[ Sign Guestbook ] [ View Guestbook ]

James Martin's Lyme Disease Horror Story
How Lyme Disease and Exploitation of ERISA Laws Can Destroy A Life

The only prognosis worse than "poor" (my current prognosis) is "fatal."
Granted Social Security Disability during July, 1999.

Background

I was first diagnosed with Lyme Disease (LD) in early 1996. It wasn't an easy trip getting there, even though in hind sight, it should have been an easy diagnosis.

I was a Navy brat, and spent a lot of my early childhood years in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, and California; states that are now known as highly endemic for LD. Many of our temporary homes were in rural areas, with lots of solitary walks and explorations through the woods. I don't recall any bulls-eye rashes, but there are many memories of tick removal.

My later years included 14 years as an active duty Marine, with duty stations in many interesting places. Again, many tick removals, especially after an Air-Ground exercise at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Throughout my formative years, there were many episodes of general malaise, fatigue, etc. The excruciating leg aches were attributed to growing pains. Later years brought unrelenting headaches, depression, and frequent episodes of rage disorder.

Luckily (if you can call it that), my wife Karen (who is 100% disabled by LD) and her neurologist educated me on LD, relationship disorders, and support for the afflicted. The LD checklist pointed to high-risk.

We did the usual ELISA and Western Blot stuff, which proved unequivocally positive. I even had an infectious disease specialist (who didn't "believe in" LD) state that by the CDC surveillance standards, I was the most positive case he had ever seen. He should have seen Karen's titers; they were completely off the charts. There was even a positive blood culture of B. Burgdorferi !!!

The early courses of oral antibiotics were promising, although relapses and Herx reactions necessitated sporadic on-again, off-again treatment regimens. That's when I first encountered the political, discriminatory area of LD treatment.

I was hospitalized for Deep Venous Thrombophlebitis (DVT) in April 1996. I was no stranger to episodic chronic DVT. While in the Marines, I had been hospitalized three times for it. In my subsequent civilian career, it seemed to come along every 2-3 years. On a hunch, the doctor did an esoteric test that showed a Protein-C clotting disorder. It seems that there is a high correlation between DVT, LD, and Protein-C clotting disorders. This revelation put me on lifetime Coumadin. So far, no reoccurrence of DVT.

The hospitalization came shortly after my one-year anniversary with Metromedia Restaurant Group⁽¹⁾, the holding company for Steak and Ale⁽¹⁾, Bennigan's⁽¹⁾, Ponderosa⁽¹⁾, and Bonanza⁽¹⁾. The majority of the medical bills were paid, including a brief Short Term Disability (STD) for strength recovery.

(⁽¹⁾ I can't hyperlink to them without their permission, but the current address is http://www.metromediarestaurants.com. Please let me know if this changes.)

However, one month later, I came down with an especially virulent staph infection on my nose. My eyes were swollen shut, my nose engorged 2-3 times larger than normal, and a huge pus filled draining sore. The staph infection appeared while I was taking 3 grams of Trimox a day! So, back into the hospital, on IV antibiotics. Five days later, I was ready for discharge to home health care for a daily infusion of IV antibiotics. Anyway, that was the plan.