Bug bites? Rash??

It could be lyme related, but it may also be a side effect of a medication you are taking. Did you look up the possible side effects to everything you are on??

I've been having symptoms for months, all of which are usually mild enough not to interfere with my work days, but bad enough that I can no longer do any real exercise. (This bug bite thing is throwing me for a loop though!) My other symptoms, which come and go, are:

Dizziness/Lightheadedness/Vertigo – This is the most constant of all my symptoms. Have not felt completely “normal” since the end of September/early October. Good days I just feel “off”…like the world isn’t real. Other days I’m lightheaded – “medicine-head”, like I took cold medicine and am slightly off balance. Often (but not always) I feel dizzy, where I have to focus when I’m walking to continue to walk straight. Off and on I get vertigo, where either the world tips sideways or the floor rises up toward me. Certain situations make it worse – like grocery stores or other brightly lit, large rooms. I have a particularly difficult time during meetings at work - LOL!

Headaches – Feels like it's my sinuses, but CT scan was normal

Eye irritation – Has happened 3-4 times in the past 3-4 months. Right eye only, inner half gets very red, dry, and irritated. Goes away in 2-3 days.

Throat/Ear pain – Feels like I’m about to get sick with a cold, but it always goes away in a day or so...then it comes back.

Fatigue – Always tired, regardless of how I sleep. Any physical activity wipes me out. Walking the dogs (same walk I've done for years) is exhausting – all I can think about the whole time is sitting down to rest.

Facial “numbness” – Not true numbness, but right cheek feels “thick”.

Air Hunger – Frequently throughout the day I get the sudden need to take a deep breath – and I HAVE TO take this breath. I usually can, and I do feel better afterwards, but the feeling always comes back.

Neck stiffness/pain – Always wake up stiff; changed pillow 3 times so far with no luck. Left side of the neck hurts – usually when I’m carrying/pulling something with my left hand. Feels like it’s at the base of my neck where it meets my shoulder, underneath collar bone. Comes and goes.

Knee pain/discomfort – Knees ache when at rest, almost always at night. Feels like “growing pains”. Can’t get into a comfortable position, and my right knee is worse. Doesn't hurt to move them, activity doesn't seem to make it any better or worse. Knees do feel “crumbly” during the day – feels like when I squat or kneel, my knees are about to give out or just fall apart. Not painful, but uncomfortable. Has been off/on since October, but is daily now. No swelling.

Ankle pain – Right ankle has hurt off/on since December, but is constant now. Different from knee pain, in that it hurts to put weight on it (going down stairs). Is achy at rest, like knees. No swelling. Worst in AM, seems to loosen up during the day.

I was bit by a deer tick back in November 2011, but was given 2 weeks of Doxy right away. The tick head stayed stuck in me for over a month before it worked its way out. The bite never formed a rash, but did become a small, round, red, itchy bump. This bump lasted for about 9 months, and has disappeared and reappeared several times since. I was also bit by something else back in May, which looked exactly the same as the tick bite. It is only just fading now, so we'll see if it comes back.

My doctor did an MRI (neg), cortisol test (normal), and CT scan of my sinuses (neg)...and pretty much gave up after that. I requested my medical records from her 3 weeks ago and am still waiting for them. Once I have them, I plan to make an appointment with a new PCP, and go from there.