Hopefully Some Good News!!!

I recently saw my doctor, (Dr.Harris) from Redwood City in California. He is very blunt as to what he says and the way he wants to treat me, which is a very good thing. I'm used to telling the doctor what I need to be on. Dr. Harris is wanting me to contact a Neurologist in New Mexico and talk with her about my being incredibly shaky all the time. The Neurologist knows and works with many patients with Lyme Disease so getting another opinion to go along with Dr.Harris's regime, he thinks will be very beneficial. I am also contacting my Cardiologist to test me for Q-Fever which can give you vegetations on your mitral valve. It is worth it because no one can figure out what the vegetation on my valve is. I am very happy with what Dr.Harris said; he wants me to be on IV Primaxin, IV Zithromax and eventually add in IV Flagyl. These meds come to around $5000 per month which is an incredible amount. We just can't afford that, I am on a bunch of oral medications as well that add up to around $500 a month so we will have to figure out what we can afford and take that to the Doctor so he can figure out a regime for me that I can afford. I am very happy with Dr.Harris, and a very good friend whom also see's Dr.Harris has helped me in narrowing down doctor's that i should see.

I recently saw Dr.Harris on January 17, 2012. My symptoms include shakiness, loss of feeling and use of my legs, short memory problems, double vision, vertigo, headaches, and quite fatigued. Since starting my medications, these problems have quadrupled. I've been sleeping most of the day. I can't see properly so even switching oral medications has had an effect. My Doctor is very confident that I will be back up and about by hitting the Lyme Disease with many IV medications as well as oral medications and supplements.

Before seeing Dr.Harris I had been on some different oral antibiotics and they seem to be keeping my symptoms at bay which is very frustrating that I haven't seen any improvement in over a year while still seeing the Naturalpath here in Hillsboro which is about half hour from my house but quicker depending on the traffic.

I finally believe there is some hope of me walking and not having all the these symptoms. It is going to take at least 18 months of IV Antibiotics and if I've been good on these then I will move to oral antibiotics. Right now I will be getting Rocephin injections into my upper butt cheek once a day until I can get an arm port placed. An arm port will be much better than a chest central line or an arm picc line; these always have to have dressings changed on them where as the port is under your skin but has to be poked on every use. The good thing about the port is that you have no trouble swimming, showering or anything to do with getting wet! The port is also able to stay in your arm or chest for a much longer period such as over a year compared with the picc line the starts to break down around 1 year.

I had my picc in removed about 1 month ago and have stopped IV antibiotics about 2 1/2 months ago. We were trying to maintain my line until we saw Dr.Harris because we pretty much knew he was going to put me on some kind of IV Antibiotics. My mom actually removed the picc line, it is very simple to remove it. Make a sterile space, clean around the line really well an pull the line out very slowly until it comes out and then put pressure on the whole so it doesn't bleed too much and apply a bandage. Easier than going into Emergency and spending the day there and having someone do exactly the same thing.

One good thing that has come out of being sick is that I met a very kind and genuine girlfriend from the San Francisco area. Trev and I meet up with her for lunch or dinner whenever we go down there, she is truly a great person that is also battling Lyme Disease.

I am hoping that this is going to be the year that I will recover greatly. I know there will be times when I'm going to be incredibly sick but there will come a time after the herx reaction that I will finally start to feel better and hopefully start walking again. The biggest part of getting through this disease is having so many family and friends around. I can't thank all of you enough.

I better head to bed, I can barely see what I'm writing anymore.

Good Night!