Link between Lyme Disease and Fibromyalgia

For my fellow sufferers....seems interesting, yet, are they any closer to finding a way to help??!!

http://www.envita.com/lyme-disease/the-surprising-link-between-fibromyalgia-and-lyme-disease/

I was never checked for Lyme disease because it is very uncommon in Australia. However, most of my symptoms and the way I became sick are remarkably similar to it! Except there is no noticeable inflammation. Also, someone else in my hometown got chronic fatigue syndrome during the same few months that I got FMS/CFS... wonder if there's a connection?

I've read that Australian testing for Lyme's isn't very accurate anyway, so I'd probably have to go overseas to be tested, but my health and finances are such that I don't see myself going overseas for several years yet. And I suppose it's unlikely that I have Lyme's (no observable inflammation) so it wouldn't be worth the trip anyway.

How can someone have both Lyme and fibro?

I have noticed that in someone (I forget who)'s diagnoses list before and always thought that was strange. I thought chronic Lyme was a differential diagnosis for fibro (something that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of fibro is made, [even though in reality many doctors don't test for it and some don't even believe it exists]). Meaning if you have Lyme you don't have fibro. If you look at the symptoms of fibro, they can all be due to Lyme. So I don't understand how one could have both? The only situation I could imagine would be if someone was diagnosed with fibro before they contracted the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and it was certain. But I find that situation highly unlikely.

clarie said...
Usually one of the illnesses that the doctors rule out is Lyme disease when you present them with symptoms like fibro.

Dr won't just dx someone with FMS right away, it's usually the last one when all other illnesses has been ruled out.

Maybe you should have said a GOOD doctor. In my experience doctors either just told me I had "depression" or "anxiety", or said that my symptoms were "all in my head", or told me to "wait and see" if it got better, or they said I had fibromyalgia without doing many tests for other conditions. I'm sure it greatly depends on where you are located, how persistant you are, what you can afford (or whether you have insurance or live somewhere with socialized insurance like me), what your medical history is like and who your doctor is. Only recently have I been getting lots of tests because I finally have a good doctor currently and I am very assertive and demanding and have done tons of my own research.

Jasmine Grace said...
I was never checked for Lyme disease because it is very uncommon in Australia. However, most of my symptoms and the way I became sick are remarkably similar to it! Except there is no noticeable inflammation. Also, someone else in my hometown got chronic fatigue syndrome during the same few months that I got FMS/CFS... wonder if there's a connection?

I've read that Australian testing for Lyme's isn't very accurate anyway, so I'd probably have to go overseas to be tested, but my health and finances are such that I don't see myself going overseas for several years yet. And I suppose it's unlikely that I have Lyme's (no observable inflammation) so it wouldn't be worth the trip anyway.

I don't think you would have to travel to the US, couldn't they send a blood sample to a US lab? Maybe many Australian doctors won't believe your results if you do test positive for Lyme but it would be nice to know. I saw a tv show about a whole family in Australia who was diagnosed with Lyme. They think they passed it by blood to each other. Lyme is definitely way under-diagnosed, even in places where it is much more common. And some in the medical profession still don't believe in chronic Lyme disease, (they think it's not a chronic active infection, or some don't even believe in "post-Lyme syndrome"). The more research I did about Lyme the less I knew what to think/believe about it. For example there is all this controversy about Lyme and Lyme testing. The standard widely-accepted tests that the regulatory bodies approve of often give false negatives. However, the specialty tests that a lot of people are testing positive on are not as widely accepted outside of the chronic Lyme-specialist community and some have concerns that might be giving false positives. Then there is the whole other huge issue of if you do have chronic Lyme disease or whatever you want to call it, can you treat it or how should you treat it.

I'm sure you could do some research online on how to get tested locally if you're interested, it just might not be cheap - I'm not sure how the health care system works in Australia.

Hi Shygal122, good question! I have Never been tested for Lyme and I've been diagnosed Fibro by 3 rheumie's and 2 neurologists, and yes I have symptoms that definitely could be Lyme. Persistence and going outside the box are definitely required to get a Lyme positive diagnosis, which is also true for EBV/CFS which I do have and which so-called doctors won't even acknowledge let alone treat. And guess what the symptoms of EBV also parallel the ones for Lyme disease

Sherrine - You never answered my question: how can someone have fibro and Lyme?

Jasmine - Whether or not to tell a new doctor that another doctor has diagnosed you with fibro is a very good question. It's a tough one and I think it depends on the doctor. With some doctors you could tell them that another doctor has suggested you may have fibro and/or CFS but you feel that you did not receive proper testing to rule out other similar conditions (that's what I told my doctor). But with other doctors they may just think you're being difficult and unwilling to accept your diagnosis and not take you seriously - that has definitely happened to me before - so for those type it might be best to not tell them and have it influence their thinking. I wouldn't really want a doctor like that anyway, but we don't always have much choice. And of course you may not be able to get a sense of a doctor and how they might react beforehand. Sorry I am probably not helping you decide! :)