Newbie-Wife may have LD
 

Hello,

I am new to this board, and have been reading through some of the materials posted.

My wife's symptoms all started about 16 months ago.
She has had a long list of symptoms and
potential diagnosis from various doctors. She has been tested for Lyme's disease 2 times, both of which have come back negative. Her neurolgist is saying she may have fibromyalgia. No signs of MS (MRI)

She does have a few complications which is making a LD diagnosis difficult to determine: menopause, hypothyrodism, and osteoarthritis. She in her late 40's and has been on synthroid (thyroid med) for at least 15 years.

Some of her symptoms are:
neck stiffness, left knee pain, behind the knee,
muscle rigidity in the thigh of the left leg, problems walking and stalling in the middle of stride. The big issue to date for her is walking, and having problems standing.
Most of her aches and pains are on the left side, and involve the left leg.

I know there are a long list of LD symptoms, but just wondered what most folks experience (top 5).

Without being treated, are problems walking, or gait problems, a symptom of Lyme disease ?
(problems centered around her left leg)

Do fevers or flu like symptoms occur frequently ?

Are cardiac problems typical ?

After possibly being 16 months into the disease, are there
any reliable tests that can be requested at this point ?

Does the rash ever re-appear ?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
:)

Welcome to NeuroTalk, rpguy4! You are such a good husband to seek answers for your dear wife.

I have MS and don't know much about Lymes.

Perhaps you already saw the sticky on Lymes: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread15648.html

I hope you are able to find some good info here.

Again, welcome and drop by any ole time. :)

Hello rpguy,

Has your wife seen a lyme specialist?

Without being treated, are problems walking, or gait problems, a symptom of Lyme disease ? Yes
Do fevers or flu like symptoms occur frequently ?

Are cardiac problems typical ? yes

After possibly being 16 months into the disease, are there
any reliable tests that can be requested at this point ? No

Does the rash ever re-appear ? yes

Note the occurrence/frequency of symptoms varies in individuals.
There are about 100 strains of the lyme bacteria in the U.S. alone.
300 worldwide. All 100 have not been isolated and studied. No 2 lyme patients seem to be alike so naming a "top five" wouldn't be prudent.

The only way to truly know if your wife has Lyme disease is to seek out a Lyme specialist ("lyme-literate" doctor). You can go to the Lyme Disease Association. org's website. Click on Doctor Referrals and conduct a search for one in your area.

Note: Lyme disease is a CLINICAL diagnosis.
It cannot be diagnosed nor ruled out by a test.
Tests are meant as a screening tool only, not as a diagnostic tool.
Unfortunately, this is not common knowledge among mds even though it's easily found on the CDC's website.

Arthritis and hypothyroidism are extremely common symptoms and I personally know folks with Lyme who also have Fibro (lyme feeds the fibro symptoms). I can't stress enough seeking out a Lyme-literate md.

Best of luck to you!