SAN RAMON — Dr. David Martz thought he was going to die.
In fall 2003, the energetic 62-year-old suddenly found himself becoming exhausted after only about 30 minutes of activity. Arthritis had set in. His muscles weakened.
"The doctors were perplexed," said Martz, a physician living in Colorado Springs, Colo. "It didn’t make any sense."
His condition worsened. After a battery of tests, Martz was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig disease, a nerve cell-degeneration disease that causes loss of muscle movement and eventually death.
Martz wasn’t convinced of that diagnosis, however, and upon retesting, learned he had Lyme disease.
After starting an antibiotic regimen, the symptoms slowed and within months, his condition improved. After a year of the antibiotics, the ALS symptoms had gone away, he said. Though he’s not 100 percent, his symptoms are far from as severe as they were seven years ago.
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I too am in the process of possibly being diagnosed with ALS, but the Bulbous type (which scares the death out of me). I have had slurred speech for about 4 months, and they have ruled out MS and any obvious strokes with a MRI. Do you know if lyme disease can manifest itself 30-40 years after being bitten? I was bitten by a tick in 1970, then in 1981 woke up one morning unable to lift my head without excruciating pain (on the verge of faiting). They did a spinal tap and CT scan, and had conferences on me. I was not able to sit up for 3 months and had many neurological effects (extremely sensitive nerve endings in my face, unable to have anything against my neck). But the strange thing was, I could sing without pain. Now, with the slurred speech, I can sing without a prioblem. The slurring seems to be becoming more consistent. I's better when I'm relaxed, worse when I'm talking on the phone or when i have to read out loud. Any ideas?? Eloise
Eloise: Yes, Lyme can sometimes manifest itself many many years after a tick bite. Apparently the immune system can sometimes hold problems at bay, until something happens to tip the balance. Then, symptoms can come crashing through. Given that you've been worked up for many ailments already, it seems reasonable to get evaluated for Lyme as well.