Treating prophylactically means treating it BEFORE you contract it to prevent from contracting it so I don't know that anyone can answer that question.
I had negative babesia tests, but I was diagnosed with babesia based on my symptoms. It's a clinical diagnosis, so symptoms should be taken into account more than testing, especially since testing doesn't even test for all the strains of it.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
i meant treating a clinically diagnosed babesia infection without having positive labs.
Posts: 140 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
three in my family had negative Babesia tests. All treated and all had a fantastic response.
Babesia was most of my symptoms. My adult son was AD/HD most of his life. No more after treatment.
Posts: 671 | From Fort Myers, Florida | Registered: Jun 2009
| IP: Logged |
lymeboy
Unregistered
posted
I tested neg 3 times for babesia. Recently I tested positive. The tests are not accurate. I think if you have babs symptoms, you should treat.
IP: Logged |
posted
i ve been treating lyme for 2 years and improved a bit but am still at 50%. that is not acceptable. symptoms left are horrible fatigue and air hunger.
Posts: 140 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
Air hunger and fatigue???? Sounds like Babs, to me.
Posts: 671 | From Fort Myers, Florida | Registered: Jun 2009
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
I don't think the tests matter. If you get lucky and test positive, great, then you know what you need to treat.
I tested Pos. for Babesia, but negative repeatedly for Bartonella. Based on my symptoms I have Bartonella though and respond to treatment. I think its smart to treat and see if you have a reaction for any co-infection, because most likely you will have more than just lyme.
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
Jamers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28016
posted
By the way, have you treated Bart too? My Bart represents with air hunger and chronic fatigue, so while the symptoms say that is Babesia, those symptoms are listed for both Bart and Babs.
-------------------- Diagnosed Pos. Lyme Nov. 17, 2010, Igx. Pos. Babesia Duncani March 2011, Igx. Clinical diagnosis for Bartonella Posts: 1127 | From North Carolina | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Negative test from Igenex for babesia.Treated with very good results.It was very apparent I had it when we started after it.
Posts: 342 | From northern california | Registered: Dec 2010
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Treating lyme alone doesn't help much. You have to treat all 3 to get rid of any of them. This is what the good lyme docs in the U.S. have found. The diseases help one another to stay in your body.
I wasted 2 years with a lyme doc who treated me for only lyme. Once I switched doctors and got treated for bart and babs, I was done in 13 months.
That's how I got my life back.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I started out treating babesia, with an equivocal (not negative, not positive) babesia test. I have responded positively to every anti-malarial drug including daraprim, mepron, and lariam.
Lyme was never the big culprit, it was babesia. Started treating bartonella, but can't tolerate Rifampin. Babesia meds got me to 90%.
[ 10-25-2011, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: baileypup ]
Posts: 964 | From san diego | Registered: Oct 2009
| IP: Logged |
posted
Even though you dont have symptoms of babs? Should we still treat it?
-------------------- Posts: 215 | From California | Registered: Sep 2011
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Kramberry, since it is the vast majority of lyme patients who also have babs, a good doctor will give a lyme patient at least a short course of babs treatment to see how they react.
If you don't do this, once you stop lyme treatment, an untreated case of babs will certainly cause a relapse.
I had no symptoms of babs. My first doc treated me only for lyme. Treated me for 2 years. Each time I stopped meds at his direction, it only took 2 weeks for me to be as sick as I was at the beginning. That's what an untreated coinfection can do. You waste a lot of time if you just treat lyme. A lot of time.
As soon as my new doctor began babs treatment, WoW! What a reaction! (He tested me thru Igenex and I was positive fo both babs and bart. He even found that hard to believe because I was so functional for so many years, and here I was with all 3 diseases.)
Here is info from Dr. B. Note the "subclinical" case of babs--that's babs in a person who apparently has no babs symptoms.
"It has also been reported that Babesia infections can range in severity from mild, subclinical infection, to fulminant, potentially life threatening illness. Subclinical infection is often missed because the symptoms are incorrectly ascribed to Lyme.
Babesia infections, even mild ones, may recur even after treatment and cause severe illness. This phenomenon has been reported to occur at any time, including up to several years after the initial infection! Furthermore, such Babesia carriers pose a risk to the blood supply as this infection has been reported to be passed on by blood transfusion."
Sub-clinical is a medical term referring to a disease process that has initiated but has not yet manifested symptoms.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
gmb
Unregistered
posted
I vote yes, treat all three, along with all the above responses. I never thought much about babs since I never had nite sweats. After being on Mempron for 4 weeks it brought out many new Babs symptoms I never experienced before. After 9 weeks on Mempron some of my original "Lyme" symptons strted to improve.
17hens
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 23747
posted
quote:Originally posted by TF: I had no symptoms of babs.
As soon as my new doctor began babs treatment, WoW! What a reaction!
I completely agree with these posts, esp. TF's.
I just want to add one thing. I had no symptoms of babs either (or at least not that I knew of at the time). When I started Babs treatment, my reaction was "Wow! I feel so much better!"
Never had a big herx on it. Tired and fluish the third week but improvement, improvement, improvement the whole 5 months!
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
"It has been published that as many as 66% of Lyme patients show serologic evidence of co-infection with Babesia microti."
Burrascano, page 23
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
thanks for the big input. im learning much from you people.
as i read, most of you improve really fast on babesia meds. even if treat needs 3 to 6month or longer, one sees steadily improvement. thats what makes me feel a good mood.
im curious to read more stories. this forum really gives new hope to me
Posts: 140 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
Has anyone here cured babs without the use of antibiotics , but
using natural ant-microbials etc ? I mean "cure " ... no relapsing ...
also ... does bactrim help with babs as well as lyme ?
thx for any responses...
-------------------- "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues , but the parent of all others "....Cicero Posts: 254 | From new jersey | Registered: Jul 2009
| IP: Logged |
-yes it helps, but mepro/malarone with zith or biaxin shows better results
Posts: 140 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
fflutterby
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 28081
posted
I never had a positive test. It took me two weeks to ramp up to 1 tsp BID and have been there for four weeks. I am herxing like a b%^$h!
If my first LLMD treated me for Babs from the beginning I may be well by now. Been treating Lyme almost 14 months! Did a couple rounds of Rifampin and Babs broke loose. I had to stop the Rifampin to knock down Babs a bit. I will need to add something for Bart again soon.
I am expecting a full recovery before Spring. Thats my affirmation. LOL
-------------------- Psalm 46 1 God is our refuge and strength Posts: 1367 | From North Jersey | Registered: Sep 2010
| IP: Logged |
t9im
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25489
posted
Hi nan:
Our daugher has always tested negative for babesia (Quest, Labcorp, Igenex).
Our LLMD treated her based upon symptoms which were, chronic fatigue, anxiety, night sweats, constant day fevers, motion sickness, difficutly breathing (not noticed as she didn't move due to the chronic fatigue until we went to LLMD exam. She couldn't hop 10 feet without gasping for breath), sleep apnea.
I may have forgotten a couple but of course some also match up with her Lyme.
Her LLMD treats babesia for a minimun of 8 months with Mepron and Zithromax. Our daughers last babesia symptoms disappeared after 12+ months (yes that long) on meds.
I always figured she has a strain other than b.microti or b.duncani. Maybe it is the new parasite recently written up by Frye labs, a different babesia strain or it was b.duncani and just didn't show up on the test.
-------------------- Tim Posts: 1111 | From Glastonbury, CT | Registered: Apr 2010
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic