posted
I just got home from the ER, the third one I've been to in the past month, and finally managed to convince a doctor that my "arthritis" might be caused by the tick bite I had several months ago.
After a battery of tests and cultures for every bacteria under the sun, they finally gave in and wrote me scripts for doxy and flagyl!
No official diagnosis, just treating me for a "tick bite", but they sent out several tests for tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme. I should have the results in a few days.
Despite the history of having a tick bite and the fact that my risk for bacterial infections is about 6-fold higher than the rest of the population (occupational hazard!), it's almost like they really wanted it to be caused by something else. Or maybe they were just being thorough (although that strikes me as very unlikely in an ER setting).
Anyway, I DON'T have rheumatoid arthritis, I DON'T have gonorrhea, and all the other blood work came back normal so they pretty much had no choice but to say it was probably Lyme Disease.
I know I shouldn't be so relieved, because I know there is a very real chance that I could have lingering issues from this infection BUT it is so great to have even a shred of validation.
Now it's going to be a loooong weekend waiting for the rest of the test results.
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
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posted
Good for you - I've gotten an ER here educated too - in my chart, they take it seriously, and it feels so relaxing not to have to fight the powers that be, that we can just take care of the business that needs to be taken care of.
My advice - keep educating the ERs!!
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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kidsgotlyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23691
posted
Don't put too much hope in the testing. They probably did an ELISA test, and it is not a very good test. If it comes back positive though, it's definitely positive no matter what they tell you.
You really need to go out on your own and do an Igenex western blot if your test comes back negative.
-------------------- symptoms since 1993 that I can remember. 9/2018 diagnosed with Borellia, Babesia Duncani, and Bartonella Hensalae thru DNA Connections. Posts: 1470 | From Tennessee | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
I'm pretty sure they are doing blood cultures. I've heard mixed things about them.
The discharge paperwork and information packet they gave me was a bit disheartening, though... Not a very accurate portrayal of what Lyme Disease really is - the same old misinformation about how long the tick "has" to be attached to transmit the bacteria, etc.
The nurse on duty seemed very knowledgeable. He asked me if I had already taken antibiotics, for how long, and even surmised that they would probably want to put me on Rocephin at some point if the oral treatments weren't effective. He asked me if I was seeing a neurologist, when nobody else seemed the least bit concerned with the neurological aspect of the disease. Maybe just unaware?
Despite having just had "Lyme Disease Awareness Month" here in VA, people still seem pretty clueless about Lyme Disease!
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
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quote:Originally posted by kidsgotlyme: Don't put too much hope in the testing. They probably did an ELISA test, and it is not a very good test. If it comes back positive though, it's definitely positive no matter what they tell you.
You really need to go out on your own and do an Igenex western blot if your test comes back negative.
- very very true
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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