My Symptoms

These are most of the symptoms I have dealt with over all these years. Some may seem strange or hard to explain but I’m going to do my best because I am certain there is at least one person out there who will relate. Lyme disease tends to affect one side of the body more than the other so you will see a lot of times pain or symptoms on my right side.  It also seemed the pain or symptoms would be affecting one area or organ in my body for a year or maybe longer then it would migrate to a different body part.

Headaches – pounding in my right frontal lobe. Nothing got rid of them.

Sudden onset of food allergies and intolerances. Mostly to anything raw.  Fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts and raw fish. My throat would get itchy and sometimes progress to where I had trouble swallowing. Sometimes it felt like there was a fishbone caught in my throat and sometimes it felt like a ball of white bread was stuck in my esophagus.  Benadryl helped a little but I usually just had to let 30 minutes to an hour pass and it would go away. This was a terrifying experience and has happened to me many, many times over the years.

Trouble swallowing and choking easily on food.

Shortness of breath, chest pain, tightness in the chest, air hunger.  For almost 2 years I kept being told I had pneumonia or bronchitis. It just seemed to never go away. And sometimes I would be getting enough oxygen but I would have to literally sit and concentrate to be able to take deep breath. But you just can’t seem to get one.

Pain in my upper right back. It felt like a knife was stabbing me. This  also went on for many months the same time I had the chest pain. It was very hard to get comfortable sitting, standing and sleeping.

Swelling, water retention and rapid weight gain.  I was always thin and fit but all of a sudden the pounds just started to pack on. There was so much fluid and swelling. It was just so uncomfortable. My legs would swell up like tree trunks especially as the day went on. My fingers were like sausages. I also had a very uncomfortable bloating and swelling in my stomach. Some days I looked and felt like I was about six months pregnant. Or I could eat one tiny bite of sugar or carbohydrates  and immediately my stomach would blow up so much so that it was uncomfortable to walk. And no matter how much I worked out I could not drop a pound.

Pelvic pain.  This pain was intense and on both sides of my pelvis and was terrible to the point that it would shoot down my legs making it difficult to drive.  It also made me feel like I had to Pee ALL the time.

Hair and Nails breaking off. At first I noticed that when I went to get my hair highlighted the color would not take. So I tried a different salon. Same thing. Then it started just breaking off. My nails would crack and break off too.

Knee pain and pain behind the knees.  Again this was a terrible pain that would keep me up at night and made it difficult to walk or work out. At the time I was a fitness instructor and I thought the knee pain was because I was teaching too many classes.

Anxiety, panic attacks. Lots of social anxiety and being in public places.

Feelings of Deja vu.   This is one of those symptoms that is hard to describe but again I know somebody will relate to this. I would get a weird feeling of déjà vu that would make me feel very uncomfortable and anxious. Almost like an out of body experience. It usually took about half an hour for this to pass. I later read that many people with the Lyme co-infection Babesia had this symptom.

Gynecological Problems. At 27 I stopped getting a period. Afer that it was off and on. I also had severe pelvic pain, bloating, swelling, and galactorrhea.

Red, burning eyes. They felt like they were bleeding some days. Eye twitching and seeing spots.

Stomach Problems.  Many diseases have a connection to the gut and can tear your stomach apart.  You could have diarrhea, constipation or alternating between the two. I also had terrible heartburn that if I didn’t know better I would have thought was a heart attack.

Insomnia. I had no problem falling asleep but would wake up during the night for 2 to 4 hours. Absolutely nothing helped. I tried oils, herbs, homeopathic remedies, Unisom, Tylenol PM, Benadryl and cutting out coffee. I also experienced a lot of nightmares and would wake up choking.

Tingling and numbness in my forearms. For example, if I was pushing a shopping cart I would have to stop and shake them out to keep them from going numb.

Hip pain on the right side. This was so bad I found myself walking like Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects. I felt like my leg was dragging behind me.

A feeling of being “off kilter” in a standing position. I almost felt like I was tipping over and when I walked it felt like I was tilted at a 45 degree angle.

Kidney problems. I could literally feel my right kidney enlarged and in pain. My lower back was killing me. I had white small things in my urine. Whenever I would take a UTI test the leukocytes would come back positive but not the nitrites. I was hospitalized at one point with a kidney infection which I was so thankful for. I got to a point where I was doubled over and could barely walk. But the doctors were puzzled as to what was causing it.

Sensitivity to light and noise.

Brain/Arm Connection Ok, this is one of those that is very hard to explain but I’m going to try because someone will relate. My brain would think my arms were at my sides. So when I would move my arms by swinging them while walking or lifting something it would really “freak me out” because my brain could only picture them at my side. I really hated this feeling. Can I get an Amen from anyone out there?? Also, feeling that my hands and feet were 10 times their size.  Of course they were not. But it sort of felt like Mickey Mouse or the Michelin Man!

Fever and temperature fluctuations. For 2 years I had a constant fever. Not super high, but I always felt like I was burning up. Then it switched to the opposite, instead of a fever, my temperature would drop to 95 degrees. I was freezing cold but also felt like I was burning up. A very strange feeling.  Believe me, I tried many different thermometers and tested other people in the house to make sure it was working. Even now if I’m really tired or fighting off a cold my temperature will drop, especially if I’m up doing things. I sit down and rest and it goes back up. I have seen crazy things with my temperature. I can have a temperature of 94 in one ear and 101 in the other. And 97 at the same time from a forehead reading. It has been all over the place.

Fatigue. Of course we all get tired. But this is the kind of tiredness that you can’t brush off. You literally have to lay down. It follows you around like a heavy cloud. Even now I still have to nap most days.

Lower Back Pain. My back hurt all the time and especially when going from sitting to standing.

Foggy Head. Hard to focus, concentrate or think straight.

Many of you will relate to these. You may have never been able to get a diagnosis or maybe you’ve been diagnosed with a disease, chronic condition or autoimmune disease and have experienced many of these same symptoms. I believe that’s because many illnesses are related in the fact that viral, parasitic, fungal and bacterial infections are the root cause. My next post will be about how I finally got better.