Alana's Fight Against Lyme Disease
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My Lyme Disease Diagnosis Journey:
Hi everyone, my name is Alana Dougall and I just got diagnosed with Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella co-infections. It's been a very long road to this diagnosis. I was really healthy up until October of 2014. I used to go to the springs here in Florida all around the state, I went camping a few times, and I played soccer recreationally after work. I was also attempting to get on track to apply to physician assistant programs, since I had completed my bachelors degree in pre-med biology. I had my life ahead of me and I wanted to help people.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I got really sick. I had an episode out of the blue where my blood pressure and heart rate spiked so high that I ended up in a trauma unit where I had to recieve adenosine to reset my heart. I started having periodic heart episodes after that, where my blood pressure was spiking to stroke risk levels, and my heart was beating extremely fast.
The only things I could think that I'd done differently prior to my heart rate and blood pressure acting up were that I had gone to the springs recently, and I had taken a third dosage of Humira for Crohn's and around that time I had developed this circular rash above my right knee.
Waiting for a bed upstairs for one of my hospitalizations:

Doctors were baffled with why my heart rate and blood pressure could be so high, and I had numerous ER visits and hospitalizations. I had multiple CT scans done of my head, chest, and abdomen, so much so, that an oncologist has told me that I have a greatly increased risk of cancer from all the scans the hospital kept doing on me.
Quite a few cardiologists tried me on almost every kind of heart medicine available, all with worse side effects. I went through 6 local cardiologists who all gave up on me. I was tried on beta blockers and calcium channel blockers, but those tanked my blood pressure. I was tried on an anti-arrhythmic heart med, because a cardiologist thought I was having SVT, but the medicine threw my heart into an abnormal heart rythm. Eventually my blood pressure started running on the low side with my heart rate still running really high, and cardiologists then tried me on mineralcorticoids to raise my blood pressure. This caused my blood pressure to become abnormally high again, and required yet another hospitalization.
The worst blood pressure I had recorded on my blood pressure cuff:

Since I was going nowhere with answers or treatment in controlling my heart rate and blood pressure and I had become bed bound by February 2015, I decided to seek answers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I was evaluated by a lot of specialists, but no one considered Lyme disease, and I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS. Doctors tried me on Ivabradine, which I also did not tolerate, and so I was told I had to live with the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome as best as I could and try to push myself to even walk around the apartment and stand or even bathe myself.
This was me trying to bike for two min after hearing I had to live with POTS:

Since my POTS diagnosis, I developed severe headaches, and my primary doctor and ER doctors said I was having migraines. I developed joint pain in my knees, hips, and ankles, and my primary doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I decided to push myself with my POTS diagnosis slowly, and over time I went from standing at 5 min at a time to being able to stand still for 15 min at a time. I could walk around for about a half hour before I had to sit down. I could sit for hours at a time without being bed ridden. By July of 2016, I was doing relatively better, but nowhere near the normal to which I was previously accustomed.
This was me in the summer of 2016, when I was feeling well enough to sit:

Unfortunately in August of 2016, I developed costochondritis, and my general doctor decided to put me on methylprednisolone for treatment. After the steroid started, my health spiraled downwards. I developed sudden hypoglycemic episodes, and I was hospitalized three times in August alone for low blood sugar. I was also having abnormal thyroid and pituitary bloodwork results, and the endocrinologist was baffled as to why.
Unfortunately, the downward spiral continued. I developed severe fatigue again, and became bedbound yet again starting in August 2016. I saw an oncologist/hematologist that evaluated me for lymphoma because my white count was really off. The oncologist said I did not have lymphoma, but couldn't explain my abnormal white counts. He did diagnose me with iron deficiency anemia. Over time, my POTS had begun to worsen again, and I ended up going into a local walk in cardiologist clinic as a last resort. I had been through 6 local cardiologists and been to the Mayo Clinic, and I was still severely sick.
Another visit to the ER:

The cardiologist that was working that day asked me about what had happened when all of these health problems had started, especially since I used to be so active and healthy except for the Crohn's disease. I told him about the springs, and the Humira and the circular rash, and he referred me to a Lyme disease specialist.
I saw the Lyme disease specialist, who ordered some specialty labs done from a lab called Igenex in Palo, Alto, CA. I got the test results back on January 5th, 2017 and I finally had a reason for why I had been sick for so long: I tested positive for Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella all from a simple tick bite.
Unfortunately I am completely broke from not being able to work since February 2015 and am currently completely bedridden. In order to get back to a regular functioning level, I need to get IVs, supplements, antibiotics, and see the doctor to even have a chance. People that don't treat Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and the Bartonella infections can die from them, especially if they aren't treated. Lyme disease can affect a lot of organs in the body and even cause heart failure.
I don't want to be sick anymore. I don't want to be bedridden anymore. I want to live my life just like anyone else, and I hate how much this disease has effected me, and how unaware of Lyme most doctors are. I hate to ask for help in covering my medical costs, but I am currently out of options, and I am not able to work right now. I want to get back to living life and being able to pursue my goals to help other people. I can't get back on track to a normal life without your help.
This is me now:

I know most people don't know a lot about Lyme disease, so if any of you would like to learn more about it, this site is great at providing additional information.
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php
Here are also two links that provide some information on the challenges of treating Lyme disease according to a Yale and Harvard physician, respectively.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-parish/where-cdc-guidelines-fail-leading-lyme-doctor-succeeds-part-1_b_9318660.html
Visiting physician sheds new light on Lyme disease On a visit to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Dr. Nevena Zubcevik challenged conventional diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases.
Thank you in advance for any help you give, or for sharing my page. I really appreciate it.
Hi everyone, my name is Alana Dougall and I just got diagnosed with Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella co-infections. It's been a very long road to this diagnosis. I was really healthy up until October of 2014. I used to go to the springs here in Florida all around the state, I went camping a few times, and I played soccer recreationally after work. I was also attempting to get on track to apply to physician assistant programs, since I had completed my bachelors degree in pre-med biology. I had my life ahead of me and I wanted to help people.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I got really sick. I had an episode out of the blue where my blood pressure and heart rate spiked so high that I ended up in a trauma unit where I had to recieve adenosine to reset my heart. I started having periodic heart episodes after that, where my blood pressure was spiking to stroke risk levels, and my heart was beating extremely fast.
The only things I could think that I'd done differently prior to my heart rate and blood pressure acting up were that I had gone to the springs recently, and I had taken a third dosage of Humira for Crohn's and around that time I had developed this circular rash above my right knee.
Waiting for a bed upstairs for one of my hospitalizations:
Doctors were baffled with why my heart rate and blood pressure could be so high, and I had numerous ER visits and hospitalizations. I had multiple CT scans done of my head, chest, and abdomen, so much so, that an oncologist has told me that I have a greatly increased risk of cancer from all the scans the hospital kept doing on me.
Quite a few cardiologists tried me on almost every kind of heart medicine available, all with worse side effects. I went through 6 local cardiologists who all gave up on me. I was tried on beta blockers and calcium channel blockers, but those tanked my blood pressure. I was tried on an anti-arrhythmic heart med, because a cardiologist thought I was having SVT, but the medicine threw my heart into an abnormal heart rythm. Eventually my blood pressure started running on the low side with my heart rate still running really high, and cardiologists then tried me on mineralcorticoids to raise my blood pressure. This caused my blood pressure to become abnormally high again, and required yet another hospitalization.
The worst blood pressure I had recorded on my blood pressure cuff:
Since I was going nowhere with answers or treatment in controlling my heart rate and blood pressure and I had become bed bound by February 2015, I decided to seek answers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I was evaluated by a lot of specialists, but no one considered Lyme disease, and I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS. Doctors tried me on Ivabradine, which I also did not tolerate, and so I was told I had to live with the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome as best as I could and try to push myself to even walk around the apartment and stand or even bathe myself.
This was me trying to bike for two min after hearing I had to live with POTS:
Since my POTS diagnosis, I developed severe headaches, and my primary doctor and ER doctors said I was having migraines. I developed joint pain in my knees, hips, and ankles, and my primary doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I decided to push myself with my POTS diagnosis slowly, and over time I went from standing at 5 min at a time to being able to stand still for 15 min at a time. I could walk around for about a half hour before I had to sit down. I could sit for hours at a time without being bed ridden. By July of 2016, I was doing relatively better, but nowhere near the normal to which I was previously accustomed.
This was me in the summer of 2016, when I was feeling well enough to sit:
Unfortunately in August of 2016, I developed costochondritis, and my general doctor decided to put me on methylprednisolone for treatment. After the steroid started, my health spiraled downwards. I developed sudden hypoglycemic episodes, and I was hospitalized three times in August alone for low blood sugar. I was also having abnormal thyroid and pituitary bloodwork results, and the endocrinologist was baffled as to why.
Unfortunately, the downward spiral continued. I developed severe fatigue again, and became bedbound yet again starting in August 2016. I saw an oncologist/hematologist that evaluated me for lymphoma because my white count was really off. The oncologist said I did not have lymphoma, but couldn't explain my abnormal white counts. He did diagnose me with iron deficiency anemia. Over time, my POTS had begun to worsen again, and I ended up going into a local walk in cardiologist clinic as a last resort. I had been through 6 local cardiologists and been to the Mayo Clinic, and I was still severely sick.
Another visit to the ER:
The cardiologist that was working that day asked me about what had happened when all of these health problems had started, especially since I used to be so active and healthy except for the Crohn's disease. I told him about the springs, and the Humira and the circular rash, and he referred me to a Lyme disease specialist.
I saw the Lyme disease specialist, who ordered some specialty labs done from a lab called Igenex in Palo, Alto, CA. I got the test results back on January 5th, 2017 and I finally had a reason for why I had been sick for so long: I tested positive for Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella all from a simple tick bite.
Unfortunately I am completely broke from not being able to work since February 2015 and am currently completely bedridden. In order to get back to a regular functioning level, I need to get IVs, supplements, antibiotics, and see the doctor to even have a chance. People that don't treat Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, and the Bartonella infections can die from them, especially if they aren't treated. Lyme disease can affect a lot of organs in the body and even cause heart failure.
I don't want to be sick anymore. I don't want to be bedridden anymore. I want to live my life just like anyone else, and I hate how much this disease has effected me, and how unaware of Lyme most doctors are. I hate to ask for help in covering my medical costs, but I am currently out of options, and I am not able to work right now. I want to get back to living life and being able to pursue my goals to help other people. I can't get back on track to a normal life without your help.
This is me now:
I know most people don't know a lot about Lyme disease, so if any of you would like to learn more about it, this site is great at providing additional information.
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php
Here are also two links that provide some information on the challenges of treating Lyme disease according to a Yale and Harvard physician, respectively.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-parish/where-cdc-guidelines-fail-leading-lyme-doctor-succeeds-part-1_b_9318660.html
Visiting physician sheds new light on Lyme disease On a visit to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Dr. Nevena Zubcevik challenged conventional diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases.
Thank you in advance for any help you give, or for sharing my page. I really appreciate it.
Organizer
Alana Dougall
Organizer
Orlando, FL