Penicillin and feeling ill

[PIK]

Hello everybody. I have written on here before. I was put on penicillin 500 mg once daily by my rheumatologist and a few months ago it made me feel very ill. I felt as if I had meningitis. I had stopped it and the ill feeling went away, and when I last saw my rheumatologist about three months ago, he told me to try taking it again. I have done so but I have not felt too well lately. Not as ill as before, but I have a headache and just haven't felt well. I discontinued it about two days ago. I've just felt so ill these past few days. I have joint pains, I'm tired, brain fog, just terrible. I've been doing really well as regards OCD with the clomipramine I've been on for a few years. But this damn joint pain. I had had very low vitamin D and I felt the same way with the joint pain, and I'm wondering if my vitamin D is down again. I've been on a maintenance dose of 1000 units per day. It was so low that I was on 50,000 units per day for like over six months. Last ASO titer was about 1300, down from almost 1600.

 

Does anyone suggest anything? I'm due to see the rheumatologist again in three more months. Should I get in touch with him? Should I call my regular doctor?

 

Any input would be appreciated. Last time I didn't feel well, you guys suggested Lyme, but I got the regular testing for it and it was negative. I haven't ever seen the EM rash, I live in the city and I've only been camping like once almost two years ago, so I doubt I have lyme. Please advise me everybody.

[Hopeny]

I'm not a doctor but your symptoms sound so Lyme like. Have you read why can't I get better by Richard Horowitz? That could help you understand the tests better and how experienced Lyme doctors interpret the results of testing and symptoms. Unfortunately many ppl infected with Lyme do not test what some doctors call "positive" for a number of reasons. Perhaps too you just have a bad response to penicillin. My daughter never had the rash or went camping , and still got infected. Good luck

[PIK]

Thank you so much hopeny for your input. I read what I guess was an excerpt from the book your referred to. I'm curious if more thorough Lyme testing isn't warranted. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on Thursday. What specific tests should I ask him to run?? My regular doctor ran "Lyme tests", which were negative. I know I have/had PANDAS with OCD, and rheumatic fever as well as glomerularnephritis, but I never really much though about Lyme and coinfections. Please fill me in on what to ask for. I'm going to tell him straight up "We both know we're not dealing with schizophrenia" as that was his initial diagnosis. I think that's his field of interest, and he's like a horse with blinders.

[PIK]

I just reviewed the lab work the primary care doctor had done back in September and it says Lyme IgG/IgM AB which was negative at <91 as well as

LYME DISEASE AB, QUANT, IGM which was also negative at <91. Are there further tests? I'm assuming they're looking for antibodies.

 

Are the Western Blott tests more conclusive? Are there other tests available.

 

Thank you very much for your time.