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SYMPTOM CHECK LIST NAME_______________________________________DATE__________________ RISK PROFILE (PLEASE CHECK)
2. Unexplained weight change--loss or gain 3. Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina 4. Unexplained hair loss 5. Swollen glands: list areas_______________________________ 6. Sore throat 7. Testicular pain/pelvic pain 8. Unexplained menstrual irregularity 9. Unexplained milk production: breast pain 10.Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction 11.Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido 12.Upset stomach or abdominal pain 13.Change in bowel function-constipation, diarrhea 14.Chest pain or rib soreness 15.Shortness of breath, cough 16.Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block 17.Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse? 18.Joint pain or swelling: list joints________________________ 19.Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back 20.Muscle pain or cramps 21.Twitching of the face or other muscles 22.Headache 23.Neck creeks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain 24.Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin hypersensitivity 25.Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy) 26.Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity 27.Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity 28.lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance 29.Lightheadedness, wooziness, unavoidable need to sit or lie down 30.Tremor 31.Confusion, difficulty in thinking 32.Diffculty with concentration, reading 33.Forgetfulness, poor short term memory, poor attention, problem absorbing new information 34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places 35.Difficulty with speech or writing; word or name block 36.Mood swings, irritability, depression 37.Disturbed sleep-too much, too little, fractionated, early awakening 38.Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol Later symptoms (i.e., after a few months without proper treatment): Frequent and easy bruising Hoarseness Drippy nose, especially in the mornings Night sweats ("sweats" mentioned above) Unusual tastes or smells Elevated blood pressure Nausea ("upset stomach" mentioned above) Periodic, 36-hour headaches (headaches mentioned above) Mild, random dizziness (lightheadedness, wooziness mentioned above) Tendon problems - hands/fingers temporarily lock into unusual positions Painful teeth Lower back pain - occasional and unexplained White spots on fingernails, ridging and cracking of fingernails Alternating warm/cool sensations at various locations in body Increased dreams and/or nightmares Slurring of speech (difficulty with speech mentioned above) Constant low body temperature Personal note: Watch for small itchy blisters that are irritated by the sun along with a raised itchy red rash which is also irritated by the sun. Strokes and unexplained suicides. I am interested in talking with persons who have had some of the above symptoms along with a sudden onset of osteoarthritis. e-mail: Return to top: Lyme Symptoms THE TREATMENT OF LYME DISEASE. October 20th/01. There has been much controversy regarding the treatment of LYME disease. There is one small fraction medical doctors that supports the theory that a single dose of doxycycline is sufficient to cure and prevent the development of this disease. There is another group that are adamant that the maximum therapy with any antibiotic is three weeks. Internationally the majority of Lyme literate physicians use two to three weeks of antibiotics after the initial bite of a Ixodes wood-tick (Scapularis or Pacificum in North America)). However if the treatment is delayed more than this time period the disease spreads very quickly into the systemic system and rapidly progresses into the second and third stage of this infestation. The alacrity of the infestation and difficulty of treatment depends on many factors, virulence of the spirochete (300 sub- species ), personal immunity( and other health problems of chronic nature in the patient such as immuno-compromised states ie. a loss of a spleen) the mutations and the protective capsule or cystic formation etc, etc. . The treatment then becomes more difficult and combinations of antibiotics and intravenous therapy becomes necessary to eradicate the infectious agent from the entire body of a patient. As it was with syphilis every organ in the body in invaded without exception. To understand the hardy nature of this spirochete , the wood tick life cycle is about two years and during this time both the wood-tick and the agent must survive extreme heat and harsh sub-zero conditions. In the free form they cannot survive but in the cystic state they have been found to revert to the free form even after being subjected to freeze-thawing conditions. (Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia.) When a person is bitten by an arthropod there is the contamination by both the spirochete and as well the cystic form from the bowel contents of the tick. The cystic form can mature depending on the environment and release the free form anytime up to four weeks in the human or animal body. Thus a single dose in the first stage of this disease, and three weeks of doxycycline in the second stage could be inadequate to completely treat the cycles of the cystic or encapsulated form. If the treatment time is delayed beyond two or three weeks following the wood-tick bite ,treatment must be a minimum of three months. The combination of drugs are often necessary to treat late stages until the patient is symptom free for two months, and in Neuroborelliosis the long term intravenous third generation cephlosporins are indicated. Dr. Ernie Murakami ,B.A, M.D. Clinical Associate Professor , UBC Medical School; Consultant in Lyme Disease Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine. Return to top: Lyme Symptoms 'Bull's-Eye' Lyme Disease Rash Not Most Common NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Mar 20 - While the classic rash of Lyme disease is an expanding erythematous skin lesion with partial central clearing, a new report indicates that most patients actually have homogeneous lesions. Dr. Robert P. Smith, from Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Portland, and colleagues characterized early Lyme disease in 118 patients with microbiologically confirmed erythema migrans. The researchers' findings are published in the March 19th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Patients typically presented about 3 days after symptom onset. Only 9% of patients had the classic bull's-eye rash, the researchers note. Fifty-nine percent of patients had rashes with homogeneous pattern and 32% had rashes with dense central erythema. The most common symptoms associated with erythema migrans were nonspecific flu-like symptoms. Nearly a third of patients reported a fever, but in only 6% was it confirmed at office evaluation. IgM or IgG antibody responses to Borrelia burgdorferi were detected in about a third of acute phase samples and in about two-thirds of convalescent-phase samples, the authors note. Most patients responded rapidly to antibiotic therapy. "In major endemic areas in the US, Lyme disease commonly presents as erythema migrans with homogeneous or central redness and nonspecific flu-like symptoms," the researchers state. In a related editorial, Dr. Robert B. Nadelman and Dr. Gary P. Wormser, from New York Medical College in Valhalla, comment that the current findings are important because they help dispel the myth that Lyme disease always involves a bull's-eye rash. The Silent Pandemic | Osteoarthritis | Fibromyalgia | Research | BC News | West Nile Virus | Brucellosis | Links | Contact |
