Hello @carpe_bean. I have never used this site before & just joined. I just wanted to ask you if you have been tested for Lyme disease & it's co-infections? Ticks rarely carry Lyme disease alone anymore but a multitude of co-infections like Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Mycoplasma etc. 6 years ago I knew I had Lyme disease & tested the second week after seeing a bullseye rash - but my test came back negative initially. I was not informed at the time that it would take 3-4 weeks for antibodies to form and to retest or how inadequate testing is and the how over 50% of tests will report false negatives. I also didn't realise that only 20% of people will ever notice a tick bite or actually see a bulls eye rash. For years I researched other diagnoses. My symptoms continued and worsened. This may not at all be Lyme disease but it might be something you want to test for. When I first got Lyme my ANA titre was 1:160. It is now 1:2,560; dense, fine & speckled but on secondary testing no sign of Lupus or RA etc. My symptoms ranged from major major bladder & bowel issues, headaches, neck stiffness, terrible insomnia, night sweats, difficulty thinking, cognitive issues, a diagnosis of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, extreme problems with blood pressure, numbness and tingling down left side, pins and needles in my left eye & extreme joint pain. At this point Dr's thought I might have either Lupus or MS. It was then that I remembered that Lyme Disease is known as the Great Imitator and I went back to basics and my initial instinct that this was lyme. I sent my labs to Igenix in the USA - a lyme & coinfection only labaratory and one of the best and I came back with a high positive both both Igenix & CDC standards. Also positive for Babesia, Bartonella & Mycoplasma. Again, your symptoms could be due to other issues but I just thought I would pass this on as your post reminded me a lot of what I went through. I am not sure where you are located. You mentioned German insurance. I have also tested with Armini labs in Germany for viral and lyme infections and they were very good too. I hope this doesn't end up worrying you and that you are already feeling much better. However, if you are not - this might be something you may want to rule out.

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