Possible Lymes Disease?

Hello everyone I've finally decided to make a post regarding my story.
I am a healthy 19 year old who has never had health problems. about a month ago I started having jaw discomfort, neck pain and stiffness, and shoulder discomfort all on my right side. A day later I started to get sick with a cold. This cold was weird because I felt so bad I thought I had the flu. Went to the doctor and I didn't have flu but she did some bloodwork (CBC) and everything was normal- no viral infections showed. The doctor still gave me some amoxicillin for a possible sinus infection. My cold went away after running its course but I went back to the doctor a week later for extreme fatigue, malaise, and nausea. The Doctor ran more blood tests and the only thing she found was that my vit d was 25 mg/nl which was a little low. I finished the antibiotics after 10 days and felt better except for some fatigue and anxiety?? I felt good for about a week when I started to go downhill again. I've been to the doctor 2 times since and one ordered an -MRI and the other tested for lymes. The test was negative but I am still very sure I have it. They also tested for mono which was negative. All my blood work has been fine. I've felt bad everyday for the past two weeks and here are my symptoms:
- flushed face/feeling feverish but no fever
- extreme fatigue
- Peeing a lot
- Upset stomach/constipation/diarrhea
- Joint pain in my back, shoulders, fingers & cracking/popping in my back, shoulders, neck, fingers, knees, wrists, ankles.
- Muscle tightness in shoulders
- Random ear pain/bad tinnitus
- Off and on sore throat & swollen lymph nodes & a lot of drainage
- Head tension/pressure headaches in the back of head (mild)
- Sensitivity to sound when symptoms are bad
- Bad lower back pain
- Waking up with hip pain and joint pain
- random chest pains
- Getting extremely tired and out of breath performing simple activities which causes my heart rate to rise
- Random muscle twitching all over
- Sleeping a lot
- off and on poor appetite
- Random shakes/tremors
- Cold hands and feet
- Increase in anxiety
- Depression/mood swings (never before been depressed)
- Itching a lot
- I had a weird rash on my legs after I showered the other day but it went away but it wasn't the bulls eye rash
I think I listed them all. They come and go and some days I feel worse than others. I know negative Lyme tests are common so I'm thinking of seeing an LLMD. Also- my father had lymes a few years ago but got it treated successfully. And I live in the mountains with a huge yard, hay field and woods surrounding my house. I also have a dog which we found a deer tick on about 2 months ago and he sleeps with me. I'm not sure if I've been bitten. I was hoping to get some opinions on possible lymes disease because I feel hopeless right about now. Thanks!

Post Edited (Hprice111) : 2/9/2018 1:05:02 PM (GMT-7)

Hi Hprice - welcome!

Well, those symptoms certainly could be attributed to Lyme disease.

I think it would be wise, as Japerilla mentioned for you to see a LLMD for an evaluation.

We can help you find one: Start new thread: "Looking for LLMD in/near_____" and fill in the blank with your location.
Then enable your email option (through "my profile") so members here can send you some names. we don't post the LLMD names on the forum for their privacy.

You can also email me...and I will see what I have listed for your location. Just click on the envelope under my screen name - on the left.

Additionaly, you can contact ILADS for referrals:

ilads.org/ilads_media/physician-referral/

Just stopping by to say Hi and welcome to our group.

Remember to ask any questions you need to and if your just having a bad day there is a lot of support here to help you get through it.

Take care and I wish you the best of healing, Jo

Hprice,

Welcome! I have or had all those symptoms at some point, including the flushed face that I've rarely seen others talk about. Your symptoms sound like Lyme PLUS bartonella and babesia to me. When choosing an LLMD, I highly recommend you choose one who knows and treats coinfections and takes them seriously.

My impression is that coinfections tend to cause the most problems and complicate treatment. Some doctors overemphasize the Lyme and treat coinfections as if they're rare or relatively benign. Just so you know, testing for coinfections is even more unreliable than testing for Lyme, and a really good, knowledgeable LLMD should be able to clinically diagnose you should tests come up negative.

Are you taking vitamin D? Low levels can be a Lyme symptom. Zinc and its ratio to copper is also important for regulating the immune system.

Hprice,

I read through your entire post again. You have a LOT of symptoms that sound like Bartonella to me. The bartonella gurus are right there in your state. Take a look at this: /www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2013/12/05/bartonella-is-everywhere-so-why-dont-we-know-more-about-it/

If you're interested, you can start treating yourself with herbs until you get a doctor. Many of us are doing Stephen Buhner's protocols for the infections. He has books on Lyme and all the major coinfections that are some of the best reference resources around and details full herbal treatment protocols for each infection, as well as herbs that can help with specific symptoms.

Based on your symptoms, some good herbs to start with would be Japanese knotweed, eleuthero, danshen/skullcap combo, and IHA formula (isatis/houttynia/alchornia) or sida acuta. Woodlandessence has all of these herbs. These can be used with antibiotics if you choose to use antibiotics once you get a doctor.

TONSILS:
I would not be in a rush to remove any body parts unless there is a medical emergency. God put those parts there for a reason, even if doctors do not know what that reason is. Bartonella causes swollen glands. Red root and salvia miltiorhiza (danshen) are excellent herbs to reduce swelling in the glands. The longer you deal with Lyme and coinfections and the more you educate yourself, you will learn all sorts of things mainstream (and even alternative) doctors do not know and cannot tell you.

Hprice,

I just now picked up the part where you said you had mono 2 years ago. When we get Lyme, it is very common for viruse to get reactivated. Buhner also has an Herbal Antibiotic book and an Herbal Antiviral book. He does have a treatment regimen for EBV. If you're interested, just let me know. Buhner's book indicates EBV can cause severe fatigue and very painful sore throat.

Mycoplasma pneumonia also causes significant fatigue and is often part of the lovely infection mess we get.

Hello all, thank you so much for your replies!!! A little update- I'm still on an emotional roller coaster- I have noticed that I'll have a couple good days where I can go be a somewhat normal person again and other days I can barely even leave my bed. When I'm at my worst my main symptoms are- fatigue that makes it even hard to wake up and stay awake, tinnitus, visual snow, eye pain, headaches, stiff shoulder and neck muscles, extreme malaise, and feeling flushed/hot, and just completely out of it. I have also noticed neck/throats pain and discomfort in the front of my neck (which kinda freaks me out). Mornings are the hardest as my symptoms are the worst then, but I've noticed getting out of bed and making myself (when I can) get up and start my day and moving around helps usually!!! I am currently having awful tinnitus and fatigue. I am trying my best to stay positive and hopeful, and really appreciate the good days even though some days that is almost impossible. I am still suspecting lymes & co and so is my mother. Coincidentally- in the last 2 weeks I have known many people that have found ticks imbedded on their skin & also heard of many people around my community that have gotten their dogs tested for lymes and came back positive- even more proving that lymes is well alive in my area as I mentioned before my dad had it a few years ago and successfully treated it with one round of doxy. I am going back to the doc this week for more testing (thyroid again, other vitamins since my d was low, EBV again, liver enzymes since they were elevated the last time I went, and ASO titer to see if anything has changed). Doctor wants me to start a month of amox, but I'm currently letting my tummy heal from the last round for my "strep". Went to the eye doctor because of floaters and eye pain just to make sure nothing was wrong & doctor said my eyes looked great- just a little dry. Have an appt with ENT in 2 weeks, and neurologist in 4 weeks. I am still just mainly wanting answers right now and pray I can get some soon! I appreciate all of you and all the advise & hope we can all start healing!!!!

Current supplements meds- 5,000 vit D3 a day, multivitamins daily, magnesium 250 mg daily, lubricating eye drops to help dryness which seem to help some with pain, probiotics once a day, getting ready to start amox for a month, and only taking Advil on my worst days but trying to get used to the pain without it!! I am going to start taking zinc daily too as I did when I had mono, and it helped my immune system tremendously! Also- starting to cut gluten out of diet to see if I have improvement and plan to slowly start exercising again to help with the fatigue. (Sorry for the long post)

Girlie- I have not gotten any- I would love some if you wouldn't mind to message me!!

Also everyone- can anyone tell me more about the IGenx lab testing? I am very interested, as I am certain my doctors office tests their through lab corps which I've heard is very cheap testing.

Post Edited (Hprice111) : 3/13/2018 12:37:37 AM (GMT-6)

Welcome HPrice.

A good screening tool that my LLMD uses and swears by is the Horowitz MSIDS questionnaire. You can easily find it online through a Google search.

A study found that this questionnaire was able to significantly determine Lyme sufferers - however please note Horowitz himself was an author of said study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28919803

Hprice - I am in NC as well. There is a very good LLMD with a practice in Asheville. She works with one of the leading Lyme doctors in the nation, Dr J in DC one week a month. The rest of her time she is in Asheville. If your email is up on your profile, I can email you her info.