I had been having joint pain for months and and it was not clearing. Finally went to the Dr. After checking blood etc and asking questions, I am being treated for Rickettsia. The typical treatment of Doxycycline is what I am on. Going into the third week now. I am able to get some sleep now. My wrists are not bothering me, my neck and shoulders are much looser, and knees are not hurting at all. I still have alot of sorness in the one elbow, but that might be inpart from compensating after a bike accident. RIchettsial diseases include Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, along with others. These differ from Lyme disease in that a different organism type causes them. THey also do not typically have the "target" patern around the bite. Often they are instead accompanied by a rash that can vary from a spotted rash to one that looke like a lot of chigger bites. Tick bite diseases are in the increase, and are often over looked so I thougt I would mention it to bring it on radar screens incase others know people with such symtoms that are not going a way. Achyness, joint and muscle pain, tiredness, difficulty sleeping. etc. These stuff often follows a headache that came right after the tick bite. I will give my self away here, but I was ignorant about ticks. I had considered tick bites, after I had been getting worse for a few weeks, but was positive the bites I had had on my arm were spider bites. I thought ticks stayed put before causing trouble. I did know know there were so many kinds and that they could be so small. I did not know that some do not expand much etc. I was pretty much only familiar with dog ticks. Apparently I live in tick city. And they can bite and drop off right away.
