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A letter from a Wisconsin reader
Dear Lyme Alliance,
My name is Patricia Sampson. I live in Wisconsin. I have Lyme Disease, and I would like to tell you my story.
Up until 8 years ago, I was perfectly healthy. I began exhibiting severe muscle weakness, severe fatigue, joint tenderness, and stiffness. For over a year, I went through medical tests trying to find the cause of this. Nothing was ever found. I was sent to an Internal Medicine doctor, who told me that I was suffering from seasonal depression. I was put on anti-depressants. When they failed to help me, I went to another doctor who told me that I was suffering from Fibromyalgia, and that I would just have to manage the problem as best I could.
After another year, when my joints got so bad that I was in constant pain, I was told by this same doctor that I was suffering from Osteoarthritis. During this same period, I began having more neurological problems. I was tried on many different antidepressants. Some of the medications helped briefly, but then I was right back where I started.
In June, 1996, the problem had gotten even more severe. I was taken to the emergency room by my husband, after I told him I was saving up pills to put a stop to it all. There, I was diagnosed as suffering from Manic-Depression, and put on Lithium. When that failed to work, I was put on Tegratol, and later Prozac was added.
Nothing ever cleared up the problem. In fact, I began to develope phobias. I was afraid to talk to people. I hated going out of the house. I stopped going to church. I had been the president of our church circle, but had to quit. I let relationships with people I care about go. In essence, I was dropping out of life! Which leads me to mid-August of this year.
Iwas bitten by a deer tick around the 15th of August. About a week to 10 days later, I began to exhibit flu-like symptoms. I went to the Urgent Care unit at my health clinic. After ruling out a few other things, the doctor took a Lyme Titer and put me on Doxycycline. After a week on the doxycycline, in addition to my current symptoms, many of my original symptoms began to disappear. The weakness in my muscles, the blanket of fatigue that had plagued me for so many years (my energy level increased ten-fold), my constant headaches diminished, my phobias began to disappear. I lost the jaundiced look that had been part of me for so long. I was amazed, to say the least.
In the face of all this, the blood titer came out negative. But in the meantime, I had been doing research on Lyme, and had come across a doctor who specialized in treatment of Lyme. I went to see him, gave him my history, and told him of what had been happening to me since starting on Doxycycline. He told me that, regardless of what the blood titer results were, I HAD LYME DISEASE!
This doctor said there would be no other reason that the antibiotics would be helping these other problems. He told me that the blood tests for Lyme were not reliable, and that, in 1997, it is mainly a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms. He put me on antibiotics for an additional two months.
That is where I stand today. I feel like I have been set free, after years in prison, to finally enjoy the life that is going on around me.
Patricia Anne Sampson
P.S. I have finally found my peace!
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Last updated on 29 December 2000 by
Art Doherty
Lompoc, California
doherty@utech.net
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