Scoliosis and Lyme

For the last several years I've been having issues with my back.  My upper neck and between my shoulders constantly hurts, and when I move my neck there is a bunch of crunching and crackling noises.  I finally went to the doctor today about it.

It turns out that I have a very mild case of scoliosis.  Not the type that my back is curved, but it is actually twisted at the top of my neck.  I'm starting physical therapy soon for it, but of course, it has me thinking a lot.  Is there a connection between Lyme Disease and scoliosis?  Of course there is a possibility that it has absolutely no connection at all with Lyme Disease, but I have this gut feeling that someway, somehow there is a connection in my case.

Recently the study came out that Lyme is the only living organism that lives off manganese rather than iron.  In order for the bacterium to survive in our bodies it consumes manganese.  So, what are consequences of having a low level of manganese in the body?  Here's the list:

• Infertility
• Impaired glucose metabolism
• Diseases of the skeletal structure, and impaired growth
• Pancreatic dysfunction
• Elevated blood pressure
• Atherosclerosis
• Reduced protein metabolism
• Reduced immune function
• Ataxia
• Selenium deficiency
• Depressed activity of mammary glands in nursing mothers
• Mitochondrial abnormalities

Basically, I already have a good majority of these symptoms, and so many fellow Lyme Disease patients share these same problems already.  It is not coincidental that so many of these symptoms parallel Lyme & Co-Infections.

Anyways, scoliosis can be caused by nutritional imbalances; such as a lack of manganese.

In conclusion, I am not a doctor, the most medical training I've had is through mortuary college, but I highly believe the evidence is monumental that Lyme Disease can cause scoliosis and other injuries and deformities with bones.  I do NOT believe that everyone with back problems have Lyme Disease though, just wanted to throw that one out there.

Also, another point my doctor made was that having so much pain which is caused by Lyme, your body will contort unconsciously to help cover the pain, which can cause deformities in the spine, and pain.

I'm going to continue doing research.  Of course none of this may not make sense to anyone because I have Lyme brain, but hey, it all makes sense in my head. 

Disability

Definitely a bittersweet feeling.  March 4th I applied for Medicaid and Disability  there is no way I can work during my recovery at this moment.  After being prepared to be denied, and having to go through the fight for several years, I got a call today saying I was approved for both Medicaid and SSI.

It's such a relief, I have been panicking about money and trying to figure out a way for me to have a job, to get money to save, so after treatment I can finally move out of my parents house.  Not to mention the ridiculously HUGE stack of hospital bills I have yet to pay.  Disability said they would back pay any bills that I have after Nov. 2012.

It's a big relief, but it's also such a crushing, sad feeling.  I don't know what else to say.

Surprise Root Canal

Since my previous post I've been to the dentist and was surprised with a root canal.  How fun.  I've been doing a lot of research, still, on the link between Lyme Disease and teeth decay.  I've had a hard time finding information that isn't posted on forums, but actual articles.  But I think I finally hit the jackpot today!  I found an interview with a dentist that describes exactly what I am currently going through.  

As I mentioned before, my cavities have been coming from the inside out, which is unusual, but according to this dentist who has worked with a bunch of Lyme patients before, the spirochetes of Lyme like to reside inside the tubules of the teeth, which is also a location where the antibiotics will not reach.  Even to what the dentist has said about which teeth Lyme typically affect first are my exact teeth.  

"It is my experience that Lyme gravitates especially to the upper and lower centrals, and to the upper and lower first molars. That's eight teeth."

I asked my dentist if he thought maybe the decay in my teeth had anything to do with the antibiotics, he didn't think so.  I do find it quite a coincidence that I haven't been to the dentist since 2006, and suddenly after being on IV antibiotics and having some of the worse Lyme symptoms I've ever had, three of my teeth have broken in less than two months.  Plus, the flagyl and cleocin IVs that I'm on turn my tongue brown and orange, so there's something going on in my mouth.

Who really knows for sure though.  I'm pretty confident that all this has to do with Lyme, yet another super fun side effect of just super fun disease.  I got back to the dentist on Monday to get the last of the area's repaired, then hopefully I'll have no more dental problems.  I'm hoping that chapter of my Lyme will be finished soon.