Hello Dr. Agarwal!
It’s been several months since I saw you and at that time you asked me to update you on my condition and referred me to Dr. Elizabeth Morrison-Banks at UCR for help with a diagnosis. I can’t thank you enough for the referral because after several months and loads of testing, she found I had Lyme disease. Although I was an avid runner and hiker, I was shocked at the diagnosis as the only place I’ve been outside of California in the last several years is NYC.
I began treatment in July of daily infusions of Ceftriaxone and about halfway through the treatment something happened and I was flattened. It became hard to walk, eat, move my hands and legs, my vision declined and I was achey all over. Dr. Morrison-Banks sent me to an infectious disease Dr. at UCI, Dr. Cesario, and he verified that I did in fact have Lyme (which apparently is sometimes misdiagnosed) and infection was clear. He and Dr. Morrison-Banks both agree I likely had an immune reaction to the treatment and are moving forward to see if there’s any medical treatment that can help.
I’m in physical therapy and am happy to say although my recovery is slow I do see improvement. I’m walking without a walker, the pain is less, I have more energy and I’m keeping my weight steady. I do believe this will be a long road to recovery and will involve patience, work and adaptation to the new me. I quit my job which allows me the time to recover and I have a loving husband and kids that support me. I’m not sure I’ll ever be a marathon runner again, but I can see a time in the very near future when I can drive and walk my dog. My life is much simpler and that’s been a blessing to me and my family.
I feel confident in my recovery and hopeful for the future partly because God’s always blessed me with a “glass is half full” attitude, I’ve been blessed with an army of support but also because I have a team of commited doctors that are taking good care of me. I have you to thank for starting me on the road to diagnosis and recovery. I will forever be grateful to you.
Have a wonderful day,
D.R.