Here's what I am wondering...

1. Bursitis can be caused by an infection. If it is directly caused by my Lyme, can they determine this conclusively? How?

2. I have had Lyme for 6 years, maybe longer. And never had a moment's trouble with my shoulders until last November. Since then I have had bouts of pain, and it is always in both shoulders when it happens. Never in just one. Which to me seems to suggest it is more of a systemic thing, not caused by something I do to flare it up. Always same intensity on both sides. Sometimes no pain at all. Anyone else have a bizaare course like this? Pain is getting progressively worse and more debilitating.

3. Since most non-steriodial anti-inflammatory drugs are now taboo due to possible cardiac side effects, what are some drug treatment options for this? Steriods are out of the question for me. Are steroid injections right into the shoulder joint an option with Lyme?

4. If this is typical "Lyme arthritis", what are ways to get the pain/dysfunction under control?

5. If this is Lyme-related, and I never had this until now, is this a bad sign? I have throughout the course of this disease never had any problems with arthritis. I have been doing very well with treatment and have been using a combination of traditional and alternative treatment modalities with great success. What would this mean if this is appearing only now?

6. If Lyme-related, is there a chance I can get past this with continued Lyme treatment?

7. No doubt I will not be able to find an orthopod who knows Lyme. Is this a potential problem? I get the impression that the cause isn't a big factor, as no matter what the cause, it is treated the same way. But also read that at times the doc chooses to draw fluid out of the joint to examine to rule out infection. Anyone ever get positive B results with testing like this?

7. Any words of wisdom from anyone who has been through this?

Ouch... hate that every time I get to doing well, something else is thrown my way...

Thanks for any help you guys can be.

Connie

I have some chronic bursitis/tendonitis issues - currently my worst problem is my left shoulder though there could be a slight rotator cuff tear.

Only one test that I personally can think of that might 'help' determine if the lyme is at play - a bone scan I think its called.

I had a scan and found a 'hot spot' on my back where it seemed lyme was hitting it. I doubt there is a way of saying for sure its lyme but my doctor figured it was.

I went to an orthoduck and he couldn't pull the steroid needle fast enough. It was a BIG mistake for me as my Lyme went nuts! I went to PT and did some ice and heat and TENS, and it went away, it just took a few months. I was going to look into Prolotherapy if I didn't get better from PT.

Talk to your LLMD about it.

I wish I had the answers for you but I don't. However, if you get any good ones...make certain to share them with me!

I have a nasty burn down my left shoulder but I haven't had anyone give it a name yet so I'm not certain which category it fits under. The one thing that does help me ease the pain is to place a heating pad on it. Though it's kinda hard to hit it correctly since it goes down my shoulder instead of across.

I hope you find a few answers.

The shoulder was so bad I could not get to my long distance LLMD for an appointment, so my local doc wanted to inject steroids, but I was able to find an LLMD/acupuncurist instead. By that point I could barely move my arm so three acupuncture sessions were needed to allow it to move enough to let Physical Therapy take over. He prescribed ice, plus two herbal supplements, one made from pineapple (bromelain (sp?), and one made from tumeric to reduce the inflammation.

When I got back on abx that helped as well, but it took 8 weeks of PT to get use back, so don't wait too long!

I just posted on another thread about thoracic outlet syndrome. I had severe pain in and around my shoulders that got me to the point where I couldn't hold a newspaper. My posting from the other thread is below:

What helped me was taking Flexeril (a muscle relaxer) in combination with a physical therapy by a therapist who specializes in myofascial trigger point release. I tried PT without the Flexeril and had no relief. In fact, my PT said he never saw anybody's muscles inflame the way mine did.

Once I started getting relief from PT, I began light stretching, and then moved onto light strengthening. All of this with the PT and still on Flexeril. Now, after months on abx, I'm feeling much better and can do much more with my arms and shoulders. I can even do backbends in yoga.

I just started to slowly wain off the Flexeril and see what happens.

I don't have any advise on this...sorry.

I did send you a private email. If you could possibly read my neuro psy testing results I sent 2 weeks ago, I'd appreciate it.

I want to get of ALL medical drs. reports Wed. for my 2nd ALJ hearing hopefully in early March! Thanks so much.

Best wishes on your shoulder pain.

quote:

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Originally posted by bettyg:

I did send you a private email. If you could possibly read my neuro psy testing results I sent 2 weeks ago, I'd appreciate it.

I want to get of ALL medical drs. reports Wed. for my 2nd ALJ hearing hopefully in early March! Thanks so much.

Betty G.

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Betty g Betty g! I emailed you more than a week ago on that. Long email and do remember it was a week ago Sun. I had felt badly about having to put it off a few days due to my MIL's surgery, but now I hear you didn't get it? Oh no. Check back to see if you have it. I could not get on yahoo today and I don't know why!! So didn't see your email.

Post again to let me know if you find anything. I don't have your email address since it is on my yahoo account.

You know, my sis-in-law tells me all the time she doesn't get some of my emails from that yahoo account after I mention having sent her one. Guess I should know not to trust yahoo.

Do you still have that email from Mick that was copied to me? If so, my email address is in that email. PLEASE send an email to that account so we can make contact again. That account might be safer anyway. If not, post again and we will go from here.

My shoulders are quite painful and I just finished traveling 4 hours round trip to see LLMD today. So will do my best to try to help!!!

I have wondered if my shoulder pain was from lyme....I'm still trying to decide if I have lyme. It occured suddenly last April, for no reason. It has gotten better, but it seems that if I overdo it with overhead reaches, it gets irritated....

quote:

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Originally posted by Nukegirl:
By the way, Is it okay to excercise when you crack like this?

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Nuke, I think it is OK. In an earlier post, Dave said the following:

The pain in my shoulders was way different thean the normal kind of bursitis from over-use. In the "normal" kind, the more you do the more it hurts. With lyme, if I could "jump-start" it (look at nocarsDave using 'car-talk'... ),
--the more I did the better it got, up to a point.

My experiences have been exactly the same. The activity itself isn't what seems to flare my problems up. It just appears. It is really weird to me that both shoulders hurt to the same degree at any given time. Thus my theory that it is caused by a "systemic" problem.

I do think it is better to keep it moving rather than baby the joint. I am not a doctor, but just say that due to my own experiences. It always feels better after I do a little with it, and hurts more if I try to avoid using it. It is hard to push it to get started but ends up paying off.

It would be really easy for me to baby it and let it get all stiffened up.

When in doubt, ask a doc. But make sure it is a Lyme-literate one. I have been reading about Lyme arthritis, and it seems to be a different animal altogether.

Thanks all for all the great comments.

Oh, and one thing I did also discover that helps... I have some lidocaine patches (on the area 12 hours on, 12 off) I was previously given to try on bad sciatica. It really didn't help with that so I put them away. But the remembered them recently and put one on each shoulder. If I put them on at night, they work well. I don't wake up with near the pain I did previously. It can get bad during the day, but is some better overall if it doesn't get so flared up when I sleep.

I will go to Mick's email to me w/you being copied, and send you my email addy since you can't get into your yahoo mail acct.

I didn't pursue earlier since I did a brief note saying your mother in law was having cardiac tests, and wanted to make sure you got rested up from that trip.

When I saw you posting on this board, I thought I'd send a friendly reminder.

Will go there right now & send you my email. Thanks Connie for your precious time.

Hope your shoulder gets better soon! I hate that type of pain there and in my neck.