It's Lyme Disease: Part 1

The Lord has been at work! When I last updated my blog in September, 2015, I wrote that my latest lyme's disease test came back negative and that I was going to give up my treatments and search for answers, and to leave it all in the Lord's hands. That is exactly what I had been doing. I honestly didn't think I'd be blogging again unless it was to announce that I have been healed.  

Imagine my surprise when my functional medicine doctor (who I stopped treating with in September, 2015), called my house in November, 2015, to let me know that she thought my last lyme's disease test might actually be positive.  It's a long story (and forgive me if I don't explain this clearly but I'm confused about these tests) but the bottom line is that, when reviewing my test again, she noticed "faint" positive band reactions to lyme's specific bacteria on my western blot.  Now it's technically not considered a "CDC" positive, but the fact of the matter is that my body seems to be producing antibodies against lyme's specific bacteria on the test (bands 23 & 39, as well as 41 which always comes back undeniably positive). The reason the lab won't consider it a positive is that my antibody reaction is not as strong as the control band on their test.  Is that ridiculous or what?  She suggested I find a lyme's literate doctor and after much research and prayer, I found a doctor pretty close to my area that I saw for the first time about 2 weeks ago. After looking at the test and going through my history of symptoms, he said it's a positive in his eyes.  He gave me the clinical diagnosis of lyme's disease but said he can't even write that in my chart since it's not a "CDC" positive. (My eyes are only now being opened to the mess and injustice of lyme's care and treatment in our health care system.)  Anyway, he sent me for a lot more blood work which I should have back in about 2-3 weeks. 

In addition to the call from my functional medicine doctor with this news, my pastor emailed me sometime in September telling me to look up a condition called "dysautonomia" (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system).  He was watching a news segment about it and the symptoms reminded him of me. There is a form of dysautonomia called POTS syndrome (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) which causes one to get very dizzy due to an increase in heart rate and/or a decrease in blood pressure when rising. After realizing I suffer from just about every symptom of POTS I read about, my husband and I confirmed that I do have this syndrome with an at home blood pressure test. Not only that, but the LLMD I saw who diagnosed me with lyme's, wrote in my chart that he suspects I have developed POTS syndrome as well. Imagine my surprise when doing some research and reading article after article that links lyme's disease to POTS syndrome.  This is due to the potential nature of lyme's disease to disrupt just about every system in your body, especially in someone like me who has gone 2 years without a diagnosis. 

So, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.  Actually, the puzzle may be complete! While I was giving up my search for answers, the Lord brought the answers to me. We continue to pray for His guidance and wisdom in my treatment after getting the results of my new blood work.