Adios Killer Bees!
Several years ago when my Lyme symptoms continued to multiply, I began to have a very bad reaction to the cold. When I would go into even cool places, like the grocery store or try to hold a cold drink, my hands would tingle and burn as if being poked all over by tiny needles. The stinging usually happened when I got back into a warm environment and they started to warm up again, but did not go away quickly. Often while I was in the grocery store they would burn and tingle the whole time so that I was rubbing them on my pants, creating friction and warmth as well as sort of scratching them trying alleviate the pain. It was as if I was being stung by hundreds of bees. It would happen to my feet if they got cold as well, but it was mostly my hands that were exposed. For years, it was just one more reason I hated going to the grocery store or outside in any weather under about 70 degrees.
One extra cold winter it was frozen outside and I went out to feed my horses. I had to break the ice in their water trough and even though I wasn't out there a really long time, maybe 20 minutes, when I got back in I had what I can only describe as what felt like an allergic reaction to the cold. My hands started their terrible stinging, but it didn't end there. I got this horrible feeling in my body as if histamines were going crazy. It was a sort of buzzing feeling and I felt panicky. I would compare it to nausea, although it was not nausea, it was as if I was having a severe allergic reaction and needed a an epinephrine shot. It's the only way I can describe it. It was awful. I ran my hands under very warm water to try and warm them up rapidly, but this did little to speed the process. The blood vessels would not expand and the stinging continued for what seemed like forever. I ran the water hotter and that helped. All in all, it may have only been about a half hour episode, but it was very scary and one of those things I just never forgot.
I later was diagnosed with Secondary Raynaud's Syndrome. This is when your blood vessels contract in the cold and they do not open back up when you get warm. Some people have this as a Primary condition, but mine was due to my Lyme Disease. I can't prove it, but nobody in my family has ever had this condition and I have a huge extended family. I never had this condition until my Lyme symptoms started. Since then, I've had this condition for years and dread winter, cold days and going to the grocery store because of it. It's just one more way Lyme has destroyed my quality of life and caused me to have anxiety about finding myself in situations that trigger it.
The past month we've had some really cold weather and it's been frozen many nights. I have to feed my horses twice a day, morning and late at night and it's during the coldest parts of the day. I noticed that I have not been having my reactions when I come back in. My hands warm up normally without the feeling like they are being attacked by killer bees. I am usually fine when I'm actually out in the cold~ my hands are freezing, but I'm only out there 5-10 minutes, then I come back in. Some days I am out there 30-45 minutes shoveling manure and I come back in and wait for the horrible stinging pain to start and...... I wait and wait... and then my hands just get warm normally! For the past month, in spite of freezing temperatures, my Raynaulds seems to be gone!
I still do have body temperature fluctuations due strictly to hormonal changes, and my hands do often feel more cold than they should, but there is a distinct difference between this discomfort and a Raynauds attack. When I have my body temp drops during PMS and I can't get warm, my hands and feet do feel like they are freezing and I am just cold all over. I have a down comforter on over my electric blanket and hours later, my hands and feet are still like ice, but that is different than my Raynaulds reactions. Maybe someday those will be gone, too.
So, for now this is HUGE for me. After years and years of suffering from this, dreading the grocery store, not being able to hold cold things, and having terrible, painful reactions every time I go out to feed, I seem to be free of this symptom! WOO HOO!!!
More about Raynauds Syndrome:
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/raynauds_phenomenon/raynauds_ff.asp
Hola Champagne!
I also got to drink a whole glass of Champagne at Christmas without feeling like I had alchohol poisoning and being hungover for 3 days. For years, I could not drink any alchohol AT ALL. I was never a 'drinker', but enjoyed a glass or two of champange or wine at Christmas, New Year, Mother's Day... a few times a year at family gatherings.
Over the years as the Lyme progressed, alchohol had a stronger and stronger effect on me. I would almost immediately get a headache and feel very buzzed after only a half a glass (like... a champagne flute size-maybe 4 ounces!) of champagne. One year after Christmas, I had had maybe two glasses of champagne. I was so incredibly sick- for 3 days I was in bed hungover as if I had drank a gallon of moonshine. It was pure hell. I had not drank a sip of alchohol since.
Well, this year I was feeling very brave and sassy, so I bought a bottle of my favorite champs and had a whole glass! ( woo hoo~ this is how former Lymies whoop it up. LOL! :) And in spite of it being an extremely stressful time for me with Christmas and the worst possible hormonal time of the month, I had no hangover! NO headache, no negative effects. I really am feeling all around better, but this was really a biggie for me. It's a relief to know I can enjoy a little glass of champs again without enduring a 'Hell Week' aftermath.
....And no more 'hoarse' epidsodes. I can't say for sure when these left me, because I would have to know when my last one was, but it was probably at least a year ago? Maybe more? It was very common for me to have epidsodes where I sounded like I was getting laryngitis, but I wasn't . I would just go hoarse randomly as a Lyme symptom. That seems to be a thing of the past.. it's been long enough since I've had it that I can't even remember when the last time was :) Let's hope it's gone for good!
I am sure there are many more symptoms that have faded in severity or are gone, but I would have to go over my enormous list and I don't feel up to it right now. Maybe a good thing to do in January 2017 :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!