Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Lyme Disease, Not CFS

Today I saw a specialist in Lyme disease, Dr. Christine Green. She confirmed the diagnosis of Lyme disease through clinical observations and test results. I have a positive Western Blot test and a positive result for the tick carrying parasite Babesia. Dr. Green actually told me that she has never seen such high numbers on the Babesia test. We spent most of the appointment time going over my medical history. It felt strange to recall my symptoms from seven years ago. I remember exactly how my body felt when I first became sick. It is strange to think that it was seven years ago. These past seven years, in which I have struggled to regain my health, seem like they have flown by and yet, at the same time, I feel like I have been sick for decades. I spent one hour and a half with Dr. Green and I still ran out of time to recall all of my symptoms. My blood sugar dropped toward the end of the appointment and I had a hard time remembering everything that I wanted to ask her. In the middle of my story, Dr. Green talked about how I have Lyme disease. I had to stop her and ask her if she was sure. At this point, I wasn't sure what I had. All of a sudden my appointment was over. I had so many more questions. I managed to slip in a few before she left the room. She told me that in her opinion I never had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
I am completely shocked by the idea that I have been diagnosed with CFS for seven years and now it turns out that I don't even have it-I have Lyme disease instead. I know that I should be excited to finally get a diagnosis that is more precise but I am so confused. Should I believe Dr. Green? I have had so many specialists tell me that I have the disease that is their specialty. I am trying to get used to the idea that I have been misdiagnosed for seven years. What am I supposed to think about the idea that I have been taking thirteen prescription drugs for CFS for years? Did I not need them? Were they ever helpful? I need another appointment with Dr. Green so that I can ask her my questions!