Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
A friend just told me about this 17 year old's problems: [quote] [He]has had joint problems for the past couple years. Mainly his elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. He has joint degeneration, cysts on the bones and marrow adema.
She has taken him to specialist after specialist and no one can tell her why her son has these problems. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and cancer have been ruled out.[end quote]
Is Lyme a possibility in this case? What do you think?
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
Make sure they test him for babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia, etc... - and I learned recently, even malaria (mine is equivocal).
Any one or all of these can cause these symptoms, but I'll bet he has one or more of them. Good luck. And use IGeneX for testing!
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Ann OH..
Too late tonight to search through my files.. however from memory I believe the bone cysts were associated sometimes with bartonella.
The edema too. I would also check babesia for the edema situation. My mind isn't 100 percent at this late hour.. but those two things jumped out at me.
If you need more info.. I'll be happy to try to locate the files when I am more awake.
Just let me know. And share my best with the teen in trouble. Hope he is doing better soon.
OH!
Salmonella.
Yes.. that just hit me. OK.. trying to remember.
If it is joint problems and Lyme has been treated or is not detected.. salmonella which has turned chronic may be something to consider.
Sorry. Confusing I know. But with me knowing that YOU know all about Lyme after so many years of helping folks.. I'm just trying to think "less obvious" stuff.
And it ain't easy this late. But maybe that is a lead at least? I hope so.
my joints are one of my biggest problems. the pain is unreal. I feel so bad for this kid. Definitly get tested by llmd
Posts: 151 | From ohio | Registered: May 2007
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
It sounded improbable, TC, but I Googled salmonella and found this at tinyurl.com/3exz5w
[quote] Prognosis
Most cases of food poisoning (except botulism) clear up on their own within one week without medical assistance. The ill person may continue feel tired for a few days after active symptoms stop. So long as the ill person does not become dehydrated, there are few complications. Deaths are rare and usually occur in the very young, the very old and people whose immune systems are already weakened.
Complications of Salmonella food poisoning include arthritis-like symptoms that occur three to four weeks after infection. Although deaths from Salmonella are rare, they do occur. Most deaths caused by Salmonella food poisoning have occurred in elderly people in nursing homes.>>
I will send this info on to the mom, who is a nurse, BTW.
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Ann Oh...
Yes.. you are right... it does seems strange.
I only knew to mention it because I did research for a LLMD who had a medical board charge about "overtreating" Salmonella along with Lyme "overtreating" and the usual junk they hit them with.
I gathered enough evidence and read bunches of articles to learn it can become chronic and it does require months of antibiotics in many cases once it reached those stages.
It was a "good point" to prove from the scattered research I did in order to help the LLMD... and gave me some education in the process. Something to look for when other infections aren't apparent.
Also note- other Lyme patients here helped with some of that research too. I don't want anyone to think I did it all or make it sound that way. It was our Lyme patient group effort that helped in that situation for the LLMD.. and the folks here were wonderful.
Also.. about a year later the same doc contacted me and asked what the heck were we doing in Maryland to have so many Lyme patients be infected with Salmonella. They get patients from variouis states like most LLMD's and the salmonella rates for Maryland in the patients they saw and tested were very high for some unknown reason.
Also they had a large percent of their Maryland patients who didn't have Lyme... but who had chronic Salmonella. I found that interesting too. Don't know the connection.. but assume it MIGHT be related to the fact we have a lot of chicken farms and eggs here?
If the ticks bite infected chickens... or flies get to the dead ones.. could that spread it? Or is it because we eat a lot more eggs than most? And they aren't cooked through (sunny side up)?
I have no answers.. but would LOVE to know why we seem to have this situation here. Possibly because other states aren't really looking for it could be the reason too? I don't know?
But then.. our state ranked real high on the list of states with a lot of infectious diseases in general.. so who knows?
Obviously our health department isn't keeping up with the ID problems here.
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