, we dragged ourselves all over Melbourne trying to find out what was wrong with me. We moved house 3 times trying to find a chemically safe house. Eventually Egon got fed up and I couldn't handle his resentment. I kicked him out as he was irrational and I couldn't stand anymore of his insane behavior. Everyone thought I was the sick one in the family. I now realise we were all sick.

After reading your posts, I e-mailed Lyme groups in America trying to find out if there was testing here in Australia. Eventually I got some info. from a lady in Sydney.(12 hour drive from here.) She asked if I had ever camped in any coastal area in New South Wales or Queensland which are Lyme areas. Yes, I had camped along the coast of N.S.W when I was pregnant with Katheryn, but I was already really sick by then.

3 days ago I remembered that one of your posts said that ticks like to crawl into warm, moist armpits. Then I remembered that Egon had driven up to Queensland with some friends, camping along the way, a few months before we got married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It finally makes sense. I believe I have Lyme disease and all these years I have been misdiagnosed because "there is no Lyme in !"

Three weeks ago I took some of your info. to my doc and she said there is no Lyme in . However when I mentioned that it can be sexually transmitted (thanks to your posts) she agreed to do the test. Well, it came back negative, but thanks again to you, I know that this is common. I alo did the VCS test which came back neg. My doctor agrees that I do have some sort of chronic neurotoxin which may be Lyme or something similar. So, I am in the process of finding out more about the various treatments.

I remarried 3 years ago and my new husband's health has deteriorated greatly since then. (No jokes please!!) He has brain fog and shortness of breath and no stamina. So, I am sure I got Lyme from my first husband and have now given it to Vic. I am also sure my first marriage split up because of Lyme.

I rang my son yesterday and asked about his various symptoms. As I did, unbeknownst to him, I was reading them out of a book called Coping With Lyme Disease by Lang. He answered yes to nearly every symptom! Poor kid has been blamed and punished for years.

I also told my daughter what I believe has happened to us and she said she feels exhausted all the time. She has swollen gland, anaemia, B12 deficiency etc, etc.

So, at last it all makes sense!!!!!!! Thank-you. Of course none of the doctors tested for Lyme because I never got the rash. It is interesting to me that "there is no Lyme in " and yet I just borrowed the book from my local library!

So, this leaves me with some questions. I was on 50mg. Mino twice per week for the last 8 months. I just seem to be in a constant herx.

1.When I did the Lyme blood test I had been off the Mino for 2-1/2 weeks. Is this long enough?

2. The doctor ordered a Lyme Disease Seriology. Is this accurate? Somehow I think not. What is the best test? Lang's book mentions a urine test, but I doubt that it's available downunder!

3. How are you going with the Hulder Zapper? Do you really think it works?

4. Are you using the herbal treatments for parasites and liver and kidney cleanse? Is it helping?

5. Are you still on anti-biotics?

6. Have you tried the Questran protocol or know anyone who has?

Sorry about the long post, but I know that without your persistent posts, I may never have worked out the problem. I am so overwhelmed by what has happened. At last I have been validated after so much suffering. I am very grateful to people like yourself and the access to the internet. I have only been part of the rheumatic group for 8 months but I have learned more from them than from all my doctors.

Thank-you again.

God bless you,

Rosemary,

allrosy@...

allrosy@...