Wednesday, June 1, 2011

From Lyme's to Lemonade!!!

In my Rock4Today that I posted yesterday, I mentioned that I was struggling with some health issues.  In case you were curious, today's blog will be a bit of an explanation.

Almost three weeks ago, my husband removed a tick from my right side that was out of my peripheral vision and my reach.  We were getting ready for a trip to Georgia to visit my baby sis for her birthday.  Along the way I also wanted to see first hand the devastation from the Mississippi flooding and the Alabama tornadoes.

We were somewhat overwhelmed with all the damage we saw, but had a good visit with my sis.  Thoughts of the tick bite did not enter my mind.

On the way home, I started getting headaches and a stiff neck.  My side felt a bit sore, like I had overdone exercising or pulled a muscle.  I didn't think anything of it - just thought I was stiff and sore from travelling and being in the truck so much.

When we got home almost a week later, the soreness on my side seemed worse.  I still had the headaches with the pain beginning to progress into my ear and the left side of my face.  Still, I did not associate it with the tick bite.  A few days later when the pain was getting to be a bit unbearable, I looked at my right side and was shocked to find a red ring of rash (petechiae) around the tick bite area. 

The tick had been small and did not look like the one in the picture at this slide show link, but I did have a rashy looking ring about 3 inches in diameter that encircled the bite, and compared to the one in  slide 6 of this same link.  It had  a hard lump under it, was painful, and was very warm to the touch.  Being a registered nurse, I went straight to my text books as well as the Web, and found the tale-tale evidence that appeared to point to Lyme's Disease, then called my doctor's office.

Since my regular doctor was unavailable, I went to see my nurse practitioner friend.  She concurred with me that it did look like Lyme's.  She placed me on the proper med treatment for Lyme's, and had blood tests drawn to confirm it.

I ASKED PEOPLE TO PRAY to the God of Heaven for me!  I had seen the results of Lyme's Disease first hand, and I wanted no part of it!

The anti-infective medicine began to clear the tick bite symptoms gradually, but the facial pain worsened with each day causing excrutiating pain.  Room temperature food was all I could handle, and even that seemed to set off worsening bursts of extreme discomfort.  I began to wonder if I had something else going on as well.

Then the test came back NEGATIVE for Lyme's Disease!  I was very perplexed.  After praying to The God of Heaven for wisdom, I called my dentist for an appointment.  An abscessed tooth,  now ruptured and draining, appeared to be the cause of the extreme facial pain and headaches. 

An added strong antibiotic to the medication regimen is already making a difference, and I am beginning to feel like my old self.  Tomorrow I have a follow up appointment for my dentist to try to fix and preserve my tooth.

Many thanks to The God of Heaven for revealing the mystery and the secret for relief!  I thank and praise Him that I didn't go into septic shock from the releasing of the poison from the abscess into my system.  I also praise Him that the pressure on my trigeminal facial nerve did not cause the paralysis of Bells Palsy.  So much to be thankful for!!!

Very soon I hope to be able to enjoy a glass of cold lemonade without grimacing in pain!  Not too sure I want to try any limeade for awhile...

For prevention of Lyme's Disease or other tick related illnesses, visit this site.


To blog hop, check out the interesting sites of Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday, and Charlotte and Ginger's Spiritual Sundays!



13 comments:

Shirley said...

So thankful your mystery is solved. Bless your heart, it is so exasperating when you just don't know what to do, but you do know that the God who created us can also take care of us to. btw, the Lemonade sounds awfully good!
Love and Blessings to you!

CB said...

Wow what an ordeal. I had a tick when I was a kid and it was so strange and icky.
I'm glad you figured out what was causing all the health issues.
I also wanted to say "Hi" and thank for coming over to my book blog.
My parents live in the Ozarks too and love it. It is beautiful there!

Joan Hall said...

Esther, I am thankful you didn't have Lymes, and equally so that the abcess was discovered.

Praising Jehovah Rapha - The God who heals.

Blessings,
Joan

Pamela said...

Medical issues seem much worse when we don't know what it is. Once we know, it can either be treated or dealt with. I'm so happy you were able to find out and it was something "fixable."

Praise to "the God of Heaven."
Blessings,
Pamela

Anonymous said...

As I said in my email, I'm so glad it wasn't Lyme disease. Abscessed tooth is not fun, but more easily "fixed". Glad you shared the story here.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Musings of A Minister said...

Thanks for sharing your experience. This is a very informative post. I'm glad you are feeling better. Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

This is a timely post, as with summer here more and more folks are getting outdoors. There are many hazards... lyme disease, snake bits,spider bites, etc. We all need to be careful and pay attention. May God continue to heal you.

Nikki (Sarah) said...

I am soo glad you're getting back to normal. That's a pretty awful experience. I agree with WW about this being a good post b/c of summer and the possiblity of it happening to others. Take gentle care....

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

Praise the Lord! What a terrible experience,it's always the not knowing that can be so hard. I hope that your feeling normal soon.
God Bless,
Ginger

jenn said...

hi! thanks so much for the comment you left on the picky post, the eighteenth. i appreciate the perspective. :]

Annesphamily said...

What a terrible experience! I am so glad you are recovering nicely. I was a young teen and had a tick in the base of my neck. My sister was frosting my hair and the hair dye drew him out. My ex BIL pulled that tick from my neck! I am grateful he removed it all! I will pray that you continue to heal. we all need to be more aware of the seasons and the danger that does lurk. I agree with WW and Sarah. Blessings to you! Anne

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

I agree with those that commented...Praise the Lord! Happy to hear that you are doing better...and prayers for progress for all parts to be completely restored!

Blessigns & Aloha!

Lynn said...

Hi Esther, My name is Lynn and this is my first week on Spiritual Sundays. Praise Him that you did not have Lymme disease and that the real cause of your pain was found and dealt with. One can never have too much prayer and prayers work miracles. I have seen this in my life and others since I was saved in 1977. Hope to get to know you better as the weeks go on. Thank you for an uplifting, good news post today. May your week be blessed and may your enjoy your cold lemonade.