My mom has these bout's of visual disturbances as if her eyes are crossing. Which makes her vision blurry but, her eyes feel like they are going cross eyed. She can close one eye and have her vision return to normal and the episodes only last for 20 to 45 seconds. The last one however lasted almost 1 minute. She has had an MRI and a CT that showed that she has had 50 to 100 mini-strokes. You could see this on the scan. They are all old infarcts nothing showing anything current. She also has a slight headache daily but, she does not have the eye crossing daily. She also had a bunch of labwork and her ANA reflexive came back positive as SSO RA 2.2. She is on Topamax now (to see if it helps the HA's which it has kept them to a dull ache) Any thoughts on this?
What type of visual disturbances? Like Carol, I think, I assumed this meant the visual disturbances were mutually exclusive of the Bell's Palsy...but if the visual disturbances occurred in one eye (i.e. her eyesight was worsening and things were becoming more blurry) as a result of the palsy, itself, this could lead to temporary or permanent visual disturbances that might not necessarily be evident as tissue damage this early in the progression of the disease.
Was there anything noted on the MRI? Or was it just completely normal? Was it done with a contrast agent?
What bloodwork (aside from CBC and the general things) was tested? Anything for rare diseases? Was her ESR measured, or a thyroid panel done?
Oh dear, if your physician ruled out Lyme Disease because the Lyme titer was negative, then he doesn't realize that Lyme is a clinical diagnosis.
Clinical diagnosis means that the diagnosis is made based on the patient's history and symptoms.
Labs test for antibodies to one strain of Lyme...there are several hundred strains, so tests are likely to miss it.
Most physicians are not willing to make a clinical diagnosis for Lyme. If the lab tests come back negative, they tell the patient that he doesn't have Lyme.
If you want to do additional research, see Wild Condor's Lyme Links.
http://www.wildcondor.com/lymelinks.html
If the url is removed, you can google for the title.
Another thing you could do would be to post an inquiry at a Lyme support group, like the flash discussion group at LymeNet (dot org).
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php
They can help you find a physician who is very familiar with tick borne infection.
Lyme bacteria infect the nerves. When they infect the cranial nerves, they can cause visual symptoms. The doctor may not be able to see any tissue damage within the eyeball.
Best,
Carol
Thanks for your kind assistance. Fortunately, the neuro-opthamologist did rule out Lyme and MS (MRI and Lyme titers negative) but this guy actually knows Lyme disease, and checked her eyes for any interior tissue damage evidence. Thankfully, there's none.
No, she did not have the rash. In spite of that, Lyme was my suspected diagnosis also, until someone knowledgeable ruled it out.
persistentmom
My vote is Lyme disease, too. Did her bloodwork include a Lyme titer? This is often overlooked by doctors simply because they don't think of it. Did she ever notice a rash anywhere on her body in the weeks prior to the onset of the Bell's palsy? Typically, the classic Lyme disease sign--the "Bull's eye" rash--occurs behind a knee or an arm.
I hope your daughter gets well soon!
Regarding the fatigue, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum has a book, "From Fatigued to Fantastic," with many treatment ideas. You can look it up at Amazon and read the reviews, and also go to his website, endfatigue (dotcom).
There are a number of supplements that you can use to help fatigue.
Bell's Palsy is one of the presenting symptoms for Lyme Disease.
Your daughter's other symptoms could also be Lyme.
If she was tested for Lyme, be aware that the tests are not reliable and miss many people who have it. Because of this, Lyme should be diagnosed by considering the patient's symptoms and history, which is known as a clinical diagnosis.
Wishing you the best,
Carol