Nonspecific symptoms, negative labs...any ideas?!
Question: Nonspecific symptoms, negative labs!.!.!.any ideas!?
Three weeks ago I started running a low grade temp, had body aches, and was extremely tired!. I went to the doctor on a Monday thinking I possible had the flu!. Flu was negative, but we both thought it was probably some other virus!. For two more days, the low grade temp (highest was 99!.6), achiness, and fatigue continued!. My temp went away, but the pain has continued!. The pain is mostly in my joints, but I have had some random areas that have hurt to touch!. (like they would if bruised) There have also been some muscle pains!. I have had pain in my neck, shoulders, elbows, hands, upper and lower back, hips, and knees!. One day the it'll be mostly my arms and neck, the next couple days my hips and knees will be killing me!. I'm also not sleeping well!. I went back to the doctor the following Monday!. I was tested for Lyme disease and West Nile, and an arthritis panel and CBC were done!. I was prescribed a three week round of doxycycline because the symptoms seemed to point to Lyme and I had a tick about a month prior!. I was also prescribed Ultram for the pain!. The lab results all came back negative!. I'm continuing the doxy just in case, though!. After another week and a half, I called to get a refill on the Ultram and discuss checking thyroid function!. I went in day before yesterday, and labs were drawn to check thyroid function, CPK, and for mono!. All negative!. The Ultram is taking my pain level down to just a minor annoyance, but I'm exhausted all the time and I feel really frustrated! If anyone has any ideas or advice, I'd love some input!
The specific labs I've already had done are:
CBC - RBC and Hgb were like 0!.1 lower than the normal range, but everything else was perfectly normal!.
C-reactive protein - normal
Sed rate - normal
rheumatoid factor - normal
ANA - normal
uric acid - normal
Lyme - negative (not sure what test they ran - assuming ELISA)
West Nile - negative
mono - negative
TSH - normal
free T4 - normal
CPK - normalWww@Answer-Health@Com
The specific labs I've already had done are:
CBC - RBC and Hgb were like 0!.1 lower than the normal range, but everything else was perfectly normal!.
C-reactive protein - normal
Sed rate - normal
rheumatoid factor - normal
ANA - normal
uric acid - normal
Lyme - negative (not sure what test they ran - assuming ELISA)
West Nile - negative
mono - negative
TSH - normal
free T4 - normal
CPK - normalWww@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Since there IS a known "tick" involved here & you are describing classis a Lyme symptom pattern in your question:
"One day the it'll be mostly my arms and neck, the next couple days my hips and knees will be killing me!. I'm also not sleeping well!."
I mean, that SCREAMS Lyme, CH ! And remember, only HALF the people with a Lyme infection will test + on the ELISA, simply because the Lyme "titre" will be less than one, even though there ARE some Lyme anti-bodies present!.!.!. just not enough!
You NEED to be re-tested for Lyme in about 4 weeks after beginning the abx (doxycycline), IDEALLY with the blood sent to a sensitive lab for such testing (IgeneX in Palo Alto, CA or MDL in Mt Laurel, NJ!.!.!.overnighted to them on a Mon-Wed, prefferably)!.
Educate yourself about this disease (very important) & REMEMBER, a Lyme diagnosis is a CLINICAL one!. If your doc rules out Lyme simply because that ELISA panel is negative, you NEED TO GO SEE ANOTHER DOC!.!.!. someone more familiar with Lyme diagnosis!.
Atleast you're on the right stuff to start!.!.!."doxy"!. Just stay out of the sun & don't take it near dairy or mineral supplements, as that ties some of it up, making it less effective!.
You'll probably need to be on a stronger level- as recommended by ILADS (see www!.ilads!.org & their treatment protocols) and will need to be on antibiotics for a couple/ several MONTHS!.
That exhaustion is almost universal & will only improve as you recover over the weeks to come!.!.!. but you WILL improve!. It sounds like you're in the "early disseminated stage"!. Much better than "late stage" though not as good as "early Lyme" when it comes to treatment!.
REMEMBER THAT LYME SPECIALISTS recommend continuing on abx [atleast] one month BEYOND clearing of all symptoms!.
As your tick [bite] was only ~ a month ago, your chances of reaching that "holy grail" of NO symptoms (LYME symptoms, that is) is excellent!. Abx GI tract symptoms will clear afterwards!.
Stay on a LOW CARB DIET along with HiProtein & HiFiber!. Good luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com
"One day the it'll be mostly my arms and neck, the next couple days my hips and knees will be killing me!. I'm also not sleeping well!."
I mean, that SCREAMS Lyme, CH ! And remember, only HALF the people with a Lyme infection will test + on the ELISA, simply because the Lyme "titre" will be less than one, even though there ARE some Lyme anti-bodies present!.!.!. just not enough!
You NEED to be re-tested for Lyme in about 4 weeks after beginning the abx (doxycycline), IDEALLY with the blood sent to a sensitive lab for such testing (IgeneX in Palo Alto, CA or MDL in Mt Laurel, NJ!.!.!.overnighted to them on a Mon-Wed, prefferably)!.
Educate yourself about this disease (very important) & REMEMBER, a Lyme diagnosis is a CLINICAL one!. If your doc rules out Lyme simply because that ELISA panel is negative, you NEED TO GO SEE ANOTHER DOC!.!.!. someone more familiar with Lyme diagnosis!.
Atleast you're on the right stuff to start!.!.!."doxy"!. Just stay out of the sun & don't take it near dairy or mineral supplements, as that ties some of it up, making it less effective!.
You'll probably need to be on a stronger level- as recommended by ILADS (see www!.ilads!.org & their treatment protocols) and will need to be on antibiotics for a couple/ several MONTHS!.
That exhaustion is almost universal & will only improve as you recover over the weeks to come!.!.!. but you WILL improve!. It sounds like you're in the "early disseminated stage"!. Much better than "late stage" though not as good as "early Lyme" when it comes to treatment!.
REMEMBER THAT LYME SPECIALISTS recommend continuing on abx [atleast] one month BEYOND clearing of all symptoms!.
As your tick [bite] was only ~ a month ago, your chances of reaching that "holy grail" of NO symptoms (LYME symptoms, that is) is excellent!. Abx GI tract symptoms will clear afterwards!.
Stay on a LOW CARB DIET along with HiProtein & HiFiber!. Good luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Lyme tests are notoriously unreliable!. They often say you don't have it when you really do!. You need to educate yourself about Lyme disease, and find a doc who's really familiar with it!. (Recommend one affiliated with ILADS!.)
Good sources of info about Lyme disease:
http://www!.lymedisease!.org
http://www!.canlyme!.com
http://www!.lymenet!.org
http://www!.lymeinfo!.net
http://www!.lymediseaseassociation!.org
http://www!.ilads!.org
http://www!.betterhealthguy!.com
http://www!.publichealthalert!.com
Www@Answer-Health@Com
Good sources of info about Lyme disease:
http://www!.lymedisease!.org
http://www!.canlyme!.com
http://www!.lymenet!.org
http://www!.lymeinfo!.net
http://www!.lymediseaseassociation!.org
http://www!.ilads!.org
http://www!.betterhealthguy!.com
http://www!.publichealthalert!.com
Www@Answer-Health@Com
If you go for any more testing, ask for a fasting blood insulin!. If it is 10 or more, then part of your problem may be high insulin production (hyperinsulinemia) causing your blood sugar levels to drop too fast after eating!.
Low blood sugar can lead to muscle aches, joint aches and fatigue!. If you have access to a blood sugar monitor and clean lancets, and test strips, you can check your own blood sugar!. It is best done when you are having symptoms!. If you are lower than 70, or drop more than 50 in an hour, that may be indicative of low blood sugar!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Low blood sugar can lead to muscle aches, joint aches and fatigue!. If you have access to a blood sugar monitor and clean lancets, and test strips, you can check your own blood sugar!. It is best done when you are having symptoms!. If you are lower than 70, or drop more than 50 in an hour, that may be indicative of low blood sugar!.Www@Answer-Health@Com