Wondering if I have Lyme - have some dumb questions please?

[Guest guest]

Hi, everyone.

I'm thinking lately I have Lyme but wonder what test to ask for.

For the past 4 1/2 years, I've suffered from what has been diagnosed

as Interstitial Cystitis (irritable bladder that feels like a UTI

but they can't find any e coli bacteria to blame it for) that comes

and goes (but lately is hanging around for a year at a time), and

the irritable bladder isn't made better by Septra or Ciprofloxacin,

osteoarthritis that comes and goes in my knees, first one knee then

the other then they both are okay then it comes back, or it hits my

shoulder sometimes too. Oh and eye infections that come in rounds

and then my eyes are fine again. And at the same time all these

symptoms were going on, I got what I thought was CFS/fibromyalgia.

Everything hurt, I was so incredibly tired that I spent 16 hour or

more a day in bed, could not work, etc. Between having to urinate

every 20 minutes day and night and just being so tired, I didn't

have the energy to do work, to do hobbies, to care about anything.

Then recently, I had to have a tooth pulled that was infected and my

dentist gave me Amoxicillin. He gave me ten days worth. It was

incredible. Within 24 hours I was noticeably better, and within

about three days I'd say I had a complete remission of my symptoms.

I was no longer running a chronic low-grade fever of about 100 to

101, I was not tired and achey anymore, and best of all my bladder

irritation went away completely.

Then I had to go off the Amoxicillin. Within a few days I started

getting bad again and all the symptoms came back. Then I managed to

get a doctor to let me try a bit more Amoxicillin for awhile. I'm

well again.

The thing is, CFS/fibro/IC are not supposed to respond to

antibiotics. And when I look up on the internet Amoxicillin and

then also look up all my symptoms, the only disease that keeps

popping up that kind of matches is Lyme.

The dumb question I have is in regards to the tests that can be

performed to at least see if I have been exposed to Lyme. Will I be

able to get an accurate result if I am currently taking Amoxicillin,

or will I have to stop the antibiotic for awhile?

Thank you so much for any insight you can give me on this. And

thank you for reading my story.

Oh and although I don't live in a heavy Lyme area right now, when If

first got sick with this I had been living in West Point, NY for 4

years. In fact several of my friends who lived with me on that post

came down with Lyme. Apparently it's very common there. I know

that I used to see those little ticks just crawling all over me (I

like to hike and go running on the trails) and sometimes they'd bite

and I'd get them off me, but I don't ever remember seeing any

bullseye rash so I didn't think I had Lyme.

Until now. Because arthritis and interstitial cystitis aren't

supposed to get better with Amoxicillin - but in my case they are -

so that tells me there is something going on in my body that

responds to Amoxicillin but not to Septra and Ciprofloxacin. Which

makes me suspect Lyme.

I'm scared to think that it's middle or late stage Lyme because that

means, it can come back, get worse, change forms - although honestly

I've suffered so much from this bladder thing that I've thought

about suicide, so it's already been pretty bad - I just want so much

to be well and stay well.

Do you guys think that my symptoms and improvement on Amoxicillin,

coupled with my exposure to ticks in a Lyme-heavy area, might mean

that I could possibly have Lyme? I know you guys aren't doctors and

I need to see a doctor about testing, just wondering what your

opnions were because I figure you guys know a lot about this disease.

Blessings, and thank you all so much,

Lori