swelling in fingers with Lyme?

I haven't posted in a while ... I have been undergoing treatment with a different LLMD practice and hoping to see some progress. One thing that has concerned me recently is that, in the past month or so, I can see my fingers swelling slightly. It's not the joints, but rather the rest of the fingers. When I press on the skin, a dent remains for a little while. Has anyone else experienced this with Lyme? If so, did it improve with treatment?

So far, the swelling is not that obvious to the eye (although I can definitely see a difference), but I think it's slowly but surely getting worse. I worry that if it doesn't stop, it's going to be full-blown dactylitis (sausage fingers).

In combination with the joint pain I feel in my fingers, this makes me nervous. As I've posted before, I have a nagging fear that my symptoms, which are sort of classic autoimmune symptoms (dry eyes/mouth, joint pain) reflect an actual autoimmune disorder rather than merely Lyme. Possibilities that my rheumatologist has floated in the past include Sjogren's Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, or even psoriatic arthritis. (Though I have no skin symptoms, my symptoms otherwise seem to line up uncomfortably well with psoriatic arthritis -- the pattern of joint pain (involving the DIP joints of the fingers), the lack of obvious blood markers, and now the swelling fingers. I'm really afraid of a diagnosis like this -- my boss has psoriatic arthritis and suffers terribly from it.)

My symptoms (joint pain, dry eyes/mouth) have gotten somewhat worse since starting the most recent round of treatment (but the LLMD says it doesn't really fit the pattern of a herx or what they call "blebbing.") So I sometimes worry about whether I'd doing the right thing, pursuing Lyme treatment rather than letting my rheumatologist put me on heavy autoimmune medications.

I really appreciate any comments or thoughts!

Hi, You mention getting worse since treatment> thats what happens w/CHRONIC Lyme. Some antibiotics make me worse, some make me feel better. I know what you mean bout the indents. I often purposely press hard on something to create the pattern on my thumb, just to see how long it stays. The indents on my body from clothes and my bed sheets also seem to take longer to go away than other people....BUT

Ask yourself..."What IS autoimmune disorder"? "Is it a term to describe symptoms, or a name for its CAUSE"? For example Lyme disease is a root cause of the immune system going haywire...

...... Lyme disease(as well as others), CAUSES autoimmune disorders. If you treat the autoimmune by/the standard protocols, which just merely treats symptoms, then the infections CAUSING the immune response run rampant....

I know 3 people who've suffered FOR YEARS with eczema, and/or psoriasis. They all 3 developed arthritis. They ALL 3 were treated using ONLY steroidal products...they ALL 3 ended up with adrenal gland malfunction all because of the steroids...they ALL 3 got tested positive for Lyme, and after treatment on doxycyline their skin symptoms ceased-DISSAPPERED!!!! Their eczema and psoriasis(as well as leaky gut), gone!!!!

Oh 1more thing...IF I MAY> do you drink 1/2 your body weight(but ounces) of water)? I get the swollen fingers with water retention. I also get that when im too hot.

Hi mcspike,

That is a good point. I've seen information suggesting that sometimes autoimmune disorders can be caused or triggered by Lyme. I've read about anecdotal evidence suggesting that treating the Lyme can cause the autoimmune disorder to go away. So, most of the time, I feel optimistic that I'm doing the right thing.

But I've also seen studies indicating that, regardless whether Lyme was the trigger, sometimes the autoimmune disorder is there to stay and must be treated just like any other autoimmune disease (with immunosuppressant drugs and medications with horrible side effects). And I also remember reading some study concluding that for a significant percentage of people being treated for chronic Lyme, their symptoms are actually caused by an autoimmune disease (most commonly rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis) and should be treated for that instead.

When I read those things (or when I talk to the rheumatologist), that's when I start to doubt myself. It's all so confusing.

May I ask: the people you know whose skin issues improved from Lyme treatment -- did their arthritis improve as well?

And to answer your question -- I'm not always great about drinking enough water, but I think I come close most days. It definitely has been hot here (NYC), so maybe that has something to do with it.

Thank you again, so much, for the information and advice.

I forgot to point out earlier that treating the root cause of autoimmunity which is the cytokine firestorm is SO important. I just dont agree with immune suppressants-EVER. Suppressing the immune system seems counter-productive.

Early on in my Lyme dis-ease scenario, I had so-called arthritis in my knuckles and elbows(its now gone). During the year 2016 it was my shoulders....This past years it's migrated to my knees and ankles. We tend to think of migrating pain(s) as day-to-day, or week-by-week, but the migrating arthritic symtoms may last 1year or longer.

One of the 3 persons I mention in my previous post has improved greatly in their psoriatic arthritis, after ceasing the immune suppressants, restoring the gut, and going after the infection(s). 1 of the persons I mention is elderly therefore has osteoarthritis.