Lyme's Disease?

Hi, I have no idea if I have Lyme's Disease or not but I thought I'd post this just to get some input on how I can get tested for it and who I should see. I would like to start by saying I was diagnosed with extreme fatigue and mild narcolepsy in '07 shortly after my visit to Florida and had developed a rash. However I can't remember if it was before the trip or after and I do not remember if I was ever bit by a tick. At any rate the rash would not go away even though I was put on tons of topical medications. Then I started having short periods of random abdominal pain for a couple of years. Nothing really bad happened until the summer of '09 when I was diagnosed with severe gastritis (not due to H. Pylori). I had developed duodenal and gastric ulcers. Then suddenly I developed a low grade fever and was put on antibiotics which helped a lot. Two weeks later the fever returned and I started vomiting with intense abdominal cramps primarily in lower right quadrant. I was diagnosed with crohn's disease and had emergency surgery to remove an abscess. I developed a C. Diff infection and was treated with heavy antibiotics for 2 months. Slowly I started to gain weight and my crohn's started to disappear but a new symptom developed after the antibiotic treatment and nutrient deficiency corrections. Sharp pains started to appear in my hip joints and they have migrated to all my other joints. I also started to have sudden muscle atrophy and extreme weight-loss. Tons of eye floaters have appeared and the same rash I had awhile back has returned. I feel like everything is breaking down. I have developed osteopenia and I'm starting to have neurological issues-- extreme spine pain, like burning. I'm also having tingling and numbing in my arms. Anyhow, all of my doctors can't figure out what might be causing all of these sudden symptoms when my blood work looks normal and my crohn's is under control. I feel like I'm going out of my mind.

I forgot to mention that I'm also having a hard time concentrating and I'm having some memory loss. At times I my throat feels swollen.

My main question is: Can Lyme Disease cause Crohn's symptoms?
Should I get tested anyway?

Thanks,
Mary

Post Edited (mew3) : 11/28/2010 9:08:23 PM (GMT-7)

Yes, Lyme can mimic or cause Crohn's. I have personal experience with this, except in my case, it is strongly possible that I do not have actual Crohn's but rather a nasty Lyme infection in my gut that has been mimicing Crohn's.

See the following:
http://www.canlyme.com/crohn's.html
http://www.thehumansideoflyme.net/viewarticle.php?aid=62

I urge you to go see a Lyme Literate MD (LLMD) for proper testing and diagnosis. LLMD's can help rule out other things, too, as they are familiar with the complicated issues of multiple, overlapping diseases.

Take care,