Question about herxing and an old infection

My first Lyme infection was in 2010 in the summer. I live in a heavily wooded area so it's not uncommon. I tested positive summer of 2011 with a new infection. First time around was a completely classic case. Had the rash and everything. Second time threw me for a loop because the only symptom I had was pain in all of my joints at a certain time every night. Like clockwork, a wave of pain would come over me. It was so strange. I saw a nurse practitioner who put me on two weeks of antibiotics. (I was on them six weeks the first time around.) I didn't really think it would be enough but gave it a shot. Two weeks later when my supply ran out, the pain came back. NP ordered me on two more weeks of Doxycycline which seemed to clear it up. I should add that I had the fatigue stay with me after my first infection of Lyme. I expected to have bouts of full body pain every now and then after my second infection. I actually felt pretty good for a few months but sometime late November, early December the pain (Lyme version of Fibro, basically) started coming back. I thought I was just cycling through and it would be no big deal. Pretty soon my neck and arms all the way down to my fingers would go numb and this lasted for a week or so. I figured numbness happened with Fibro patients so I thought it was related to my old Lyme infection, too. I started having a lot of other symptoms, more neurological this time including intense headaches and pain in one eye with vision loss (just saw grey). Dizziness that would last for an entire day, weakness, sensitivity to light and sound even with no headache. Just weird stuff. I made another appt to see the NP since she had been treating me and we discussed referrals if my symptoms continued. I told her that I thought it started out as an old-Lyme related thing but now I wasn't so sure. She did some more blood work. She called me last Thursday to tell me that I indeed tested positive for Lyme but won't know until next week if it's the old or a new infection. She started me on Doxy again just to be safe. I started Saturday night since I'm very familiar with feeling worse before I feel better and didn't want it to interfere with my work. I've had three doses and haven't Herxed at all. Does that mean it's more likely to be an old infection that's showing positive? I'm not even sure of the name of the test they use. I would be pretty disappointed to have Lyme three times. Also, the NP said if it's a new infection we need to "discuss why this keeps happening" as if I'm infecting myself on purpose. I'm sure she didn't mean it that way... but still. Generally my really concerning symptoms were clearing up on their own before I started the Doxy. In my experience this hasn't happened with Lyme. Symptoms were all pretty consistent until I started treatment before. Also my weakness, fatigue, small pains, brain fogginess, and eye twitches have niether improved nor gotten worse since starting the Doxy. Having Lyme makes me feel like a hypochondriac!

I'm sorry this post is so long-winded. This is my first time posting and I guess it's just a little exciting that I can finally connect with people who have been there.

I agree that you should see an LLMD - this is just too confusing to have to figure out on your own (even with our help!).

While it definitely sounds like you could still have Lyme, there's also the possibility that you're dealing with something along the lines of "neurotoxin-mediated illness" - which basically means that for one reason or another, your body is overburdened with toxins that it can't get rid of on its own, which can cause a variety of symptoms. The only difference is that in that case there's no longer an active infection with Lyme, but just the toxins it created remaining.

In my own case it's been a little of both - still have an active Lyme infection, but I also have a problem excreting toxins, making matters a bit worse.

Just remember that YOU ARE NOT A HYPOCHONDRIAC - that's just what people say when they're stumped as to what's wrong with us (it says more about the medical community than it does about us!). Whatever it is that you're dealing with is real, and you are entitled to thorough medical care - unfortunately with Lyme you might just have to push a little harder to get it.

Best of luck!