I just have a question for anyone who can help me out. I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and those of Lyme disease. I am a little confused because it seems to me like they share a lot of the same symptoms, and I don't quite understand how a person can be clinically diagnosed with one or the other if they are so similar.

The reason I ask is because I was pretty convinced I had CFS, but now after coming to this board and others, and talking to people, I absolutely have most of the symptoms of Lyme. I have most of the symptoms of both, it seems. So, I just wanted to know if there are any real differences that can help me distinguish between the two, without a positive test result for Lyme.

Thanks!

you need a good diagnostician to tell you what the etiology of your illness is. it may indeed be lyme, it may be something else, it may in fact be something which has not yet been discovered.

but it is not CFS. it's a trashbasket diagnosis that saves doctors time and face and insurance companies and hospitals money. in other words it's pure b.s.

lyme disease, on the other hand, is a ticke borne zoonotic bacterial illness which can become multisystemic if not treated. that much you know.

this is a very good site and Lyme was not even one of the things that they presented when the site first went up. But, since they were having sooo many member testing positive for Lyme Disease, they have now added that information as well... please click here:

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/lymecfs/suncoast.htm

I hope that helps...also, if you've not gotten this link, please do an extensive review of it for your better health.

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/009342.html

Oh, and, by the way (btw), welcome to LymeNet.

I personally think there is a good chance that many prople with CFS really have Lyme. I believe the diagnosis of CFS is a dumping ground. My family doc did very little diagnostic work before she decided CFS. And I went 3 years undiagnosed as a result. I have had a hard time benefiting from treatment.

You need to see a LLMD to sort it all out. There are also many other infections which can cause these symptoms. You need to get to the bottom of it. Read m,ore about other tick-borne infections as well. Many of us also have those, which has made treatment more difficult.

I went to my LLMD who found lyme, but told me I do have CFS as well as fibromyalgia.

The lyme called the other two syndromes/disorders. The difference is that CFS is a group of symptoms, Lyme is a bacterial illness that can cause this group.

So based on my own experience, when I think of CFS I think of it as a symptom of Lyme rather than a separate illness (some people have the same opinion of CFS being a symptom of fibro or a precursor to it...the causes of fibro are so widespread and unknown, and one of them is Lyme disease, so it seems to all work down the line "logically").

I was diagnosed with CFS, FMS, and IBS long before they found I had Lyme. These are all syndromes, meaning a collection of symptoms with no known cause.

Well, now I know my cause. I don't personally believe every person with CFS has Lyme. I think there are multiple causes. But I suspect many are infectious in origin.

I imagine there is something else behind the CFS that I thought was the cause of my steady health decline over the past 5 years. I don't know if it's Lyme, though I do have most of the symptoms of it. Could be another tick borne illness or something differnt.

I had the tests for MS--spinal tap, MRI, etc. All came back normal. I don't have fibro as my only major pain is in my knees. I don't have too much nerve pain, only really bad vision disturbances, headaches, IBS, night sweats, brain fog and others. I guess the main reason I wasn't convinced it was CFS is because, although I am fatigued, I wouldn't even describe that as my main symptom.

Very confusing, but I'm going to a LLMD MOnday--hope he's good!

those are best done by stool rather than blood tests.

you can also have a dysbiosis test done through a company called metametrix, which may helpful.
www.metametrix.com