Lyme disease..?

LoveLee85 · March 2015

well, I had my 13 week check up. Good news baby looks good. Not so great news, I told my midwife about a few issues I have had for three weeks...she and the dr think it's Lyme disease. I'm floored. They scheduled blood test and such but the medicine they would give me I can't take while pregnant! I know nothing about Lyme and made the mistake of googling it. I'm terrified. It can be passed to the baby apparently(?!). Also, it's VERY a controversial(?!). Most doctors won't acknowledge its existence(?!). She said even if my blood test comes back negative I can still have it. The test isn't 100%? WHAAAAA?? I have myself so worked up about my babies health. That is ALL I care about.

Does anyone have experience with Lyme Disease? I never had the symptoms until I was pregnant.

My DH was already over the top supportive, but he somehow managed to bring that up ten levels since this afternoons findings.

Melzig76 · March 2015

Oh no!! I'm sorry, such a paniced place to be in. And the waiting is the worst.

Lymes is one of those tricky ones to detect because it can take time to fully become detectable (90-120 ish days), but can also lay unsymptomatic for a while. Lymes is a huge issue in California east to the Rocky Mountains with several variations of ticks who carry it & most prominently carried/moved/distributed by grey squirels.

I hope if that is what it is, they are able to catch it & considering they have medication you CAN take will pg is great. If it is I would ask them to talk to specialist, for you and baby just to cover your ground.

rachel4733 · March 2015

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I had been in treatment for Lyme disease for about a year before I found out I was pregnant (unexpectedly...I would have ideally liked to wait until I was out of treatment until having a baby). Lyme disease IS serious, but in most cases not as bad as you've read. Passing it to the baby is a very serious risk, so you need to get on antibiotics and in front of a Lyme specialist ASAP (there are some you can take while pregnant safely)...I have been and will be on them my entire pregnancy. Do NOT allow yourself to be treated by a GP or OB because Lyme is very tricky and they are not equipped to deal with it. You also need to get your Vitamin D levels checked and probably get on a supplement because Lyme zaps your Vitamin D. My practitioner advised that the baby's cord blood will need to be tested when it's born to see if it has Lyme. If it does, it will need to be treated once it's 3 months old. She said babies are much easier to treat than adults, so that is great news. I'm sorry if I'm making this sound super scary, but I just want to make sure you're getting all the info you need quickly. Lyme is not always as scary as all of the things you Google, it depends on how bad your infection is...I personally only found out I had it because I started having bladder issues. I have no other symptoms. If you didn't have symptoms until you were pregnant, hopefully your infection isn't that bad either. However, I will warn you the longer you have had it, the longer it takes to get rid of it (you may have had it for years without knowing...my practitioner believes I've had it for over 10 years). But please try not to freak yourself out, there is nothing you can do at the point but go forward. Knowing you have it is half the battle because it often mimics other diseases. It does not cause birth defects or anything like that, so at least that should ease your mind. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to talk. Good luck!

twinamato · March 2015

Oh no!! I do not have experience with Lyme Disease... Only that a friend of mine has it and it wasn't figured out that was what it was for YEARS!!! Doctors told her it was a gluten allergy

now that she knows what it is, proper steps are being taken and her life is better.. She isn't Oregon though!!

CEW225 · March 2015

I don't have experience with Lyme disease myself, but I have a friend who has been affected tremendously. However, the reason she is in such serious condition is because her original doctor did not believe Lyme disease existed in our area (when we have tons of ticks), so she went untreated for months. This caused the disease to really do a number on her body. I will not go into all of her issues because I don't want to terrify you. If you want to know specifics, you are welcome to PM me. However, her new doctor, who actually believes her and is currently trying to treat her said that, if she would have begun taking antibiotics and such as soon as she went to the doctor the first time, she would be perfectly fine.

As long as you get treated early, the issues you have will be minimal in comparison. The test can come back negative in the beginning, but a good doctor (I believe) will treat you anyway. I also agree with a PP. You are better off to let your regular doctor (or even a specific lyme disease doctor) handle this. Just make sure that you are in communication with your OB about your medications and such. It is true that some doctors/insurance companies do not believe in Lyme disease, especially something known as chronic Lyme disease, which is what they believe my friend has. The CDC doesn't even acknowledge its existence from what I have been told, which is why there are so many problems.

I hope I'm not scaring you. Don't freak out or panic! Things will be taken care of. PM me if you'd like any more info!

LoveLee85 · March 2015

Thank you, ladies. I'm not going to lie I am in a little bit of a panic. I've been hearing about lots of very devastating stories because doctors didn't believe people, and then it went undiagnosed for years or decades!!! That's when the serious issues occur! How awful! I just know I need to get in front of this for the sake of my baby and myself!

I could use all the extra prayers anyone can give. Thank you so much.

npierce19 · March 2015

How terrifying, I would be freaking out too if I were you! I am so sorry you are dealing with this!! I don't have any advice, but just want you to know that I am sending prayers your way for a good outcome. Take care, and best of luck!!

dmbfan46835 · March 2015

Oh man, so sorry. I was diagnosed but they don't know the type. My GP sent me to the Cleveland clinic because they couldn't figure out the cause of my issues. I tested positive for lymes but not the common 17 they test for with the western blot test. But there are like 96 strains and they are unable to pinpoint which I have so treatment is difficult. And like the other posters state, many docs won't acknowledge the disease and even more have no treatments to recommend but antibiotics, which also won't solve the issue. My MIL and her sister both have Bartonella and have been on antibiotics for years and still test positive. They are both chronically exhausted, have numerous food allergies and tons of joint pain. Visit you local co-op or health food shop and see if they can recommend anything homeopathic for you in the meantime. I don't recommend the antibiotics as they generally do more harm than good and will absolutely destroy your stomach. Baby will be fine, many people have lymes and never even know it. Best of luck to you!

Lyme disease..?

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