Help! Is this in any way normal?

Hi! New here but learning so much.
Long story short, I went hiking on June 30 and unfortunately got lost in a deeper part of the woods than expected. (Heavy Lyme area.)!Picked two ticks off of me. Next week had a sore and swollen elbow muscle for no reason. No rash then
On July 20th began getting migrating muscle and joint pain, twitching, and burning tingling sensation. Noticed stretch marks on my torso. Made an appointment with my primary care doctor but before then, it got so bad I went to the emergency room. Doctors were convinced it was Lyme and prescribed 14 days of doxycycline. I felt immediately better. Burning tingling went (and haven’t come back.) However, I still had pain in lower leg. 10 days later I’m feeling so good, I go to a party for a friend in town and have a few beers, next morning I’m vomiting and symptoms are back all over body. That’s to say, muscle and joint aches and twitching. Since then symptoms kind of ebb and flow in their intensity with bad days and better days but always have aches and some twitching. May not be worsening (pretty sure it’s stable actually) but not improving either. Doctor prescribed another 10 days of doxycycline but that’s ended now with same ongoing symptoms. She won’t prescribe any more antibiotics and wants to do bloodwork for other conditions.
I feel like I’m going crazy here. I’m taking Apple cider vinegar, Epsom baths, and hitting the sauna to try to mange the symptoms but I’m afraid I m doing things wrong. My nerves are shot and I’m not sleeping.
Does this mirror anyone else’s experience? Is there something I should be doing that I’m not? Help! Thank you so much!

The doxy alone was probably only a 200mg per day dose and you should have been on 400mg a day, plus at least one other abx like TindaMax to go after Lyme cyst form of the infection. Also need to address co's with a challenge test regardless of if you get any negative test results.

I would recommend getting some Astragalus capsules and take 3000 mg a day to help your immune system fight it. Start slow and ramp up as fast as you can tolerate. There are additional herbals that you could take as well before you get an appointment with an LLMD.

Welcome to the forum, HumanConclusion!

Unfortunately you were undertreated. You should have had extended treatment with those symptoms following a known tick bite.
- now you need to get back on treatment with a lyme Literate dr

I recommend you start a new thread: “Looking for LLMD in Pittsburgh PA”

Then enable your email through “my profile” so members can send you names.

I also have a list with some options - you can email me as well.

Sure sounds like Lyme to me. I have the same symptoms, and more with my Lyme and Bart.

As you probably already know, Lyme tests aren't always reliable. A negative result doesn't mean you don't have Lyme, it means that test didn't detect Lyme or your results didn't meet CDC guidelines. Recently, someone posted an article on this forum that stated that the CDC recommends that doctors use CDC guidelines to help diagnose, but it also suggested that doctors use their common sense and diagnose based on their findings....or something like that. However, regular doctors aren't up on full treatment of Lyme. They may help some people with newly detected lyme (bullseye rash or precautionary treatment), but it appears Doxy is their go to drug, and it's not enough for chronic Lyme. A Lyme Literate doc can do additional test for Lyme and they can check how your immune system is working.

Find a LL doc and call soon. It often takes several weeks to get in for an initial appointment.

Best of luck.