A Beautiful Day Shadowed by an Evil Disease.
This is a great day, the kind where you want to be out and about. Unfortunately, I am supposed to stay out of the sun. Thank you, Lyme Disease! I got bitten by a tick I picked up mowing lawn a couple of weeks ago. The Docs gave me two doxycycline and told me to watch the site for a rash. About a week later I became incredibly weary and fatigued, got really bad headaches, became disoriented, etc. I called and got prescribed the full 14 day regimen, which I managed to get on Friday and start Friday night. I slept nearly all weekend, day and night, only getting up to care for my wife (I am sole caregiver). Had dry heaves morning and night.
By Sunday I woke up, got lost trying to get out of the bedroom, walked into the wall, and cut my arm.
Monday was my wife's dialysis day. She didn't want to ride with me after Sunday! So we called our Pastor and he came and took us both over. I went to the Express Care clinic in Bennington while she went to Dialysis. I finally got to see a P.A. and was affirmed that I "most likely had Lyme", but that it could be 7 to 14 days before things began to turn around. He did give me some anti-nausea medicine.
Pastor wanted some lunch, and I was craving a cold soda! I took a few swigs and my jaw popped out of joint on the right side, nearly laying me out on the floor. My left side comes out regularly, especially when I either yawn or sing, but this is the first time the right went out. I was in so much pain that Pastor took me home and went back over for my wife. I finished my soda with one of those "forbidden plastic straws" and had no problem. Guess I won't be drinking out of cans anymore. Cups are fine.
At night some kind neighbors brought us dinner. I was sleeping, woke up, and and jumped out of bed to corral Lucy the dog - big mistake! I can no longer get up quickly. I was sweating and shaking and they had to help me back to bed. After awhile I was able to get up slowly and in stages and then eat dinner. First time I ate anything much since Thursday. At least I lost a lot of pounds. They say every cloud has a silver lining!
This morning I had the worst headache so far. Even four cups of coffee didn't help it much. Our daughter brought me some Aleve, which did help. By lunchtime I was feeling much better, but still queasy. Meals on Wheels brought lunch and I slept until 3 PM.
My wife was on the phone much of the day making arrangements for help to come in and for a relief care-giver for me. We also got news we will be getting a used steel handicap ramp to replace the far too steep wood one we have been using for years.
A "nod of thanks" to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for removing all the funds for Lyme research from this year's budget.
Overall, there was more good than bad in today, however, and the weather was beautiful No rain so far. We have had 5 inches since April 27th.
The headache is coming back. Guess I'll get another cup of coffee and take another Aleve.
The one-time dose recommended by Doctors is not backed by adequate evidence. When you get bitten by a black-legged tick, I say when not if if you live in a rural area and/or have animals, insist on the full course. http://danielcameronmd.com/importance-second-opinion-prophylactic-treatment-tick-bite
Then there was the Lyme Vaccine. It was only available for 38 months and was less than 76% effective, but it was better than nothing. However, the anti-vaccine lobby, The NYT, and a wave of class-action lawsuits caused it to be withdrawn as unprofitable. Nobody wants to produce a vaccine today because of that. Perhaps the company owning the patent should release it into the public domain, so that some company outside the USA can produce it on an at-your-own-risk basis. The reason we have so few new medicines today in America is the losses from class-action lawsuits and ambulance-chasing lawyers.
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/what-happened-to-the-lyme-vaccine/
By Sunday I woke up, got lost trying to get out of the bedroom, walked into the wall, and cut my arm.
Monday was my wife's dialysis day. She didn't want to ride with me after Sunday! So we called our Pastor and he came and took us both over. I went to the Express Care clinic in Bennington while she went to Dialysis. I finally got to see a P.A. and was affirmed that I "most likely had Lyme", but that it could be 7 to 14 days before things began to turn around. He did give me some anti-nausea medicine.
Pastor wanted some lunch, and I was craving a cold soda! I took a few swigs and my jaw popped out of joint on the right side, nearly laying me out on the floor. My left side comes out regularly, especially when I either yawn or sing, but this is the first time the right went out. I was in so much pain that Pastor took me home and went back over for my wife. I finished my soda with one of those "forbidden plastic straws" and had no problem. Guess I won't be drinking out of cans anymore. Cups are fine.
At night some kind neighbors brought us dinner. I was sleeping, woke up, and and jumped out of bed to corral Lucy the dog - big mistake! I can no longer get up quickly. I was sweating and shaking and they had to help me back to bed. After awhile I was able to get up slowly and in stages and then eat dinner. First time I ate anything much since Thursday. At least I lost a lot of pounds. They say every cloud has a silver lining!
This morning I had the worst headache so far. Even four cups of coffee didn't help it much. Our daughter brought me some Aleve, which did help. By lunchtime I was feeling much better, but still queasy. Meals on Wheels brought lunch and I slept until 3 PM.
My wife was on the phone much of the day making arrangements for help to come in and for a relief care-giver for me. We also got news we will be getting a used steel handicap ramp to replace the far too steep wood one we have been using for years.
A "nod of thanks" to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for removing all the funds for Lyme research from this year's budget.
Overall, there was more good than bad in today, however, and the weather was beautiful No rain so far. We have had 5 inches since April 27th.
The headache is coming back. Guess I'll get another cup of coffee and take another Aleve.
The one-time dose recommended by Doctors is not backed by adequate evidence. When you get bitten by a black-legged tick, I say when not if if you live in a rural area and/or have animals, insist on the full course. http://danielcameronmd.com/importance-second-opinion-prophylactic-treatment-tick-bite
Then there was the Lyme Vaccine. It was only available for 38 months and was less than 76% effective, but it was better than nothing. However, the anti-vaccine lobby, The NYT, and a wave of class-action lawsuits caused it to be withdrawn as unprofitable. Nobody wants to produce a vaccine today because of that. Perhaps the company owning the patent should release it into the public domain, so that some company outside the USA can produce it on an at-your-own-risk basis. The reason we have so few new medicines today in America is the losses from class-action lawsuits and ambulance-chasing lawyers.
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/what-happened-to-the-lyme-vaccine/
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