I believe that Amy is so right.
It is so unproductive for folks on here to argue about who has what. It would be very productive, on the other hand, if folks could have discussions and ask their questions without shoving info down their throats or insulting them. (oops, now I've read your apology Love. You made good points)
I believe that it is quite possible that James has fibromyalgia, cause unknown, as in many other cases. It is also quite possible that James has lyme which is causing fibro symptoms. It is also possible that James has Lyme disease that has caused him to have fibromyalgia itself.
While researching all these things, viruses, etc, it's pretty clear that so many things are connected and that those conncections are all still unknown.
No one here knows for sure, no one.
Even if his lyme test comes back positive, we cannot know that he does not actually have Fibro until he is treated for lyme and those symptoms subside.
Yes, many people have been misdiagnosed w/ MS, fibro, CFS, Autism, Alzheimers, etc etc ETC, when they really have lyme, and the lyme is causing their symptoms. But as much as some folks here want lyme to be the root cause of everything, these cases do not prove that.
I'm a Lymebrain for sure, so it's hard to say what I'm trying to say. So, another example. Someone who has been diagnosed w/ MS may have been misdiagnosed. And often some good Lyme testing will show that they, in fact, have Lyme disease. And so abx treatment (or whatever works) relieves the symptoms of MS that they were suffering.
OR, as Amy questions, is it possible that her lyme has actually caused her to have MS, not just the symptoms? It is suspected that viruses or other diseases cause MS, ALS, CFS, Fibro, etc etc. And so lyme may be one of them because it eventually suppresses the immune system. But so do some viruses. So if Lyme has caused Amy to contract MS, then abx may not relieve all of her symptoms.
Trying to shove lyme down someone's throat or 'accusing' someone of really having Lyme is totally unproductive. If someone is here, reading the lyme board or participating, obviously they have some questions for which they are seeking answers.
I hope that they can understand that we have learned that Lyme causes SO many symptoms and SO many misdiagnoses that we want to shout it at the Mountaintop -- because, clearly we want to help more people who can be helped!
Still, while we are at it, we need to offer help and advice that is requested, without insulting anyone or causing strife on this board, on which we depend so much. The only way we can find some answers is to work together and discuss stuff together.
One final example, maybe James will catch my drift. I have suffered 'major recurrent depression' (Dr's words, not mine, I'd just call it bouts of depression) on and off since early in my married life (married at 19). Was this caused by a tick born infection I contracted at 19, or was the root cause a bad marraige and a bad husband? Would my adult life have been the same had I not been bit? Or did the bite just make me more suspectible to depression?
I am also quite mentally ill now. Was this caused by a bite 30 something years ago? Or was it caused by my bite 2 year ago? Or was it caused by my bad marraige? Or am I just mentally ill?
The answer is WHO KNOWS, NOBODY KNOWS. I've got to deal w/ it as best I can. And if abx turn me into my former pre-19 self, well then, we'll know the answer. Highly unlikely we'll ever know, but we sure as shoot won't ever know if we just argue and stomp our foot down, claiming to have all the answers.
So James' mission must be this: Continue his search for lyme (and ok to keep asking questions). And if he has a positive test, will his treatment cure his fibro symptoms? Maybe it will, and maybe he will need fibro treatment as well.
And as others said above, we already know the negative lyme tests do not PROVE anything. So that's what's so difficult. So let's try to help each other here, as best we can.
I like the way that Dr. S puts it. Something like this, paraphrased, 'Of those who have 41 and one species specific band, 97% will feel better with abx. And of those who have 1 species specific band, over 50% will feel better w/ abx.' Something like that....
This is not the first time someone has been insulted here because someone here is accusing them of really having Lyme. So I think we can do a little better.
ALL of us have a LOT of questions w/ no answers, and there seems to be a LOT of connections between these illnesses and viruses, etc etc. We really need to do the best we can to listen to each other and respect each other, so we can go to our Drs, educated, and try to prod them in the direction of the Truth, if there is such a thing.