My new life...

I still continued to get some headaches from my eyes to the top of my head.  One time, it hurt so bad that I called my GP and asked to see if the RMSF was back or maybe it never go away.  She assured me that it was gone and I was just having tension headaches.  I had my doubts though.   These headaches were not like any I had experienced before the RMSF.  I also had an ongoing neck ache/stiffness.  I thought that I just slept on it wrong with all my pillows or it was our mattress.  It had been bothering me for a very long time.  I never thought that the two could be related.  I just brushed my neck issues aside and dealt with it daily. Assuming stress was surely the cause, as I was closing my business of 7 years and dealing with landlord issues.

When they tested me for RMSF, they noticed I was also anemic.  They checked it each time they tested my titers for RMSF, but it was always the same.  I went to see to my GYN in November and she found a had a large fibroid tumor and I needed a hysterectomy.  So, after Christmas, I closed my business in Jan. and in Feb. I had my surgery.  It went well and I didn't notice anything unusual, until in April, when I started my p/t job at the library.

As I began to settle into my new job and I tried to get my energy up, I noticed a few things that had me worried.  I had become some what ADHD,  I could write stories, like I loved to do and I was having problems remembering things that I should know.  Like for example, I "love" to sing in the car, always have, always will.  I would hear a song I have known all my life and start to sing it and I would forget the lyrics.  I knew, I should know them and then I would get upset, because my brain was trying to remember, but I couldn't!  I became dyslexic. I switched letters when typing and I transposed words that began the same.  (Ex. restroom/rest area, or book/bag.) Yes, I know you all will say, "I do that too," but this was different.  I felt my brain not responding correctly to things.

At work, I would see a screen on my computer and I totally didn't recognize it.  I would ask my manager, what it was and she would explain it to me.  Then about 10 minutes later I recognized it and couldn't understand why I didn't before.  Sometimes, I got into the car and I couldn't remember where the turn signal was or how it worked.  Jeff said, it happens to all of us, but I knew, it was not right for me to do this.  Or driving in town and suddenly not sure how to get to some place I know. Then the really scary thing was when one of my friends from the my store "2P's", was at Dollar Tree. I saw her and as I started to say, "Hello Tracy," I couldn't remember her name.  My brain actually hurt, from me trying so hard to remember.  After about 10 minutes, I remembered.  It scared me, so I went to see my GP, again.  She assured me it was the Pristiq, that I was taking for my anxiety and it was normal.  It happens to her, she said, it's okay.

This time, I didn't believe her.

To be continued...

The Beginning or so I thought...

I have been deciding if I wanted to blog about how my life has changed and how I am trying to live each day to the fullest.  I know many won't care, but I feel the need to do this for myself.  So...

Let's see, where do I begin?

In August of 2012, our oldest was leaving to go to college and it was really stressful for us, being our first time of having one of our babes leave the nest.  On our trip, up to the college, I had such a horrible headache. Something I usually didn't get.  I had a small headache off and on for about 3 weeks before and usually Ibuprofen helped relieve it.  This one was so intense that nothing really was working,  not even my prescription meds.  I also noticed, I was bumping into things, dropping things, and felt like I was speaking slowly, my face felt like it was drooping on one side and lots of confusion. I constantly asked my friend if my speech was slurred or was I drooling?  I was convinced I had a brain tumor.

I went to the doctor on the Monday after.  She tested me for Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. She asked if I had been bitten recently. Since we moved to Bedford County in 1998, it has been nothing to get bitten by several ticks each year. I always looked for bulls eye rash and a fever.  I didn't have any of those signs. So, I thought nothing of the tick bites. She gave me a shot to help with the headache pain and said "I am going to start treating you for a tick illness, but I don't think you have one. If I don't, you might not be here to know the results, if it is positive."  I remember thinking "oh no, what have I got?"  I started Doxycycline  for 14 days.  Ironically, our dog Maggie was taking the same thing for ehrlichiosis, but her dose was stronger than mine.  Interesting.  My test came back borderline for RMSF, therefore a "positive."  I was retested two weeks later and it was definitely positive.  I was prescripted another 14 days of doxycycline to take.  "Doxy" is a really harsh antibiotic, that makes you very nauseous.  BTW, it was a $4 prescription then, but not anymore.  Now, its around $150 +/-.  Interesting, I wonder why?  I was retested in four weeks and my numbers had dropped a little.  That showed that my body was taking care of the RMSF and I would be ok.   So they assured me.  

In Sept./Oct., I started have a lot of palpitations and with my anxiety, I was getting afraid.  I went to my friends cardiologist to see what he said.  He was really nice and I took my friend with me to take notes of what he said.   He did an EKG and after my insistence, put a 24 hour heart monitor on me.  Everything was fine!  He explained to me how people have these all the time and for no reason.  Many people didn't even notice them. Like I could do that!

TO BE CONTINUED...