Guest guest Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Greetings: My name is and I just joined this list. I don't know if I am in the right place, so allow me to introduce myself. I am a 31 year old survivor of Lyme disease. I contracted it sometime before my tenth birthday - I never saw a bull's eye rash or any kind of rash, really, so my family and I had no clue anything was wrong until I started suffering from joint pain and swelling. I spent probably a third of my fifth grade year in the hospital - the first set of doctors had no clue what was wrong with me (this was 1987) and treated me for juvenile rheumetoid arthritis. Later, my parents took me to another doctor who confirmed that it was Lyme disease. I underwent treatment with antibiotics and physical therapy, since I could not walk by this time and had trouble using my hands and fingers. I was also monitored since my heart rate was irregular and way too rapid for someone my age (160 beats per minute). It took about six weeks before I was well enough to leave the hospital, but after a while, I could walk again. I pretty much lead a normal life now, but I had some lasting after effects, namely arthritis and limited range of motion in my joints. There are some things I cannot do because of this - for example, I can't sit lotus style or completely close my left hand into a fist. I think there may be some after-effects in my nervous system, as I'm sometimes slower than other people to do things and I have a very low tolerance for pain. I guess what I'm looking to do is talk to other survivors of Lyme and see if my experiences compare with others. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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