Tinnitus
Chronic Lyme Disease
// Filed in: Chronic Lyme Disease
Chronic Lyme disease is controversial. It is what appears to affect those of us who still suffer from Lyme symptoms after finishing a standard IDSA recommended dosage of antibiotics. In some cases, chronic Lyme manifests in Lyme patients who received antibiotics for treatment, but weren't given a strong enough dose for a long enough time.
Some Lyme symptoms seem almost livable. Tinnitus, for example. Talking from personal experience only, I can live with it. This is not to say that I like it. On the contrary. I'm a classically trained musician, peculiarly sensitive to noise. You know those people who wince at the out-of-tune piano at the community concert? That would be me. I'm not exactly proud of that, just sayin'. So, losing my hearing partially to tinnitus has really sliced into my enjoyment of natural sounds. The tinnitus might go away some day. For now, it sure seems chronic. There are metallic crickets playing at varying volumes inside my head, 24/7.
Other chronic Lyme symptoms are far more serious. For example, medical evidence suggests that rheumatoid arthritis is one result of untreated, or undertreated Lyme disease. As many as 60% of people with untreated Lyme may develop chronic arthritis.
Central nervous problems, such as facial paralysis and meningitis are said to occur in 10 to 20% of people who are undertreated or never treated for Lyme.
Heart symptoms occur in a small percentage of Lyme patients. A jumpy, pounding irregular heart can vary the gamut from being not at all bothersome, to very scary. The jumpiness can occur either because of an infection in the heart, or an electrical conduction that requires the patient have a pacemaker implanted.
Chronic Lyme is controversial because doctors don't all agree that these long-term symptoms of Lyme are indeed still considered Lyme. Whatever you call them, they need to be tended to.
Some Lyme symptoms seem almost livable. Tinnitus, for example. Talking from personal experience only, I can live with it. This is not to say that I like it. On the contrary. I'm a classically trained musician, peculiarly sensitive to noise. You know those people who wince at the out-of-tune piano at the community concert? That would be me. I'm not exactly proud of that, just sayin'. So, losing my hearing partially to tinnitus has really sliced into my enjoyment of natural sounds. The tinnitus might go away some day. For now, it sure seems chronic. There are metallic crickets playing at varying volumes inside my head, 24/7.
Other chronic Lyme symptoms are far more serious. For example, medical evidence suggests that rheumatoid arthritis is one result of untreated, or undertreated Lyme disease. As many as 60% of people with untreated Lyme may develop chronic arthritis.
Central nervous problems, such as facial paralysis and meningitis are said to occur in 10 to 20% of people who are undertreated or never treated for Lyme.
Heart symptoms occur in a small percentage of Lyme patients. A jumpy, pounding irregular heart can vary the gamut from being not at all bothersome, to very scary. The jumpiness can occur either because of an infection in the heart, or an electrical conduction that requires the patient have a pacemaker implanted.
Chronic Lyme is controversial because doctors don't all agree that these long-term symptoms of Lyme are indeed still considered Lyme. Whatever you call them, they need to be tended to.