Did anyone have Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (chickenpox virus reactivation, often misdiagnosed as Bell`s palsy) or shingles before or since diagnosed with Lyme?
RHS is often `caused` by an underlying condition that weakend the immunsystem, in my case probably lyme. Anyone? (hope none of you <3, for RHS is just awful too).
Many thanks
Hi RHS,
I did have terrible bell's palsy right when I got infected with lyme- I do not think it was RHS but acknowledge the possibility. Can you tell us more about it and how it exacerbates (or doesn't) your lyme symptoms? Are you in treatment for either or both? I look forward to getting to know you more!
Hi slmo, dkel9307,
I have heard so many different opinions that I am not sure about anything - please note, nothing is 100%.
Wish I was a doctor :)
After the childhood chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus remains dormant living on nerve endings in the brain and reactivates later in life, due to a weakend immune-system, extreme stress, older age, etc.
RHS came and I was told it was either the stress or the immune system was already weakend by another underlying condition, this is why they started to investigate and got to lyme, which is not sure yet (second blood sample sent to prove, they wrote something about the possibility of `false positive`?). Would explain a lot of things.
Back to the point, RHS (herpes zoster oticus) is often misdiagnosed as Bell`s palsy, given the similarities and the tendency of overlooking patients complaints, especially in the cases sine herpete, where blisters are not present, as in most RHS cases they are.
RHS:
- blisters (not always)
- VZV proven by laboratory tests makes sure it is RHS
- very strong pain in the ear (and often head, neck)
- the ear istelf is painful and swollen (in my case), noice sensitivity, unable to tell direction of noice, tinnitis, temporary hearing loss
- neurological problems, dizzyness, vertigo, dysequilibrium, nausea and vomiting (due to vertigo), vision problems, not present in Bell`s. These take months to recover if ever. i have them on and off now.
- responds to a much higher dose of medication (4000 antivirals a day and steroids)
I could see the difference for myself, because there was a Bell`s palsy patient on the ward in the hospital,for a few days and she was walking around feeling relatively ok with not much medication, coming to see me often :) for we had the same looks...
slmo, what does it mean your Bell`s comes and goes? <3 dkel9307 hope you get better very soon <3
Hi dkel,
I also experience stuttering and stammering...going ot the neurologist next week and will ask her opinion.