Abdominal pain - if lyme, how?

[popelife]

Hi folks

I'm desperately trying to figure this out - been battling with a mass of nasty symptoms for over a year now, only just started to realise it fits with Lyme disease.

(Like so many people, I thought you had to have a rash... so hadn't considered it. I was working on the mercury poisoning theory, which is possibly even more "out there")

I have a lot of the Lyme symptoms, but in particular, a few that I've ONLY heard of in relation to Lyme - and don't seem to fit with any other possible causes of my problems (not that any of the vast range of docs I've seen have come up with any kind of diagnosis).

* Early symptom was horrible hyperacusis in my left ear - I couldn't even stand the sound of the TV at it's quietest, used to have to wear an earplug.
* Terrible vivid nightmares, horrible sleep disturbance
* I wake up deaf most mornings (or in the middle of the night) with loud tinnitus! I don't know any other hearing condition that only attacks you while you're asleep?... and neither do any of the ENT docs I've seen.
* Massive symptoms after Amoxicillin for earache - headache and photophobia (ended up in ER because they thought I was having a brain haemorrage!)

But one of the mysteries is the abdominal pain. I have sharp right-side abdo pain which came on after a sports injury. Seemed like that injury triggered the start of all the problems. Pain is still there a year and a half later, and no-one has been able to identify any physical injury (and god knows they've tried).

So, if this abdominal pain is in fact something to do with Lyme (abdo pain one of the often-quoted symptoms) what is it about Lyme that causes abdominal pain? What kind of abdo pain do you get with Lyme? Stabbing or difuse? Any particular places you tend to get the pain?

My abdo pain has now spread from the site of the original incident into a broader right side pain, and a separate pain under the right rib cage (adrenal? I have confirmed adrenal insufficiency). Occasionally it'll flare up as if someone stabbing me with a knife. Most of the time there's just a general discomfort - can't bend on that side, and I feel a bit better standing up. Nothing shows on CT apparently (I've had THREE!)

Any accounts of the kind of abdo pain Lyme sufferers get would be appreciated.

Thanks

P

[2mag]

hi po life
so sorry bout what you are going through !!
i have had pain in various places some of it is excruciating
if you have lyme d - you never know where those
spirocytes are - boy do they hurt !!
do you have an llmd

it sounds like you are having some neurological problems
i had tinnitus and the hyper acusis also
they are less frequent now

the nighmares remain
some times i hate to go to sleep
but i keep praying for that good night sleep and some times - i get it !!
Thank God

I have used some supplements and herbs - and they have helped
the abx must make you herx

let us know what is going on with you
and if you are able to get to an llmd

mags

[blimeyitslymie]

The bacteria from Lyme weakens your immune system. Sometimes you can more easily pick up salmonella or other bacteria that healthy people won't pick up on. I've heard lately that lyme bacteria enjoy hiding in the gall bladder, so the pain may be coming from there (you may want your doctor to prescribe a HIDA exam). Sometimes compromised immune systems cause food intolerances, to thinkgs like gluten or dairy. You ought to be checked for vector borne co-infections, such as bartonella, etc. but you should also be checked for stuff like salmonella, mycoplasma, eppstein barr, celiac disease, etc.

Good luck. I hope you are getting answers soon.

[RuthHinWV]

Hi folks I'm desperately trying to figure this out - been battling with a mass of nasty symptoms for over a year now, only just started to realise it fits with Lyme disease. Any accounts of the kind of abdo pain Lyme sufferers get would be appreciated.
Thanks P
Hi, I haven't had abdo pain, but I did deal with abdo tremors for a short time. However; I thought I'd send this symptoms list to you to review. It might help you figure out if your abdo pain is part of this awful disease. Ruth in WV

www.wildernetwork.org/faq.html#faqmisdx

50 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
~SYMPTOMS LIST ONLY~

SOME of the symptoms that may be found in those with Lyme disease include:
Flu-like symptoms, headaches (mild to severe), recurring low grade fevers or fevers up to 104.5 degrees. Usually in the first few weeks of Lyme disease fevers tend to be higher. (Patients with Lyme disease often tend to have a "normal temperature" below 98.6 degrees, therefore, a slight rise in temperature may be all that is noted.) Often patients exhibit fatigue (mild to extreme), joint pain (with or without swelling), muscle pain, connective tissue pain, recurring sore throat (sometimes only on one side of the throat), swollen glands (come and go), varying shades of red on ear lobes and pinna, malar rash, cold hands and feet in a warm environment, weakness, lightheadedness, eczema and psoriasis, painful or itching skin, flushing, night or day sweats, inordinate amounts of sweating, anhydrosis (inability to sweat), or dermatitis (acrodermatitis chronica). There may be a rash, but it isn't noticed or does not appear in all cases. The rash may be basically circular with outward spreading; however, other varieties are seen. The rash may be singular or multiple, at the site of a bug bite, or in another location, warm to touch, or slightly raised with distinct borders. In dark skinned individuals the rash may appear to be a bruise. Numbness, sleep disturbances, vertigo, hearing loss, feelings of being off-balance, unexplained weight gain or loss, and feeling "infected" are also problems associated with Lyme disease.

Symptoms may develop that include:
panic attacks, anxiety, depression, mild to severe cognitive difficulties, mood swings, coma, seizures, dementia, mania, bipolar disorders, vivid nightmares, stammering speech, confusion, memory loss (short or long term), "brain fog", vibrating feeling in head, topographical disorientation, and environmental agnosia. Some patients have problems with numbers and sequencing, disorganization of thoughts, rambling on in great detail while talking, frequent errors in word selection or pronunciation, changes in personality, short attention span, Tourette manifestations, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), raging emotions, and cranial nerve palsies. Patients have reported bladder disfunction (neurogenic bladder with either hesitancy, frequency, loss of bladder awareness, urinary retention, incontinence or symptoms of UTI, and chronic pyelonephritis). Intersitial cystitis, irregular or severe menstrual cycles with decreased or increased bleeding, early menopause, a new onset of P.M.S. symptoms, or disturbed estrogen and progesterone levels are documented in many cases.

Other problems include altered pregnancy outcomes, severe symptoms during pregnancy, abdominal bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain and cramping (may appear to be ulcers), loss of sex drive, testicular or pelvic pain, breast pain, and fibrocystic breast disease. Diarrhea (which can come and go or last for months with no explanation), constipation (which can be severe enough to cause blockage), irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colon, nausea, stomach acid reflux, gastritis, abdominal myositis, and indigestion are some of the gastrointestinal disorders reported. In addition, patients demonstrate a higher occurrence of various types of cysts (liver, breast, bone, ovary, skin, pineal gland and kidney).

Some Lyme patients are diagnosed by their eye care professionals and have been documented as suffering from one or more of the following disorders: conjunctivitis, ocular myalgias, keratitis, episcleritis, optic neuritis, pars planitis, uveitis, iritis, transient or permanent blindness, iritis, photophobia, temporal arteritis, vitritis, Horner's syndrome, ocular myasthenia gravis, and Argyll-Robertson pupil. Often eye problems require a changing of prescription glasses more often than normal.

Heart-related problems are associated with Lyme disease and can include: mitral valve prolapse, irregular heart beat, myocarditis, pericarditis, enlarged heart, inflammation of muscle or membrane, shortness of breath, strokes, and chest pain.

Twitching of facial muscles, Bell's palsy, tingling of the nose, cheek or face are reported. In addition, there may be chest pain or soreness, enlarged spleen, liver function disorders, tremors, extreme sensitivity to being touched or bumped, burning sensations, stiff neck, meningitis, and encephalitis. Patients may experience continual or recurring infections (sinus, kidney and urinary tract are most common).
Patients may suffer from a weakened immune system, the development of new allergies, recurring upper respiratory tract infections (causing, or worsening of pre-existing sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis, otitis, mastoiditis), and allergic or chemical hypersensitivity's.

Other noted problems include: T.M.J., difficulty swallowing or chewing, tooth grinding, arthritis (in small joints of fingers and larger, weight bearing joints), Osgood-Schlatter's Syndrome (water on the knee), bone pain,gout-like pain in toe, muscle spasms to the point of dislocating joints and tearing muscle tissue, leg and hip pain, "drawing up" of arms, "growing pains" in children, tendonitis, heel pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and paravertebral lumbosacral muscle strain/spasm. Some patients tend to suffer from a monthly "flare-up" of symptoms as the spirochetes reproduce and/or die off.

[popelife]

Thanks for the info.

Update on the situation here. Have seen a local LLMD, who felt it was Lyme and Bartonella.

However, on consultation with a collegue, the doc now feels that it's a systemic fungal infection. Why? Because on one occasion I had a great reaction to Diflucan (although the benefit only lasted a day after which further doses didn't seem to help), and secondly because I don't have overt joint or muscular pain.

However, I had lots of candida and fungal testing way back at the beginning of the year (because I was looking at fungal infections as a cause...). No candida antibodies. A scrape of tongue coating showed no organisms. A "gut fermentation" test showed slightly raised blood ethanol levels (yes, caused by yeast... but not necessarily systemic. And not too surprising since I have unbelievable constipation).

And, who's ever heard of fungal infections causing: right-side abdominal pain, progressive hearing loss, tinnitus, vivid nightmares and sleep disturbance, crushing fatigue, ear pain, intense parasthesias, adrenal insufficiency, pain and floaters in one eye... and all these symptoms are far worse when I wake up. Aren't these all classic lyme indicators more than anything? The vivid nightmares and sleep disruption in particular - no-one believed me about this, said it was stress, did a sleep study and put me on Clonazepam and Lexapro for god's sake (which didn't help my sleep, but made me feel like death during the day)... Then months later I discover they're symptoms of Lyme.

But, they now don't want to put me on abx. It feels like my first glimmer of hope has just been snatched away from me again. :(

I don't know, maybe I have Lyme AND a fungal infection?!! One thing's for sure, whatever I have isn't going away on its own.

P