Ceftin is good for Arthritis?

Question:
. I was bit 3 yrs ago and have had knee pain ever since and the elbows started bothering me 3 months ago and has progressed to the point where I cannot hold a telephone, hold a magazine or bowl. I have no history of Rheumatism in my family. Has anyone else experienced joint pain like this?

Answer:
I just saw an infectious disease Doc out here in CA. A Dr. Khaw, He was very nice but told me that the debilitating Arthrits that I have in my elbows and knees that I just started experiencing (I am only 29) Is most likely not LYME because my joints arent swollen, And Lyme arthritis always causes swelling. I was bit 3 yrs ago and have had knee pain ever since and the elbows started bothering me 3 months ago and has progressed to the point where I cannot hold a telephone, hold a magazine or bowl. I have no history of Rheumatism in my family. Has anyone else experienced joint pain like this? He also told me that the Doxy I took for 3 weeks 3 yrs ago would have killed it. I asked for ABX and he gave me 250mg of Ceftin a day. Is this Enough? OH and can anyone tell me how it is that the bacteria affects the joints. I actually feel like they are feasting on my cartilage. Are you sure your doctor is in CA? Sounds like my first doc in NY City. After OB?GYN tests were highly positive for lyme and after I told him that I had been sick for over 3 years and after I told him my husband and children had to work my legs and ankles so I could walk.........he told me I most likely did not have lyme and if so, only early stage because I *had no joint problems* (hello, anybody out there?) Then he prescribed a low dose of antibiotic for 4 weeks. At the end of which time I had moved on to a more lyme-literate MD (aka. LLMD) which is what it is time for you to do, dear. If you do not know of any support groups to give you a referral, post on this board or at http://flash.lymenet.org and someone will answer from CA I am quite sure. You are correct that the critters are most likely feasting on your cartilage. They do that. All is not lost, just get to a different doc and - you did not say if testing had been performed, but get the ELISA and Western Blot tests by a good lab - you have Igenex out there in CA - and ask them to check for co-infections such as Babiosis and Erlichiosis. If you go to http://www.lymenet.org and scroll on the left side you will see Diagnostic and Treatment guidelines which will tell you More Than Everything You Wanted to Know About Lyme Disease. 3 weeks of Doxy is not long enough, particularly in view of the length of time untreated, and most likely you were given a low dosage (again see guidelines). I have a personal bias against Infectious Disease doctors for the treatment of Lyme disease that is supported by the anecdotal experiences of many others. Your wrists may be moving toward carpal tunnel syndrome - like symptoms, as mine did. It reversed with adequate long term antibiotics, as did joint problems. Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. I would recommend that you try to find a good Lyme doctor who knows which tests to run. You should try to get an Igm and Igg Western blot and a PCR test done at least. To find a good Lyme doctor near you try calling the Lyme Disease Foundation at 1-800-886-LYME. For information about Lyme disease in California: Western Lyme Disease http://home.earthlink.net/~disney1fan/LymeDisease.html http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/6772/california-index.html For more about Lyme disease http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/the internet-faq.html The honest answer is that no one is entirely sure. The leading theories are protein mimicry (on the part of Lyme) that causes the immune system to accidentally destroy proteins of your body, or direct attack by the immune system on infected cells, or possibly even direct attack by the Lyme. There was a good post here just a few days ago on protein mimicry. You could probably find it on Deja.com. I got the same story from an infectious disease Doc. I had a negative ELISA but a positive Western Blot, positive Babesia, and positive for both types of Erlichiosis. I sent for a test kit from Igenex. I was very pleasantly surprised when my insurance reimbursed me. I also have very advanced arthritis for a previously very active 40 y/o. I don't have swelling with the arthritis, yet when I had knee surgery, the synovial lining of the knee was so swollen they had to remove some of it (synovectomy). I also had serious deterioration of the kneecap. A replacement is probably in my future. I have also had a double spinal fusion since the bite. My discs just deteriorated completely. I've also got bone spurs in my hips. No one even tested me for Lyme when I had this horrible looking bug bite in 1994. Do yourself a favor, see someome who knows how to treat Lyme Disease before the arthritis progresses. I have an appointment with an LLMD in Dallas (five hours away) and am looking forward to seeing someone who knows how to treat Lyme disease. You are not on enough ceftin. And at this stage, the ceftin is not the best drug to get rid of your Lyme Disease. I am not a doctor, but my daughter has been on 500mg of Tetracycline three times a day and it has done wonders for her. She has also been on a rotation Zithromax, 500mg twice a day with Plaquenil and has also been rotated onto Biaxin 500mg two time as day with 200mg of Plaquenil with it and she went from bed ridden to functional This process took over three years but it is paying off for her. The minimun dose of Ceftin she was on was 500mg twice a day. Your doctor's dose won't even kill a strep throat infection. Sounds just like Lyme Disease to me! Your doctor may have been a nice guy, but he sounds like he has no clue how to treat Lyme, 3 weeks of Doxycycline does not usually cut it al all. The dose of Ceftin he recommended is very tiny, and it will probably not do much for you. I found an excellent Lyme Doctor and he put me on 1000 mg of Ceftin 3 times a day, in addition to Biaxin 1000 mg a day. After 2 days of starting that protocol, I felt amazing!! Don't be afraid to take high doses of antibiotics, its what your body needs when you have this disease. Think if it this way, they put 2-4 grams of Rocephin per day in an IV, so taking 2-3 grams a day orally (of which only a certain % is absorbed) is not a big deal. Just make sure you take alot of acidophilus. I'm not trying to be man here, but taking 250 mg a day for Lyme arthritis is like taking a quarter of one childrens tylenol for a migraine headache. I hope you find a good Lyme Literate doctor very soon and get relief. Yes. It was like this for me staring four months after my EM rash. Every morning as soon as I woke up, I was blasted with pain. It was like this for almost a year. Then the pain started to subside on its own, and the massive fatigue took over as symptom #1.