After a long process, Rózsa was diagnosed with Lyme borreliosis.
How did she contract the disease?
We have a small vineyard. I think she was bitten by a tick there in early spring. But it could also have happened in Bázakerettye, in the forest, during a hike. I had no red spots or visible tick bites. My symptoms began in early spring 2004, but at the time I didn’t know they were symptoms of Lyme disease. There were times when I woke up at night with chills so severe that even several duvets couldn’t keep me warm; only a hot bath helped. We were naive back then and didn’t know that this was one of the symptoms of Lyme disease, which may have been its first manifestation. Then my ankle started to hurt terribly, and I could barely walk on it. But even then I still went to work, I didn’t think much of it, I tried to choose shoes that wouldn’t hurt, I took medication, I put up with the pain for a while.
When did the situation become urgent?
It was the end of May, and I had a day off from work. I wanted to get up in the morning, but my legs simply wouldn’t support me, and I collapsed next to the bed. My husband took me to the doctor immediately. Every joint from my hips down hurt terribly, and I could barely stand. The GP diagnosed me with polyarthritis. I was treated for this symptom until September. I went from doctor to doctor, but they couldn’t diagnose my problem, so I ended up seeing a neurologist, whose first question was whether my blood had been tested for Lyme disease. I said no, because my GP didn’t suspect it. Then my test came back positive, and we confirmed that the disease was Lyme borreliosis.
How was the treatment carried out?
I was transferred to the infectious diseases ward in Szekszárd and given antibiotics, but when I left the hospital, my lab results were still positive. After the antibiotic treatment, my symptoms would subside and then flare up again. But I couldn’t figure out what was causing it: my temperature, my diet, or something else. A few years later, I had another serological test, which also came back positive. The doctor prescribed doxycycline, but the medicine made me feel nauseous all the time, so I had to stop taking it. Next came Rocephin infusions, which helped a lot, but the doctor said they were too expensive, so we stopped. Then, at the age of 55, I was dismissed from my job as a cashier, and a year later I developed a tumour on my neck, which turned out to be the result of a bacterial infection. The next blow was stomach cancer, I lost my stomach, and I have been living without a stomach for five years now.
What advice would you give to others in the same situation?
I would be happy if my advice helped even two or three people in the same situation. Perhaps the most important thing is that if you experience severe pain with no known cause, you should see a doctor immediately and not let them brush you off! When my story unfolded, doctors were perhaps less familiar with Lyme disease than they are today. If no one knows what is wrong with us, but the symptoms persist, we should suspect Lyme disease and have the appropriate diagnostic tests done!
Source: weborvos.hu
