Lyme or Not (Reply to Beth

August 17, 2005

Beth said, in response to my post:

When my autoimmune problems were first undiagnosed is when this Lyme's

thing

showed up and we did the antibiotic therapy. It has not resurfaced but I

have been actively treated for RA this entire time too. I wonder if the

Lyme's

blood test is that reliable (sources say it is not).

Do you really think you have Lyme's? I don't think I do but have no way to

discern. "

Well I just wrote Two Full Pages about my experiences with Lyme and why it

is now believed that the Lyme kicked off the RA. And my computer froze.

And my hands are too stiff to write it all again.. I'll try soon. In the

meantime, Beth, I only tested mildly positive after almost 2 years and that

was only via a needle biopsy. Because my primary care doctor strongly

believed I had something else going on, I went to see a rheumatologist as

well as having one appointment with a Lyme specialist on Cape Cod. I had

come up with what Dr. Silversmith said was a definite RA diagnosis and

although there is no way to prove that the Lyme bacteria, which encapsulate

when inactive, are all gone -- the priority seemed to be with slowing the

destruction RA was causing to various parts of my body instead of going with

the two year antibiotic therapy the Lyme specialist recommended.

I got very good results with low dose MX, folic acid and naprosyn from say

November until July, with one dosage increase.. and then ..... drum

roll...... the pain came back. She upped my mx dose to 8 little pills a

week and will probably want to start me on the Enbrel in a month, depending

on whether the higher dose Mx works miracles or not.

New England.. especially southern Rhode Island and the Old Lyme area of CT

are a hotbed of tick borne diseases, Lyme, Erlichias, Babesia and Rocky Mt.

Spotted Fever.. all of which I'm a bit more familiar with than most because

I'm very involved with Greyhound Adoption and Greyhounds are more likely

than most breeds to harbor TBDs -- they travel and so do the ticks. Also I

was a part time Vet Tech for yeats... anyway... I was a lot more informative

the first time.. but maybe it's for the best ... :-) Blessings, Carla B.

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