In the link you will find a interesting article linking FM, CFS and Lyme. You might also find some helpful info by doing a search on Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum and Fibromylgia.

Hope you can get this all figured out and start feeling better.

Here is a link that might be useful: FM and Lyme

Susan, back in the late seventies I'd come home from a week long visit to the mountains of Colorado. Not long after putting on a pair of jeans from my suitcase that hadn't wore on the trip, I felt a weird feeling on my stomach so I opened the zipper to find a tick attached to my lower tummy. That was back when I could see my lower tummy without the need of a mirror. It freaked me out so that I grabbed a bit of TP and tugged the critter off/out of me. I was very lucky to have removed the stinger thingy along with it. Lyme disease was not widely heard of then so when I had some flu like symptoms afterward I thought nothing of it until the man I worked for told me of the disease. He was an avid outdoors-man and had a cabin in the woods north of Omaha. At that time there was nothing they could do, but have me watch myself and report anything to my doctor. I do hope you find out soon what's causing your ills and that it can be taken care of. I still don't know much about the disease.

Back in the early 90's my son and a friend had it around the same time. My son just had the achy joints (we thought it was Rheumatoid Artheritis). They gave him super strong anti-biotics for a couple of months and it went away. NEVER saw a tick on him or the bulls-eye rash.

My friend also had it, didn't have the achy joints, but I remember one of her symptoms was forgetfullness. Not like..oh I forgot I had a doctor appointment, but once she was sitting in her car ready to leave work, and she forgot how to start her car. She was on IV antibiotics for a while for hers.

Good luck. Oh son't titer NEVER showed Lymes.

Vickey-MN

My husband has had it FOUR times. At this point we're Lyme disease experts. First off, many results come back false negative so, if you feel symptomatic, insist on medication. We live near Boston, went to the top specialist in Lyme disease who told us that the drug of choice and most reliable to stop the Lyme is DOXICYCLENE. Not sure I spelled that correctly. You take a two week course and, if symptoms persist,another week. Each time he had the bullseye and I saved the tick to be sent to a lab. It's urgently important that you get the right drug and as fast as possible and remember, that if the blood comes back negative, it may not be right.

I would suspect that if you have Lyme disease it could bring on a flare of the FM. Good luck.

Thanks, everyone, for your interesting responses. Lydia, that was a good, if dizzying, read. Because of my fibromyalgia and assorted other issues, IÂve been tested for Lyme numerous times over the years. Until I started reading up on Lyme this month, I assumed my negative tests meant I didnÂt have it. Now I realize itÂs just about impossible to be sure of anything related to this illness.

Justgotabme, you never had any further symptoms of Lyme after that? Thank goodness for that.

Vickey, how fortunate that you were able to find a doctor to prescribe the necessary antibiotics for the necessary length of time for your son, without a positive Lyme test.

Yayagal, I would have guessed you live in New England. :-) My Connecticut cousin has had Lyme three times. She, too, recommended Doxicycline (or however itÂs spelled). She said she was prescribed Amoxicillin once, but didnÂt feel noticeably better until they switched it to Doxi. Were your ticks tested for Lyme? As I mentioned in an earlier thread, the only thing my tick was tested for was for type. I told the doctor it was a deer tick, but I guess he wanted official confirmation. I sure hope I donÂt end up paying for that test. IÂve since learned that our local state health department tests for type for free.

Eandhl, I would suspect youÂre right. ItÂs hard to sort it all out. But this time I experienced several new symptoms that are specific to Lyme. So after I have the titer test on Monday, even if it comes back negative IÂm going to insist on a prescription for Doxicycline.

Thanks again!

Susan