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In 1979 I was healthy when I married my first husband. He had a rash in one armpit. It was approximately 10cms. across with a red ring around it. I was trained in Pharmacy to diagnose rashes, but this was different. We used various creams over a few weeks, but nothing worked.
A doctor took a swab and decided it was a "nerve' rash from stress, which did not make sense to us. However, cortisone cream fixed it.
I developed a flu-like illness and never recovered. My doctor tested for Mononucleosis and diabetes, but the results were negative.
At 7 months pregnant, I had severe heart palpitations. On doctor’s advice I stopped drinking caffeine, but palpitations continued. My daughter was low birth weight and had trouble feeding.
When she was six weeks old, I was deathly ill, had excruciating pain in my neck, head and spine, visual disturbances and insomnia. I couldn’t tolerate lights, noise or motion. I had severe muscle pain and weakness.
My doctor prescribed Serapax which made me feel worse. He was bewildered as I had symptoms everywhere. I lost confidence in him and found an another doctor.
The new doctor helped me with diet, B12 injections and mobilized my spine which was completely spasmed up. I became sensitive to chemicals and foods which previously never bothered me.
Pregnant again! My son was very low birth weight and had trouble feeding. When he was 6 months old I miscarried our third baby.
Over the years both children had strange symptoms. When my daughter was 9 she had high fever, headaches, neck pain and couldn’t walk. At The Royal Children's Hospital the doctors never found a cause. The walking problem lasted 2 weeks.
By 13 she was 3 years behind in her growth, according to bone scans and x-rays. She had joint pains in her knees and feet.
My son suffered diarrhea, behavior problems, depression, bed-wetting, breathing problems, rashes, headaches, blurred vision, muscle pain in the neck, knee joint pain, swollen wrists, swollen glands, sore throats, sensitivity to glare and learning disability. Specialists hospitalized him, but all tests came back negative. One doctor agreed we might all have some sort of bacteria.
Despite many hospitalizations, no cause for my illness was found. I am 46, often use a walking frame and sometimes a wheelchair. I have been told I have CFS, Fibromyalgia, M.E. possible M.S,, etc. I’ve been to over 20 G.P's, many specialists, etc. All have misdiagnosed me and sent me home with the wrong treatment.
Sadly, the 16 year marriage ended in 1993 due to pressures of illness with no explanation as to the cause or cure. We spent thousands of dollars on medical bills but nothing worked. My husband grew resentful of me being ill, and I couldn’t cope with his anger.
In 2000 I joined an internet support group. One lady recognized my symptoms as Lyme disease. Lyme is caused by a tick bite. I had never traveled to any known tick areas.
My doctor, agreed that I have symptoms of late-stage Lyme, but said there is no Lyme in Victoria.
I found an article stating that Lyme can be sexually transmitted and photos of the Erythema Chronicum Migrans rash which is a sure sign of Lyme. Photos of Lyme rashes looked identical to my ex-husband’s rash. He had traveled to coastal northern N.S.W. and Queensland prior to our marriage, which are known tick areas. I believe he was bitten by a tick and carried the spirochetal infection ever since. He told me he had the rash long before our marriage. Apparently ECM rashes can recur long after the tick bite.
The Borrelia spirochete is almost identical to Syphilis. One can be a carrier, without many symptoms. Typically, the brain and emotions are affected.
Last year, my new husband and I traveled to see Dr. Bernie Hudson, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney. Dr. Hudson agreed that Lyme disease is in Australia and could cause all of my symptoms.
Lyme is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in America next to AIDS.
American scientists found it in semen and other body fluids. People can be infected sexually and misdiagnosed as CFS, fibromyalgia, M.S., ALS, etc.
If treated early, it is mostly curable with Doxycycline. Any treatment I had would have been negated as my husband was never treated.
The misdiagnosis has cost me my career, family, finances, friendships, capabilities and almost my sanity. I am now on a Disability pension and my new husband on a Carer's pension. We were married with me in a wheelchair. At times I was so disabled that I required district nurses to sit me up in the shower. Though I look well, Lyme has affected my vision, balance, muscles, hearing, sense of smell, memory, etc.
There are no accurate tests for Lyme. Westmead Hospital test for American strains. Royal North Shore Hospital test for Australian and European strains. An antibody response may show up in early stages, but the spirochetes leave the bloodstream and go into the brain and Central Nervous System. My new husband and I have tested negative in these tests so far, common in Late-stage Lyme. Recently I tested positive on newer PCR testing with Australian Biologics. They found Lyme in my DNA.
At 22 I was working in Pharmacy and studying at night. I was not bushwalking, camping or gardening. I always lived in Melbourne and haven’t traveled much.
Some American doctors claim 90% of their CFS patients actually have Lyme. The jury is still out on Lyme in Australia. Dr. Hudson has over 200 Lyme patients. Many doctors on the East coast of Australia are treating Lyme.
May 2003
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