I was looking for a notebook this morning. I found one that had barely been used under a pile of books . When I took a look at the two pages that had been used I discovered it was journal entries I had made seven years ago. Now being me, I only made two entries, but those two entries were enough for me to see that I knew all my symptoms were related and I knew something was seriously wrong.
This was around the time I stopped going to the doctor about these chronic symptoms. I was in my early 30's and had spent the past twelve years seeking help from the medical community. The only answer they gave me was fybromyalgia. The problem was, even the doctors couldn't agree on that diagnosis. This was when they were looking for a certain number of pressure points that caused pain. I didn't really have any. I soon rejected this diagnosis, because it appeared to me that the doctors were just blaming all my ailments on it when they couldn't figure out what is wrong. Along with fybromyalgia, I had doctors tell me I was depressed and it was manifesting itself physically. Honestly, I began to feel like a hypochondriac, the doctors often looked at me like I was nuts. This probably was in my head, but I truly felt some doctors thought I was faking it. Of course I would think this, I was beginning to feel as if maybe I was over reacting to what everyone else easily copes with. Even now, I have a hard time grasping the concept that there are people out there not in pain. I don't know what that is like, and before I knew I had lyme I felt like such a wimp because pain interfered with my life in a drastic way.
Here is the journal entry,
"April 10th 2007
I have decided to keep a journal of my health to try to find patterns that may help me find the cause of my symptoms. Daily issues include:
fatigue,
knee pain,
pain in knuckles and shoulders and elbows,
muscle ridgedness (muscles get tight and I use heat to relax them),
foggy thinking abilities-difficulty in remembering things-slow to answer questions (this really annoys my son)- hard time focusing
Headaches aren't as bad as they use to be now that I run the karate school. I am better able to manage pain and take a nap when I need it. I tried to go back to work in the school in January. I missed more days then I was there. I have just given up working a regular job because I am not reliable as an employee. Running the business helps in some ways but my stress level is higher and my husband has to do things for me more often then not, so he misses work himself.
Quick recap of last few days
Sat. April 7th 2007
Severe pain in right back had to sit and stop teaching class. Pain continued on and off so on Sunday April 8th, 2007 I went to ER thinking I might have a UTI. (I also had frequent urination, which isn't abnormal for me). Left ER with an answer that it was pain due to fybromyalgia. Went to walk-in-care on Monday, April 9th and left with a diagnosis of nerve pain. I've been given ________? and prednisone.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007 the back pain is gone this morning. My pain is back to joint pain"
WOW, any lyme literate doctor could have diagnosed me on the spot. The symptoms, and the fact that every day I had different symptoms are a red flag for lyme. I was tested for lyme a second time during this search for an answer. I was told I didn't have it, so I accepted that answer not knowing the fallibility of testing. Seven years ago I could have easily been diagnosed, instead, seven years ago I gave up and decided to just tough it out. Look where that got me.
