RE: Lyme DIsease or RA

[Guest guest]

I had definite case of Lyme before I was diagnosed with RA, if you are having

joint pain it is pretty far along. My blood tested positive with ELISA and

WESTERN BLOT (and for the person whose husband had a bullseye rash, that is a

pretty definite sign) after which I took two rounds of oral antibiotics, and

later with a spinal tap, after which I took IV antibiotics. One thing to

remember with LYme, once you have the disease your blood will always test

positive for antibodies, as told to me by the LYME DISEASE CLINIC at Stonyy

Brook University. please be careful before going many rounds of antibiotics,

look up research on the web for both sides of the story, long term antibiotic

use is hotly debated, and there can be some debilitating problems due to the

drugs (for example, some say that a worsening of symptoms means antibiotics are

working, and others say that is because the antibiotics are doing other things

to your body, its a mess!). I later was diagnosed with RA, but my symptoms were

different. My pain was more symetrical and I had anemia. I should say I never

had high Rheumatoid factor or other RA antibodies, I am a case that is pretty

much diagnosed by symptoms alone. But after my IV antibiotics I didn't have the

same numbness or foggy brain as I had. ANyway, I do think my RA was spurred by

Lyme.