lymes or RA

Hi, 2012 was the last year when I went walking.  We always walked amongst the North Yorkshire Moors, Lake District, keeping grand children amused we always were looking for deer, we  live backing onto open countryside,  even in the field backway to our house we have deer that roam.

One day I saw something on our carpet (which is deep red) I got it up and  I thought it was a tic, a bloated on yeuk.  Thought it might have been from the dog (which lives with us sometimes as it my daughters) so we took it to vets in a jar and he confirmed it was a tic.  Dog was given flea and tic treatment.   A week or so later I saw I had a red angry rash over the front of my right leg,not a bullseye it was spreading over and u to my knee,  and there were one or two bite marks - again I blamed the dog said it was fleas, nobody else was bittten and it was only on the one leg.  This lasted for months, all through summer I hid it under trousers.  

October 2012 I went to g.p. with the rash,  I also had an inflamed second toe and I had very dry nasal passages.  He wasnt concerned and didnt really look, gave me cortisone cream.  It didnt work, went back again a month later he gave me more cream, this didnt work so I didnt go back.

January time I went back again because I had horrendous pain in my left groin, it lasted 24 hours, then had pain in left knee, 24 hours later it had gone and then appeared in my left ankle.  g.p. prescribed me anti inflammatories.

February I could hardly walk, both my knees were swollen and had lumps at the back of both knees, I couldnt get out of bed I was just so weak, my husband had to lift me to edge of bed and stand me up and guide me to the loo.   Couple of days later g.p. was called in, I was in bed almost unable to move, freezing cold, I had two duvets on plus electric blanket.   g.p. was shocked, he didnt know what it was but gave me some co fluampicil for two weeks,  he did ask if I had been abroad, but I hadnt.

things got a litttle easier and I was sent in April (still not walking properly) to see a rheumatologist, I went private.  rash was still on legs, knees still swollen, he took one look at me and said I had rheumatoid arthritis, no blood tests at this stage, but he did give me a steroid injection.

From then until now I am being treated for RA and on three immune suppressants, plus daily steroids which I have managed to wean myself off.

I went to my g.p. last month and asked if he would do a lymes test, luckily he did, but it came back negative.

my rheumatologist listened to me saying about lymes but they dont think it is she says its definately RA allthough she did say something else is going on in my body keeping my inflamation levels high, crp is sometimes over 220 and there is a lot of pain but it is only in my wrists now and middle fingers which are kind of arching and stiff.  No swelling now in knuckles or fingers which she was puzzled by

I have been fighting for nearly 1.1/2 years now with feeling so poorly.  Does anyone after reading this ridiculously long post think I should persue the lymes path?  One thing I didnt mention was that I do suffer sometimes from very thick mucous in my throat which they give me amoxycillin for and when they do I am totally pain free and am like my old self.    

Please can anybody advise me, I dont know whether to push for more tests in case they think it is me in denial about RA, but I have never thought that this is what I have.   Last week my rheumy asked for another blood test ANCA to be done, dont know why.

sorry once again for rambling.

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