Need Help w/ Dx - Please!!!

In June I attended Bonarroo (an outdoor music festival in Tennessee) with my sister. We camped out in a grassy field for four days. After I got back I noticed a ring shaped rash about the size of a quarter dollar on the top of my foot. I thought that perhaps I had gotten ring worm at the festival as I was wearing Teva's. The rash didn't hurt or itch, and I forgot about it as it eventually went away.

Two weeks later I just moved to start a new job. I noticed that my left eye was twitching like crazy (multiple times a day for minutes on end), but attributed it to stress. about a week later I began having chest pain. It would last for a few minutes and then disappear. A few more weeks I noticed that my right thumb was hurting, as if I'd been typing too much. Then after a night of drinking with one of my friends I awoke to the most intense anxiety I've ever experienced. A few days later I went mountain biking, went to bed and woke up with my hands and feet numb and tingling. My muscles began randomly twitching (migrating over my entire body). I've started experiencing strange visual phenomenon (i.e. floaters, things looking surreal, heightened contrast sensitivity, bright spots/seeing stars). I've had ringing in my ears, balance issues, fatigue, and joint pain. The joint pain (hands, feet, and ankles) and the muscle twitching is by far my most constant symptom. The most recent symptom I’ve developed is that my mouth is super dry.

I've tested negative on every RA test, and have tested negative on the Elisa twice, as well as on a few co-infection test. I was put on 21 days of doxy (100mg twice daily) and I noticed a decrease in muscle twitching, but my all joint symptoms have remained unchanged. I don’t have any family history of auto-immune disease, so it seems strange that at the age of 30 I would develop RA. I know that no one on this forum can dx me, but I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar onset. I'm also wondering why I did not respond to the doxy. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

***It might also be noteworthy to add that, my sister began experiencing similar symptoms two weeks after Bonarroo. Although her symptoms began with symmetrical knee pain, then migrated to other joints on her body.

Post Edited (drinkwat) : 9/28/2015 3:25:01 PM (GMT-6)

Mister Mike and Lymie Girl thank you for the replies! Sometimes I feel like I'm losing it. The rheumatologist I went to seems to think it’s some autoimmune disorder despite all the negative test results. I can't get the rash out of my head though. It didn't have a dot in the center, but was very clearly a circular red ring a few mm in width. Thanks again!

Hi Drinkwat,
Welcome! I'm very glad you've joined our community! I agree with the others on this. You and your sister likely have Lyme disease, and maybe other tick-borne infections.

If you haven't ​yet​, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists, helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, information on probiotics and much more.​


In order to get proper treatment for these infections, you will have to see a specialist called a LLMD - Lyme Literate Medical Doctor. For information on finding a​n ILADS ​(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)​ trained​ LLMD in your area, you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.


​You can send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelope under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well.​ ​Please include your state and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will see how close I can get to your location.​


You can start a new thread titled something like "Looking for LLMD in the (insert the nearest larger city & state) area". Members can email you about the LLMD's that they see in that area if you have your email enabled. We don't allow doctors names to be posted though.


You can also email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at​[​​url]​[email protected]​ for LLMD referrals and you can go to ​tbdalliance.org​​ to learn more about these infections.


You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74​​


ILADS has their own referral system as well:ilads.org/ilads_media/physician-referral/


​ You will want to find an ILADS trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your healing journey:
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/treatment-guideline.php

I can't thank you all enough for your help. I felt confident that I had Lyme, and then felt so let down after my first round of doxy failed. At least now I have an explanation as to why it didn't work. Hopefully I can get in with an LLMD fairly soon.