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Do Lyme disease and MS have a connection?
Thank-you Joni Mercado for sharing your story for this topic!
I was diagnosed in 1991 (could have had it much earlier) with both borderline Lyme Disease and MS. In 1982, I had optic neuritis in my left eye (inflammation of the optic nerve) treated only with oral prednisone which can make it worse if not combined with intravenous prednisolone. Two years later, it appeared in my right eye and, after a whole battery of tests, was treated the same.
A year after a traumatic event, double vision kicked in. It was treated with intravenous Rocephin for 6 months & it went away. An MRI showed 1 dot of plaque on my brainstem, almost unnoticed. I had a spinal tap which indicated MS. After a car accident in 1996 (wasn’t hurt, just shaken), my left leg became weak. I was prescribed and took two types of intramuscular drugs (Avonex & Copaxone) each for over a year. Since each was claimed to reduce relapses in MS by only 30% (what about the other 70%?), I decided to go off them. I thought “How do we know it isn’t MS going into remission on its own?”
Up to now (2018), hardly any progression since off the very expensive toxic drugs. The best thing I ever had was the intravenous antibacterial drug, Rocephin. I felt great! The insurance co. only recognized the MS, and wouldn’t pay for any further treatment then. Later, was prescribed Rocephin again, twice, with same great results!
My left leg is still a bit weak, so I use a walker for balance.
My theory then and now is that if you were bitten by a Lyme-Disease-carrying deer tick the size of a poppyseed & didn’t know it, untreated, it would have stayed dormant in your system &, over time, could alter the immune system and become MS, like Chicken Pox becoming Shingles many decades later!! Doctors didn’t believe my theory in 1991 (they said it was caused by a virus even without a known cause!) but now (2018) they think it’s possible!! Gut bacteria is now being researched!
I think researchers need to look more into a connection between Lyme & MS, with Lyme being a precursor to MS since they both occur in rural areas with similar symptoms. They should map out the areas where there are both cases of both Lyme & MS.
I would be surprised if a cure for MS ever became public because the pharmaceuticals would stand to lose billions of dollars in profit for themselves & their investors!!! -
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