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Lyme arthritis/tendonitis help!!!

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Posted 1/25/2016 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone, I'm about 3 months into Lyme treatment. Most of my symptoms have disappeared or improved but I still have pretty bad pain in my fingers and tendons on my hands. My thumb, index, and middle finger hurt the most, along with the tendons down my thumb. Since starting antibiotics it has improved slightly but it only got so better. Currently I'm on doxy and omnicef along with many supplements (mainly for my immune system). Will different antibiotics help better? I've tried pain meds as well as joint supplements without any relief. I've heard good things about teasal root and samento helping joint pain related to lyme. Any advice? What has worked best for you? Thanks!!!
Posted 1/25/2016 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
I deal with the same symptons with no relief thus far into treatment (on and off for a couple years, but my confirmed diagnosis was only a couple months ago and have been on treatment since and it has really affected my life forcing me to a new career path while i was in college. I'm now going into sales after previously studying finance and accounting because I can't use the computer long enough to spend all day in excel and other programs. This and my ED are the only symptoms that have destroyed my quality of life, the fatigue and insomnia,etc. is much more manageable. If anyone has experienced similar i would also appreciate the input. Sorry for the run ons and grammar, just in a rush.
Posted 1/26/2016 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to our community, Sean!

Would you share a little more of your story?
How long did you have Lyme before treatment started?

If it wasn't caught early - as in the first several weeks, then three months is most likely just not long enough to be completely healed.
You may just need to keep treating longer.

Also, have you only been on doxy and omincef? Have co-infections - such as bartonella and babes been considered?
Anything taken for busting cyst form?

Because you are new here, you might want to read through the "New to Lyme?...Start Here!" thread that sits at the top of the page...it's full of great information.
Suggestions for detoxing are in that thread.

Are you employing multiple methods of detoxing to get rid of the toxins caused by the bacteria die-off? Often the endotoxins produced from the die-off is responsible for many of our symptoms.
Posted 1/26/2016 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Sean!
Welcome to our community! I'm glad you found us!

As Girlie said, 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. And this is another good list of possible detoxing routines: www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

Also as Girlie has asked, what are you doing for detoxing?

Yes, teasel is known for helping joint pain. This is a good post to read on Buhner's (an excellent Lyme Herbalist) site about it:
buhnerhealinglyme.com/herbs/teasel-root-tincture/

Also, have you tried soaking your hand in Epsom salts and very warm water? Epsom salts have been used for many, many years for easing muscle and tendon sprains & strains.
Posted 1/26/2016 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for getting back to me! I'm not sure how long I've had lyme. I never found a tick or got a rash and all my lyme tests have been negative. A Lyme literate doc diagnosed me about 3-4 months after i thought i had lyme. I'm not sure if I had the disease before this period. I did several short rounds of antibiotics during this time, but my symptoms always returned. I will ask about more testing next time I go in because I have no idea if I have any co-infections.

What product do you recommend for detox? Your links were very helpful and I will try epsom salts for my hands. Also what do you recommend for diet? I am on a low sugar diet with no alcohol or dairy. I don't know if I can give up gluten haha
Posted 1/26/2016 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Have you read through our "New to Lyme?...Start here!!" thread yet? There are some good detox suggestions there and there are some more here: www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

Co-infection testing is worse than it is for Lyme. I would encourage you to find a good symptom list and a good LLMD and between the two, you should know which infections you are dealing with.

I'm a bit controversial on diets - LOL! I didn't follow any of the "Lyme diets" either time I healed. I don't eat much gluten anyway, and I continued with some cultured dairy and small amounts of cheese, but I have to maintain a strict no sugar diet due to intestinal issues (thanks Lyme). Some people need to eat a stricter diet in order to heal - and I'm on a stricter diet now that I'm dealing with adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism.
Posted 1/26/2016 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Well, even if you had lyme for 3-4 months before starting treatment, treatment will last longer than three months.

I, too, have not been tested for co-infections. They are unreliable (worse than testing for Lyme) unfortunately. Many false negatives.
If I had a bundle of cash under my mattress...I might get tested...but at this point I am using my money for treatment.
Some LLMD's want their patient's to test...others do the clinical diagnosis...and others just treat for all the three B's (Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella).

There are differing opinions on whether you need to go gluten free. I started out eliminating sugar, dairy and gluten....but I have eased up a lot on that diet. I do eat gluten - not daily, but a few times a week, and I do eat cheese, and I keep sugar to a minimum.
Many people will say you need to go gluten, dairy and sugar free...and also eat organic only.

Here are a some of the detoxing methods I use:
- Warm epsom salt baths - at least 4-5 times a week
- I dry brush my skin before the baths.
- Drink lots of water - 8 glasses a day
- Squeeze some fresh lemon juice into some of the glasses.
- I take Alka Seltzer Gold - not daily...but when I'm herxing.
- I take Nutramedix Pinella - nerve-brain cleanse and Burbur - daily,and more often when I'm herxing.
- I take a homeopathic liver cleanse.
- I do light exercise every other day.
- I take Activated Charcoal at night before going to bed.
Posted 1/26/2016 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Time is not on everyone's side. You can speed up tendon healing with specific deep massage.

A manual occupational therapist can do this for you. Its hard to work on your own hands, when its your hands that hurt. You can always you-tube this and have someone do this for you. Its not difficult, BUT - Drs are clueless on this, since its not medicine.

Cross friction massage to the tendons and forearm muscles they attach to will help. There can be very small trigger points (hard painfull, very deep small knots) in the forearms as well, and this has a direct connection to the shortened, stiff tendons in wrists and hands, and even fingers. Watch where the tendon movement stops- its way up your forearm, and that is usually where the base of the problem is, but you feel it lower down, this is called refered pain.

The old school theory of just icing and less movment will never work (they know this now). You have to get the fluid moving in your tendons, this gets old toxins out of the fiber.

hope you try this.
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