Joint replacements due to Lyme

Hello,

I have been cross referencing trying to find a connection to my many join replacements and Lyme Disease. I have tested positive for Lyme but I do not have many of the symptoms. I have a few, very few, but not many. My biggest concern at the moment is trying to figure out if lyme can cause joints to have to be replaced. Directly or in-directly, and if so if there is a lyme doctor or organization that specializes in this area? I have had both hips replaced, my left shoulder replaced. I had L3-4 fusion to try to fix a nerve condition but the nerve healed only about 50%. I am looking at a fusion at C4-5 and C6-7 (I had C5-6 fused in 2004). After this I have to have my right knee replaced. My left knee bothers me but I do not want that looked at for fear that I am going to hear that "replacement" word again.

I have seen multiple ortho doctors and I have had many 2nd opinions. So I am comfortable that all these surgeries are needed. It is that no one can tell me WHY these are all happening to me and all within a few short years. I can see the damage, and they explain what I am facing bone wise. But when I ask them WHY all my joints are divorcing my body, not one doctor can explain it. I would say I have seen at least a dozen doctors over the years. I even wrote to the Mayo Clinic explaining why I was requesting their organization to accept me as a study/patient and even they rejected to grant an appointment. FRUSTRATING!!!!

I have heard of and understand "Lyme arthritis" which tend to be pain and swelling but not to the point of destroying the joint to warrant replacement.

So while I still have Lyme and I need to tackle that piece in my life, what is driving me even more nuts are the multiple joint replacement. Are they just something I am going through so I have to deal with them separately or is it plausible that Lyme is some (or all) of the cause. And if so I need a Lyme Doctor that can help me with my joints (the few that I have left...) as well as the Lyme that I have be diagnosed with...

Hi Chris -

Very interesting history. I agree w/ PeteZa that the bone issue seems to be the root cause for replacement.

But also, if your joints are becoming divorced from your body, the components of the joints are eroding. Here are components of the joint I stole from an MD:

Here are the parts that make up your joints:

Collagen: a type of tissue that serves as the scaffolding upon which everything else is built.

Tendons: collagen fibers that attach muscles to bones.

Ligaments: soft tissues that connect bone to bone. Joints with few or weak ligaments, such as the shoulder, allow more motion, while joints with strong support structures, such as the hip joint, are more stable, but have a smaller range of motion. We like to call these biological trade-offs. For more mobility, you get less stability--and vice versa.

Cartilage: gives our bodies form before our bones are mineralized after birth, and continues to give structure to our ears and noses. In the rest of the body, it serves as the plate of soft tissue at the ends of bones that prevents bone-on-bone clanking.

The cartilage between bones acts as the internal shock absorber for your joints, while muscles are the external shock absorbers. As an example, the meniscus--cartilage that’s especially vulnerable to injury--works as a key shock absorber in the knee. Since it does not have a blood supply of its own, cartilage needs to get nutrients from the surrounding synovial fluid.

Synovial fluid: joint oil, if you will. In a normal, healthy joint, the cartilage is smooth, and the synovial fluid is as pure as spring water. If a joint becomes injured, infected, or inflamed, you can produce too much synovial fluid, which leads to painful swelling.

So, that's pretty confusing when you don't know what is deteriorating, specifically. The bacteria can cause inflammation, which can cause tissues to become damaged. And I know the bacteria can cause direct damage--I've seen notations where Bb is suggested to "eat" the tissues but I'm not sure it works this way.

I did a quick scan of studies and found this explanation:
"Following the initial tick bite, B burgdorferi spirochetes disseminate and invade synovial joints, where they induce an inflammatory response in synovial tissue consisting of synovial hypertrophy, vascular proliferation, and infiltration of mononuclear cells. In addition, neutrophils, immune complexes, complement, and cytokines accumulate in the synovial fluid. B burgdorferi also has been shown to induce chondrocytes to produce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs have several functions, including degradation of extracellular matrix proteins, collagen, and proteoglycans. Elevated levels of MMPs in the synovial fluid of patients with long-standing Lyme arthritis may contribute to cartilage damage. Despite these findings, the mechanism by which B burgdorferi causes joint damage is not completely understood."

So, stuff does damage and that's about all they know. It would seem obvious that if your tissues are consistently degrading and breaking down and "divorcing" from your body, this damage described would fit.

Have you ever seen an LLMD? Would you like help finding one in your area?

If so, you can post a new thread with the title "Looking for an LLMD in ______" and indicate the closest metro area. And/or you can email Girlie, our head mod, and she can help you with contact info for LLMDs in your area to consider. You can find her email address in her profile. Or click here:
www.healingwell.com/community/profile.aspx?f=30&p=197951

I'm also a mod but not around as consistently but will help however I can.
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​​Y​​ou can 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​

Y​ou can email ​the​ Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at​: [email protected]​

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

And www.LymeDoc.org

You will want to find an ILADS trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) as well as many others, 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: www.ilads.org/lyme/treatment-guideline.php

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions that come up!

-p