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Causes of migratory joint pain. Lyme or something else?

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Posted 5/9/2017 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
I had a bulls-eye rash over 20 years ago. It was a large rash. This was long before the internet. At the time we thought it was a spider bite and did nothing. And nothing happened. I have been healthy. Several years ago I started having pain at the base of my thumb. My doctor told me that I had arthritis. Which I thought was ridiculous because I was young and no one in my family has arthritis except the elderly. This pain stopped and later migrated to the next joint in my thumb. I took a brief course of prednisone several years ago and since then I’ve had bizarre issues with my fingers including tight/stiff pinkies, stiff fingers in the morning and joint stiffness in my fingers throughout the day. I am losing the ability to bend my thumbs inward to my palms.

I didn’t really put it together that it might be Lyme till I started researching my mother’s suspected Lyme disease.

Are there any other likely diseases that cause migratory joint pain?

Thoughts?
Posted 5/9/2017 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Absolutely! Prednisone, while giving relief, suppresses the immune function and that is counter productive to the body trying to keep the Lyme bacteria under control.

It does migrate at will. Are you currently under any kind of Lyme treatment at present? Were you ever? A really good idea to look at herbs for this, particularly the ones that help calm inflammation like Japanese Knotweed, etc.
Posted 5/9/2017 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hey julymorning, no, I'm not treating it. It was never treated b/c I had not even connected the dots till recently.

The prednisone was for another issue. It didn't help though. And since then the finger/joint issues have accelerated. Prior to prednisone, my only issue was the thumb joint.
Posted 5/9/2017 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
I checked some of your posts, and it seems you asked about treatment if you aren't experiencing symptoms and you were told "no".

The problem is, particularly after so much time has passed, that we may not have any idea that something we are experiencing could be caused by Lyme. It's only been a month since you asked, but I am wondering if you looked carefully at the symptoms list for these infections in our New to Lyme intro or here: lymeontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Horowitz-Questionnaire.pdf
Posted 5/9/2017 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
And the fact you had a bullseye rash, that makes Lyme highly suspect.

I believe many think they have arthritis and other common ailments, when in fact there is a good chance of Lyme or coinfections.

Do all you can to avoid steroidals. As July said, they can lead you down a road to a more difficult recovery.

Have you been tested? You could start there but Lyme testing is highly inaccurate, as you probably already know:-(
Posted 5/9/2017 8:49 PM (GMT 0)

cakegirl said...
Hey julymorning, no, I'm not treating it. It was never treated b/c I had not even connected the dots till recently.

The prednisone was for another issue. It didn't help though. And since then the finger/joint issues have accelerated. Prior to prednisone, my only issue was the thumb joint.


That happened to me too. I had ton's of steroids in a variety of forms. No one, including myself, was connecting the dots. And MD's refused to even after I had my suspicions.

I'm tending to think that herbal protocols are in order for long term infections, because they help get the body's immune function back in order. It's very likely you've been in fairly good shape or you'd have many more symptoms. But look at the list and see if anything else in addition to random joint pain comes up. And consider the past 2 decades, if you can remember, which will take time.
Posted 5/9/2017 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
I will never take steroids again. I regretted it soon after.

No, I haven't been tested. I'd have to pay out of of pocket so I'm debating testing. And like you said, I could drop a few hundred bucks to get a test that claims I'm "negative."

I wonder whether I should start trying to treat it now b/c I am caregiver for my mother who is fairly ill with Lyme. If it's not Lyme, then the herbs should have no effect from what I understand? But what if it is Lyme and I make myself worse??
Posted 5/9/2017 9:27 PM (GMT 0)

cakegirl said...
I will never take steroids again. I regretted it soon after.

No, I haven't been tested. I'd have to pay out of of pocket so I'm debating testing. And like you said, I could drop a few hundred bucks to get a test that claims I'm "negative."

I wonder whether I should start trying to treat it now b/c I am caregiver for my mother who is fairly ill with Lyme. If it's not Lyme, then the herbs should have no effect from what I understand? But what if it is Lyme and I make myself worse??

Steroids do have their place. Sometimes with critical medical situations they should be allowed, so don't discount them entirely. They just shouldn't be used like many Docs like to as a go to for movement issues, when there are alternatives.

My testing has not been relevant to my protocols....I did get a handful of mono abx treatments because I was CDC positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but I have had the same symptoms afterwards. Mono treatment is less than useful.

Many of the herbs, in fact most of them, are supportive and wouldn't hurt you, generally speaking, if you didn't have a Lyme infection. Many of us intend to and are, continuing do take the immune supportive herbs for life-post healing.

You just have to do a little investigating into the recommended protocols and decide which one you can understand and sound affordable.

I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to afford an LLMD? I shouldn't assume that. What is your mom's treatment?
Posted 5/9/2017 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
There are hardly any LLMD's with experience in my part of the country. My mother did see a LLMD a few weeks ago but I'm not sure I'd even want to go to one. We are working on sorting out her hormones and mineral levels. We used the Chronic Tonic last November but she herxed badly. We aren't doing any herbs for the Lyme at the moment and are concentrating on detox. I was planning on trying the herbs like japanese knotweed/Buhner type protocol one at a time in tiny doses in the future. I think the Chronic Tonic was way too much for her at one time.
Posted 5/9/2017 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
I think you're on the right path. We're here if you have more questions or if you need shoulders to cry on. This can be a tough road, getting to healing, especially with herxing. Your detox plan is good.

Don't forget to watch what you two eat, in order to avoid any sensitivities there. Even on herbal protocols, our gut can experience issues, since much of the toxins go through our digestive tract. Foods we've enjoyed for years can suddenly become a problem.
Posted 5/11/2017 11:25 PM (GMT 0)

julymorning said...
I checked some of your posts, and it seems you asked about treatment if you aren't experiencing symptoms and you were told "no".

The problem is, particularly after so much time has passed, that we may not have any idea that something we are experiencing could be caused by Lyme. It's only been a month since you asked, but I am wondering if you looked carefully at the symptoms list for these infections in our New to Lyme intro or here: lymeontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Horowitz-Questionnaire.pdf


My old posts you saw weren't regarding me, they are regarding my mother. Her symptoms are completely different.
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