Can Tendonitis In Joints, Meningitus, Swollen Glands And Ulcerative Colitis Be Indications Of Lyme Disease?

Posted on Wed, 18 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 18 Dec 2013 Answered on

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello. I live in Australia. I've had a lot of pain (tendonitis) in all of my joints and am constantly tired. I don't seem to have the energy I had a couple of years ago, and have just had some MRI scans to rule out MS. THey say I have had several small strokes....I was bitten by a tick approx 16 years ago and since then have had meningitus and painful joints, swollen glands and a lot of inflamation in my stomach. Since I have Ulceraticve Colitus they seem to think this is the problem, but I'm really thinking its Lyme Disease, but aparently we dont get that in Australia....Do these symptoms sound like it might be? Im only 53 and this problem is making me feel really disabled...a year ago I was rock climbing and walking my dogs etc...now I can barely stand long enough to cook my meals. XXXX

Answered by Dr. Nsah Bernard (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Symptoms are also that of lyme Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXXXX thanks for posting on XXXXXXX I am pleased to be able to assist you and hope you will feel better after reading my answer. Also sorry to hear about your recent health problems. Symptoms related to lyme diseases are not specific to it alone but other rheumatic diseases may also present as such. Clinically lyme diseases can be differentiated from other diseases with similar symptoms in that it has a specific clinical history of tick bite which infection of a bacteria that leads to lyme diseases. If your doctors suspect this, then they will have to do an antibody detection tests to ascertain that you have indeed been exposed to the bacteria B. burgdorferi but in order for this to be confirmed and specific tests need to be conducted to confirm the presence of active infection. If this is confirmed, then specific antibiotherapy will be prescribed to cure this. This was just to clarify you on lyme diseases but I will not want you to focus your mind only on the lyme diseases but also know that they are several other diseases conditions that can make you have similar symptoms and your doctors should normally conduct tests to rule out each one ranging from the most common to the least until a specific diseases has been detected so that treatment can follow. So saying, your symptoms must not necessary be related to lyme diseases. I also suggest consultation with a rheumatologist. If you wish to have further details regarding your problem, please feel free to write back as I will be glad to assist. Hope this helps and wish you the best. Dr. Nsah

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Nsah Bernard (11 hours later)

Thanks foryour reply,IHave already had all the blood tests they have checked for everything like. Reumatoid arthritus. Lupus and gout etc but we cant be tested here for lyme, after the last couple of months of what feels like ants crawling on my feet ant the last six years or more of tendonitus in shoulders elbows and now hip im still at a total loss, iv seen three rheumatoligists and a back specialist and a natropath and chiropractor...nobody can give mre an answer...its been expensive and frustrating.

Answered by Dr. Nsah Bernard (3 days later)

Brief Answer: What about testing for chronic infection? Detailed Answer: Hello XXXXXXX Thanks for the update, Sorry for the late reply. It is possible that you might have been tested for many types of rheumatic diseases and you might feel that everything has been done, but believe me, not everything has been done. Sometimes, the best specialist might miss the simplest things. Doing some tests to try identifying chronic infectious arthritis is a good way to go. Most at times, diseases conditions such as tendonitis might exist without any underlying cause and may just require a long cause of antiinflammatory with no specific curative medications. In most situations, the pain go away for a while, then restarts again until you just get use to it. Luckily it hardly gets worst or complicates beyond that. I do suggest how ever, that you try being investigated for infectious arthritis and given that lyme is a form of infectious arthritis, should also be excluded. In order hand, I really do not have any idea if lyme is a common diseases amongst Australians. Can you try discussing this with one of your doctors. It might help throw some light in their direction. I sincerely wish I could help further by being able to follow you up myself but I know out there, you will meet a doctor that will take sometime to explain the nature of your illness so that first, you can quit worrying so much and then see if they can find a definitive treatment. Hope this helps and wish you the best. Dr. Nsah

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar