Lyme – Beyond the edge

Well, my GP prescribed more drugs; what a star!  That’s me well beyond the edge of what others have had, and particularly the English doctor whose article in the British Medical Journal started it off.  She went 24 weeks on this combination.  It was, probably, influenced by the news that I will be out of his care by mid-August as we have finally found a buyer for our house.  The stress of organising a house move in a short time, to rented accommodation 700 miles away (and yet to be identified), will probably have some impact on my recovery, but hey-ho.

So I’m trying to decide now whether to stop taking medication when my present stash runs out at the end of this week (32 weeks) and hold the new prescription, of 8 weeks worth, in reserve for any major relapse.  When we get to Devon I’m going to have to find a new GP, preferably one with an open mind (experience of treating Lyme would be too much to expect) but that will take time and, with ‘no fixed abode’, we will probably be treated as temporary residents.  The NHS is a national resource, but Scotland has devolved health care so my GP is writing a “to whom it may concern” letter, to help introductions to new doctors.  He’s also getting my blood test records to take away: I asked for the full record, that is not just “Positive” or “Negative” but exactly the type of test, where it was done and the detailed results (in medic speak).

Meanwhile I’ve had a mini-relapse: some tingling (including a new one on my face, like shingles), ankle swelling, tiredness, muscle pains and spasms.  This has prompted me to wonder if, after all, there is some grain of truth in the orthodox medical position that after appropriate treatment there is such a thing as “post-treatment syndrome”.  I don’t want to believe that after 31 straight weeks of aggressive treatment the Lyme has had a resurgence.  Perhaps it’s the first impact of house-moving stress?