Somewhat diverging from the topic, but I wonder how many “chronic Lyme” cases people self-diagnose are instances of parvovirus B19. I'm in the process of recovering from a B19 infection now, but had my kids not gotten it first and displayed the classic slapped-face rash of parvo, I would have almost certainly gone down the Lyme rabbit hole based on the signs and symptoms I've been experiencing. The spontaneous appearance of rheumatoid arthritis that lingers for weeks immediately brings to mind the colloquial notion of Lyme disease.
I had a look at the Wikipedia page for parvovirus B19, but I don't see many similarities to what chronic Lyme sufferers say; they generally complain of chronic pain that lasts for several months or years, not just weeks. Lyme sufferers also generally claim to have been bitten by a tick, and had them characteristic target rash, rather than a "slapped face" rash.
Honestly not sure what would make you think "Lyme" with the symptoms you describe.
I believe the idea is that once the rheumatoid arthritis pops up suddenly and lasts for weeks, it's easy to jump to a conclusion it could be the beginning of the chronic pain from Lyme disease, and that you just didn't find the tick, etc.
