Have You Had A Tick Bite Before RA?

I have heard that it is really hard to detect Lyme sometimes. In the back of my mind or maybe in my RA denial mind I have wondered if maybe this could be Lyme. 2 reasons. I do not remember being bitten by a tick but my husband hunts and walks the woods often. He himself has had Lyme. What's to say a tick didn't crawl off him onto me while I was sleeping? The deer tick is such a small thing maybe it ate until it was full and inconspicuously fell off. You don't always get a rash. Although I can never remember feeling flu-like either. Prior to RA I was as healthy as a horse. That's why when it took me out at the knees over night it was even more distressing to me.
2nd reason. This Lyme thing with my husband was many years ago yet in this place in time he has more pain, achilles tendonitis, plantar faciitis (sp), shoulders hurt, elbow, hands, etc. This has been going on for at least the last year or more. He has complained to his regular doctor who doesn't re test him for Lyme and really the way he goes on about his pain I have often told him he should go to my RD and ask about RA. He is suffering far worse than me with my RA. Of course there are some men who will not listen and he is one of them. I have gotten to the point where I get angry about his complaining because I figure if it was that bad he would do something about it and I have my own which he ignores. But my point is- how likely would it be that a husband & wife would both get RA? I mean in the US it is said that only 1-2% of all people have RA so how could that be? Does he have something that just mimics RA? Or do I have something that is being treated as RA but is not?
I was tested for Lyme pre DX but I have heard that there are only a couple of labs in the US that use a sensitive specialized test that really picks it up.
I forget what symptoms were present in my husband when he had his test that was sent to one of those labs. He did a round of doxycline or something spelled close to that. I think it can lay dormant and come back. I'm not sure but you would think that his dr. would have a light bulb go off in his head. I mean he has all his past records right?
I am sero negative for RF so my dx was made by the following conclusion. Woke up one morning all joints hurt like I had the flu but no respiratory ailments. Over the next couple of days it got so bad to move a centimeter caused pain bad enough for me to cry and that's not me. I have a very high threshold for pain. Blood tests revealed off the charts inflammation marker but no RF, no lyme, no parvo, no hepatitis, no anything. Got worse. Swelled up in the hands and feet to the point I looked like Shrek. Joints were so hot they sweat. Prednisone wasn't touching it at 20 mgs a day. Lost 23 lbs. in 2 weeks. Had pain cycles that lasted 12 hrs being at 11 PM at night. The pain was symmetrical. The nights were torture. I was up all night- all alone and so bad I couldn't even walk on my own to the bathroom anymore. In the am when my husband got up he would have to yank me to my feet. Spent weeks in a recliner chair because if I got in bed all joints froze up and it terrified me. I couldn't get out without being yanked out by the scruf of my night gown.) I would waver upon being put in the standing position and could not move for about 15 mins. Not sure if I couldn't or was too afraid to take the first step because it hurt so bad. I felt like my feet were broken. Like I was walking on shattered bones. Doctors were baffled. I did not sleep a wink for 2 weeks the pain was so bad which caused me to be so weak I couldn't even sit up unassisted. Said it was RA but after MTX and pred, diuretics, (and a crap load of prescription pain meds) did not improve my condition sent me for a CT of the head, chest, abdomen to look for a malignancy. That came back clear on Christmas Eve- thank you Lord for this Christmas present. it was absolutely horrific. I have never been so scared in all my life. I was afraid I was going to die and afraid that I wouldn't die. I changed to my present RD my RA presentation was the worst he's seen in all his years of practice. (he must be in his 70's) He upped my prednisone to 40 mgs a day and again- overnight- I became "well". It was not really well but such an improvement it was a miracle. I was able to move and walk on my own. Within a month (I pushed it but that's how I am) I was back to work full time and part time at night doing my husband's office work. I have not had a major flare since and I think that is why my RD is so ambivalent about my bearable daily pain & fatigue. For a long time I was most grateful too but 3 years later I want to feel pre-RA and I don't think that's too much to ask.
How did I get off on that? Well I guess it is to say I really don't think 40 mgs of prednisone would cure Lyme so I guess I have RA.

I tapered off the prednisone a long time ago. Like a year and a half ago.