Igenex Results

[Roz]

Hi Again,

I would just be sitting and at times I felt like I had run 5 miles. Does your husband have a high pulse?

Hugs, Roz

[Maz]

[user=1536]Tisch&SEB[/user] wrote:

In addition to this chronic irregularity he will sometimes have severe palpitations, where the heart is thumping much harder than normal and has NO rhythm….I sometimes describe it as listening to a percussion set fall down some stairs – just wild random beats. The first couple of times this happened, we went to the ER – but now we manage it with extra doses of the meds plus Ativan (anti-anxiety meds)—it is terrifying.

Tisch, you're absolutely right…it is terrifying and this was one of my first symptoms. You've described perfectly what I've experienced, too.

In retrospect, I was probably infected with Lyme/coinfections about 12 years ago after my first run-in with a tick embedded in my scalp. I brushed it off and never thought twice about it, but then, over the course of the next few years, lots of bizarre unrelated symptoms started….the palps and PVCs, muscle twitching, migraines, inability to tolerate heat and sweats, the occasional weird, itchy skin rash, horrible PMS and pelvic pain, etc. I searched high and low for answers to the weird, seemingly disconnected symptoms thinking it must all be related to going through the change being in my mid-40s. It was only when I developed two rashes and these evolved quickly into palindromic RA and then all out RA that the lightbulb went off. I never saw the second tick(s) and the rashes were my own clue. Without those, I may never have made the connection or sought antibiotic therapy.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about all this is that my GP never thought to test me for Lyme, when it is known to have severe cardiac implications and I live in CT, for goodness sakes. I had the EKG, holter monitor and echo, too…some irregular beats and palps were picked up, but nothing investigated and just a script for metoprolol.

You might find this link interesting. One of my LLMD's first patients was his own Dad who was told by his docs that he was on the verge of heart transplant until his own son figured out the Lyme connection and gave him a new lease on life.

http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0907/pro04.html

One thing I have found challenging with my own treatment is that certain antibiotics will cause the palps and pvcs to worsen, which may be due to herxing. Azithromycin did this to me, but so has Moxatag. Both, however, have been amazing for my Lyme/RA.

Seems the heart connection just goes with the whole Lyme picture. 🙁

Peace, Maz

 

[JBJBJB]

[user=27]Maz[/user] wrote:

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about all this is that my GP never thought to test me for Lyme, when it is known to have severe cardiac implications and I live in CT, for goodness sakes. I had the EKG, holter monitor and echo, too…some irregular beats and palps were picked up, but nothing investigated and just a script for metoprolol.

Maz,

Just recently, about a month ago, I started this irregular beats. That was when I started to have regular coffee again because I could not focus, so I thought coffee may help me to stay focus on writing.  Few days later, I had this horrified messy heart beat. I called my husband at work, also my dear friend…. she immediately told me perhaps it was the thyroid medicine I had….. any how, it lasted for 5 hours. I was about to go to the hospital that day.  Later I stopped coffee, it did not happen.

This past Saturday, I was hosting an office Christmas party. I did not have any coffee but I was totally stressed out with shopping for food, cleaning up the house, decorating…. and so on….. my messy heart beat started again as I was shopping. I took several very deep breath and tried to calm down….. I rushed over to my van and laid down for few minutes. It went away.

Very scary. I sure hope it will go away once I get on the right medication for the LD.

JB

 

[Maz]

[user=266]JBJBJB[/user] wrote:

Just recently, about a month ago, I started this irregular beats.  

JB, sorry to hear you're having this added concern now, too. 🙁

Every heart anomaly should always be assessed by your doctor, as they can be due to innumerable issues, including endocrinal imbalances (which, unfortunately, Lyme can also mess up)….but it's important to figure out what might be causing irregularities and rule other stuff out.

In the meantime, you might also like to read up on Dr J's comments about heart manifestations with Lyme disease (and other symptoms) at the following link. He's a well-known LLMD in SC (currently moving offices to Wash DC) and he appeared in the movie documentary, Under Our Skin:

http://jemsekspecialty.com/lyme_detail.php?sid=8

“Cardiovascular manifestations of Lyme disease are seen in 5% of untreated patients and are largely described as transient mild atrio-ventricular block. However, a subset of our patients has had to undergo temporary pacing of the heart due to life threatening cardiac nerve conduction disturbances. In addition, at the Jemsek Specialty Clinic we have recognized several individuals, mostly younger women, who manifested unexplained tachycardia, with heart rates in the nineties and in whom all cardiac and metabolic studies have been normal or non-diagnostic. In our limited experience with several individuals to date, after all the medical information has been processed, we find that antibiotic treatment over time tends to be associated with resolution of this problem. We would hypothesize that the events occur as a result of direct involvement of Bb at the sinus node or an extra nodal site where excitation occurs due to pathologic neurogenic changes brought on by Bb infection.”

JB, I hope you get this resolved soon, too. I know it's been a long, confusing trail at times for you, but hopefully you'll see some light soon. We're all rooting for you, girl!

Peace, Maz

[JBJBJB]

Maz,

I had this problem when I was in Houston. I was fainted one day and passed out for about few minutes, after I was conscious, my heart beats were a mess. My husband already called 911…. my neighbor was doing his residency with a very good cardiologist, so we went to see him. He did, oh my, all kind of tests and I failed stress test miserably. I passed a lot of complicated tests, including cardiac catheterization. So his conclusion was my heart was normal, I should avoid high stress situation.

As soon as I have caffeine, I have this problem. So I try to stay away from caffeine. However I never had 5 hour long palpitation. That's new.

Thanks, Maz, for the link. I will definitely ask Dr. C when I see him. Looks like I have to run another test #489 to confirm whether I have untreated Lyme Disease.

:JB

 

[Maz]

[user=266]JBJBJB[/user] wrote:

I will definitely ask Dr. C when I see him. Looks like I have to run another test #489 to confirm whether I have untreated Lyme Disease.

JB, it's good you've had a full heart work-up. If you have a recent EKG, LLMDs like to see these when you attend for your first appt, so it's good to take a copy with you (along with other relevant health records), if poss.

You probably already know that test #489 is the “31kDa Epitope Test IgG,” which IGeneX runs to rule out any possibility of cross-reactivity with certain viruses. Dr. C likely won't need this test in order to treat you for Lyme, but it might save you some money to call his office and just ask them if they would recommend you have this further testing before your appt. 😉 Of course, this must be your choice and you may prefer to have it done for peace of mind. [/size%;”>[/size]

Peace, Maz

[TischSEB]

[user=1758]Roz[/user] wrote:

Hi Again,

I would just be sitting and at times I felt like I had run 5 miles. Does your husband have a high pulse?

Hugs, Roz

Hi Roz,

No – SEB's pulse is pretty normal most of the time. We have had maybe 5 or 6 of those very crazy dramatic episodes over the past 2 years (absolutely no prior heart problems). The other irregularity is all the time tho.

We have an appt w/a LLMD in a month (soonest available) . We had started on mino way back and switched to doxy – so we will continue on that until we see the doc and talk about IV's etc…

Tisch&SEB

[TischSEB]

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