Question: I was bitten by a tick about 1-1/2 years ago. I got tested immediately and it was negative. Then I began having difuse joint pain. I have been incapacitated with it. This past winter I have a new symptom- extreme weakness. My doctor did a lyme titer on me. I have a feeling it will be negative.

I am post menopause. My family doctor told me this after checking hormone levels 5 years ago and then again last year by a gynecologist. He tested hormone levels. He said my current symptoms were not related to menopause.

It was approximately 30 days, 1 month after the bite that my severe joint paint hit. I was tested initially the day after I had the bulls eye rash and it was negative.

It started on the left side of my neck. The pain was so severe I could not bear the weight of my head on my neck. I would also sweat and then get real cold throughout the day. My heart rate was about 150 or up. I have fever off and on. In the summer it moved to the dorsum of my right foot. Then into both hands. it was in my MPJ and my DIPs. I started losing my sight. I could not see clear enough to drive. I saw a rheumatologist that said I did not have RA. The pain has gone into other joints.


Please pardon me, I used to practice as a an Orthopedic Chiropractor for 17 1/2 yrs. I don't think my doctor took it seriously. She referred my to a pain specialist and he put me on the oxycodone.
I had also developed seizures. I keep getting rashes. I get large dark red/purple bruises that just pop up with injury.

The rheumatologist that I saw didn't even get my records. He did a brief exam and said that I did not have arthritis. I had seen another rheumatologist prior to that and she said I had some type of rheumatoid. I was actually vitamin D toxic. It took 6 months to get the vitamin D in the normal range. I just had it checked along with serum CA levels. Both were within normal range. I am just so sick. I can't drive. The pain is unbearable. I am totally incapacitated. I can't sleep. Mostly due to pain but when the pain is under control with the oxydrocodone and Prednisone, I still can't sleep. I am not sleepy but I am extremely weak. In the past year I am getting worse. The I just had the titer for Lyme on 4-11-16. I also had a sedimentation rate done which is very high. The results for the Lyme Titer have not come in yet. I read that the Lyme Titer is not very reliable. My doctor is trying to refer me to UMSC XXXXXXX Rheumatology. I am also worried about taking the oxycodone 5 mg 3 x a day. I have had to take it 3 x a day since January 2016. When I started on it, I was on the maximum dose but then I was able to cut back. Now I ca't cut back due to the pain. Excuse my typo, I get large dark red/purple bruise to pop up WITHOUT INJURY. My potassium was very high last summer and the doctor called me at home and I had to have it tested again the next day at another office because it was a Saturday. She said if it was still that high I would have to be hospitalized. The results of the test were lost. Then the pain specialist who she referred me too got them in November of last year. He said my potassium was even higher. He said it was very serious and he would get in touch with my family doctor. They work in the same group. She said it was too late to do anything about it?? I also had an MRI on my C spine and my foot that showed bone marrow edema throughout, The pain specialist reviewed it in December and he was very concerned and said we would have to address it after my vacation. In January when I saw him, he did not remember when I asked about it. He was just concerned that I was much worse.