I was born and raised in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. Growing up here in the 60s, 70s and 80s was an amazing experience. Whether hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating, you name it, we were always outdoors. Ticks were never really a fear or concern back then, but the state and local governments would also spray insecticides from planes and tanker trucks would travel through our neighborhoods emitting blue clouds of "smoke". This must have helped a lot because my first recollection of seeing a tick wasn't until I was in my late 30s or early 40s. But the environmentalists had already gotten involved and ended the insect control measures claiming it was harming the environment. Since then, there has been an explosion in the tick population.
Over the years, I have taken various precautions to reduce my family's exposure. (We actually lost a dog about 15 years ago due to Lyme.) So now we treat the yard every spring with granulated insecticide. Our dogs wear flea and tick collars, and more recently, they get monthly doses of expensive meds prescribed by the vet for prevention. While this has helped, it's not a guarantee. Several months ago, I felt something crawling on my arm. I looked down and saw a tick. It was early morning, and I was in my kitchen, in my house, trying to cook breakfast. I hadn't even been outside yet. They are everywhere...
A few months ago, my normal "old age" aches and pains began to get worse. Much worse. It became excruciating just to stand up. My energy levels dropped to where I didn't want to do anything. I had a constant nagging headache and began running a fever. So I decided I needed to see my doctor and they did blood work. I was diagnosed with both influenza B AND Covid together as well as testing positive for Lyme, so I was put on antibiotics. I spent the next 3 days in bed with a rash that covered about 70% of my body, cold sweats, hallucinations and severe pain. Once I got over that, at least well enough to move around, I found the joint and muscle pain still hadn't gone away. My headache still persisted and my right eye was starting to droop a little. I chalked that up to just not being entirely over it yet.
This continued a few more days and then I began having some problems speaking. My speech was slurred but cleared up after a few minutes. It only happened very briefly but then it occurred a few more times over the next day or so and progressively had gotten worse. I had no control of my mouth and couldn't pronounce any words. Fearing a stroke, I went to the local ER. It was determined that I did not have a stroke, but my heart rate was very low at about 40 BPM and they decided I needed more specialized care. So I was transferred by ambulance to the ER in Plattsburgh about an hour away. This is when things got scary...
The ER did a bunch of tests and ran another ECG. They confirmed my heart wasn't working as it should and told me I had Lyme Carditis which is a serious condition and causes Heart Block. Heart block is a condition where the electrical signals in the heart are disrupted, affecting the heartbeat. It occurs when the signals that control the heart's rhythm are slowed or blocked as they travel from the upper chambers (atria) to the lower chambers (ventricles).
There are 3 different types of heart block:
First-degree heart block: The electrical signals are slowed but still reach the ventricles.
Second-degree heart block: Some signals do not reach the ventricles, causing missed heartbeats.
Third-degree heart block: No signals reach the ventricles, leading to a complete blockage, which is the most serious type. Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness, and fainting, and treatment options vary based on the severity of the block. See more here:
It was determined that I was Third-degree, and I was moved into the cardiac care unit. I was put on IV antibiotics and monitored closely 24/7 because there was the risk of total heart failure. After 3 or 4 days, some of this is still a blur to me, I was moved upstairs but still being continuously monitored. It was also determined that the Lyme caused my facial palsy and all the other symptoms I had. I was seen by multiple doctors including Infectious Disease and Cardiologists. Because I never saw the tick that bit me, and all the symptoms I had, it's assumed I was bitten months ago. Possibly as much as a year or more. Lyme disease also has three stages. See more info here from the Mayo Clinic:
After nearly 3 1/2 weeks of constant monitoring at the hospital, daily IV antibiotic injections, dozens of EKGs, a stress test, numerous blood samples, an MRI, a nuclear bone density test, a few CT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds, my heart still did not improve. It was hoped that with the antibiotics that my heart would return to normal. It did not. So my only other option was to have a pacemaker put in. Not wanting to spend another minute in the hospital, I agreed. The idea being that the pacemaker could possibly be temporary and if my heart bounced back to normal, it could be removed. The surgery was done and I was released the next day. Oral antibiotics were ordered for two more weeks. Two weeks after the procedure, I had a follow up with the cariologists. The pacemaker was being used 99.6% of the time. So, no improvement on the Heart block. I continue struggling with shortness of breath, the facial palsy which affects my eyes/double vision, speech and swallowing. When brushing my teeth I can't even gargle or spit. Eating and drinking is a real challenge, and the joint pain is still impacting everything I do. On top of all this, my short-term memory has been affected and obviously all this can't help but cause depression.
This has been very challenging and is having a negative impact on my daily life as well as my family's. Work is out of the question so we must live off our limited savings. This site was created in the hopes of further spreading the knowledge about Lyme and its vast complications. I'm sharing my struggles here with the hope of helping others to prepare and avoid what I am going through.
Remember, all this was caused by a bite from a bug as small as a mustard seed.