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Lyme for 18 years?

Could I have had Lyme for 18 years and not have been diagnosed yet?  Would a CBC or MET panel blood test diagnose Lyme disease?  I have posted before, with multiple symptoms because the doctors can not figure out my exhaustion, leg pain and muscle pain when walking or doing daily activities.  I have arthritis in every joint and in my spine and no one tells me why?  My knees are disabled and I can not kneel down and get up.  If I got Lyme in 1991 when I found a tiny black shiny bug (about the size of this letter O), with a hard shell, in my sock and later got a round rash on my ankle, could this be Lyme?  (I did not know about Lyme in 1991, and just heard about it in the MedHelp Forums.)  What tests would I need to diagnose Late Stage Lyme disease, and what is the treatment?  Thank you everyone who might help me...
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Avatar universal
do you mind saying --

--which lab ran your tests?

--do you have copies of the test results?
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535822 tn?1443976780
well I just got the results of the lyme titer and the Tsh...both normal....well I am back to square one
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Avatar universal
I believe it is possible. I had a bullseye rash back around sometime in 1988-89. I was only 12 and had no idea why it was like that, but everyone told me it was a tick. Here is CA no one really ever heard or knew of Lyme disease. I never thought actually until 5 months ago to get tested for it because I too have arthritis in every joint of my body and spine soreness and as I read more I knew the bullseye rash was Lyme symptom. So far I waiting for my test results. I was symptomless for about 10 years until I got multiple bugs bites and came down with a flu like illness for a month. Then it went away and symptoms came back after a car accident in 06. Once I became pregnant I felt great no symptoms. However, 3 months after having my daughter I have had this arthritis joint pain.

I too found out from my LLMD that my thyroid is not working well.
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Avatar universal
My ID dr told me until the lyme is clear from your system it can and will throw off the tsh (thyroid hormone) in your body.  Mine was up as high as 12, usually 4-5, normal 1-2 so they tell me.  

I finally stopped my synthroid rx when I couldn't function and that was the only rx I was on.  Went to a endo dr and he said stay on then off ( you know how these dr's are) I wanted to know why I was on thyroid since my t3 and t4 were normal range.  He then agreed I didn't need it anylonger.  WIERD

Oh and one dr told me I had a goiter (large thyroid gland) and after four months later the other endo and primary md said it was gone?????

Good luck with the diagnosis.  
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535822 tn?1443976780
If it is negative results today I am back to square one....LOL
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535822 tn?1443976780
To answer you yes it can be I have been sick on and off for 20 years and I didnt know about Lyme in UK at that time, I get the results back today from a Lyme Titer and a TSH for thyroid, thats all the new Doctor I went to would put in an odre for he was skeptical and fairly useless, the LLMD around here is a Naturopath and charges a fortune if I dont get any results from today I will go to the LLMD and pay the huge cost..
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Avatar universal
I had to be very precise of what I wanted as the several diff specialist came up with no diagnosis.  I requested an Igenex test and from there doors started to open and I am a happier and healthier person today for it.  

Keep us posted, it sounds like we have all been through similar situations in our health and diagnosis.
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Avatar universal
Welcome to the Lyme forum.  Yes it is possible.  My bullseye rash was in 1992 right here in Ohio.  I have had problems ever since.  It would not show up on the labs you listed.  It does not show up on standard testing.

You could try asking your family doctor for a Lyme test.  But be aware the testing is not very reliable.  It is even less reliable with late-stage disease as the body stops producing antibodies over time. The first screening test ELISA is what most physicians order.  It is less than 40% reliable.  Unfortunately, when this test comes back negative most doctors say it is not lyme.  This is because they are not familiar with the disease.  The other test is the western blot which is more reliable because it shows more information.  There is also a specialty lab called Igenex where most lyme physicians have the lyme test run.

I would recommend seeing a lyme-literate doctor for an evaluation.  I had to travel out of state for treatment.
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