Audrey M's Story
I was at a friend's house not too far from where I live. We were outside for
the day. I never thought anything about ticks and having trouble.
I found one on me, in the triceps area of my arm. It had been there all day
feeding, but not full. I did not remove it the way I should have. I caused it
to put more infection in me by burning it. I called the doctor at the
hospital and he said "what the hell are you doing calling me at this hospital
Emergency Room over a damn tick?" We don't have Lyme in this area.
Well,
after that I never thought any more about it. I listened to an idiot.
Six months later my face was going numb and I was very dizzy. I went to the
doctor, but he could not find anything wrong. I proceeded to get worse; Infections one
after the other.
I got very tired and could not do as much. I was race walking 10 miles a day
(sometimes two times the 10). I was always like this I did not understand.
I
started having migraines constantly. Then my eyes felt like they were going
to fall out bulging from pressure. Then my knees were killing me. I could not
put my arms above my head for very long. I was a volunteer for building our
meeting places for church.
I had to quit. This hurt not be able to do what I use to. I could hardly move
by the second year. My regular MD was very understanding.
I had to get financial help with my medical bills; they're were up to $5,000.
I went to one specialist after another. They said that nothing was wrong -- that I was not dying from cancer or some other disease.
They said that I suffered from depression and that they had a drug that would help me; Prozac.
This was a doctor from Ku hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Well, I told her
"let me cut your arm off and tell you it does not hurt
-- that it's all in your head!"
She said we can tell you're so depressed from the way you're acting.
I said to
her "I'm not giving up and all of you can take the Prozac yourself because
your going to need it." I went to their head doctor and he said agreed that I was
depressed.
I told him to take his own pills. I went back to my doctor and
told him how I was treated and he cried for me. I felt sad for him. He moved to
Texas and the new doctor came from Colorado and she said "this sounds like
Lyme Disease."
I started crying because there was a problem. Just to know that there was an
illness causing my suffering gave me some hope. I was so sick hurting all the time
everywhere.
So I tried and lost 10 lbs. You could tell.
She caught the problem and the test showed positive. The medicine used to treat the Lyme infection was
Rocephin, but it cost $2,000, and I did not have the money. So the new
doctor got real nasty about the money and denied my having Lyme, so I got a hold of the test report. I had fun with this.
I sent a copy to all of the doctors they had me see at Kansas City, KU hospital, and told them "next time listen your patients and I sent an article about Lyme with it and let them have it.
I want to tell you also what I have been doing to help people.
I have put stories in the local paper and getting the word out about the
ticks here. Then I have been taking classes to help others with exercise.
I'm a personal trainer. I want to go their homes and help them build their
strength back up. They can contact me for help.
Audrey Martiny,
913-285-1607
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