It's 2004 and since Feb this year I have had unrelenting continuous pain in my right knee. An MRI was done and my knee was diagnosed as healthy. The pain then moved into my buttock area, so we suspected sciatica. Then it moved into my back. I've experienced burning sensations and numbness, although not excruciating. The knee pain and the midback pain , especially behind my kidneys robs me of sleep. I also had an MRI done. I have a very small herniation between L4 and L5 and S1. Doctors say that the herniation is probably not repsonsible for this kind of pain, since the herniation is so mild and there's no nerve impingment. I'm pretty active and except for the once a year cold or sniffles I have never been really ill. I also started to have panic attacks a few months ago. My head felt like it had tons of pressure and I felt like I was in fog. My shoulders hurt. Sometimes I have the sensation that I'm being pinched all over. An MRI was also taken of my head. The results were normal.

I suspect I'm having a Lyme relapse. This occured to me when one day I awoke to find that my earlobe was swollen and red.

Has anyone experienced similar symptoms?? Backpain? Earlobe swollen?

I was able to get a hold of Vibramycin (brand product of DOXY. I have 28 days worth of 200mg a day. I don't know what to do. I live in Germany and I just went to the Center for Infectious diseases to be tested again, after having read Amy Tans novel I relized that ELISA is not a very good diagnostic tool. What if my Western Bot comes back negative too? I don't think my doc will put me on antibiotics. Should I take the antibiotics I have and self medicate?

Also does anyone know of a specialist in Germany?

Kind regards,

I don't know if you have discovered it yet or not, but, this would be a good place for you to start as the majority of the members there are from Europe.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EuroLyme/

Here's a great link to learn more about Lyme...Tincup's Links for new LymeNet members:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EuroLyme/

If you have had this before, then, you probably were not given enough abx for a long of enough duration.

As far as here, Infectious Disease doctors know about as much about Lyme Disease (LD) as one of my grandchildren, ages ranging from 8 to <1. I can't say about over there.

Also, if your blood for your Western Blot test is sent to a Lab that does not test for all the specific Lyme bands, there are only a few of them, then basically you could definitely have it but, you have a negative test.

The CDC here plainly states on their website that LD is a clinical diagnosis.

Seriously, those links and the latter one, you'll especially want to bookmark so you can return to it again and again.

again,

Welcome to LymeNet!!!

Rosemary

Edited to add a letter to make a word understandble.

Only have a minute, but at least wanted to show you the link about the swollen earlobe or lymphocytoma. Anyway, it's the link by Tinncup & Treepatrol has a photo of an ear.

Click on link below.
Just scroll down the page to see the photo.

============================================= http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/028138.html
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I would also take a picture of my ear if it shows something. They will believe pictures over your words.

Also, take pictures of any more rashes & save them.

Sounds like you definitely need Doxy, but
Dr. B.'s guidelines state higher doses from 400mg or possibly 600 mg daily in divided doses.

His guidelines are in your links for newcomers. Print out his booklet & refer often. It's sooooo... very helpful to all of us here.