posted
I need to know of any LLMD's I can consult with in or near Montgomery County, MD.
I strongly suspect I have Lyme Disease, as I was bitten by a tick [accompanied with a warm, red rash], and since then have developed a myriad of health issues extremely consistent with those of Lyme.
I took the Western Blot test, but it resulted in a negative, and since then my PCP has been persistent on how "I don't have it."
I need to know of any LLMD's in my area I could see about what I still suspect could be Lyme Disease.
You need to be evaluated and treated by a Lyme-literate doctor (LLMD). Non LLMDs have no clue about this horrible disease or its complex treatment!
A LLMD is one who has treated Lyme disease and the co-infections which come with it for many years and has gotten patients well. A good one will follow Dr. B's Guidelines, the "gold standard" for Lyme treatment.
Unfortunately, LLMDs are far and few between. You need to go where they are.
Also most LLMDs do not accept insurance due to the politics surrounding this horrible disease. Read poster TF's explanation, "Why Lyme Doctors Don't Take Insurance":
Btw - please break up your posts into 2-3 sentence paragraphs, as there are people on Lymenet who cannot read large blocks of text due to do neurological problems from Lyme.
To do this, click on the pencil/paper icon, make your changes, then click "Edit Post". Thanks.
Posts: 8981 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I sent you a name and lots of information.
A Western Blot from LabCorp or Quest is often useless. Lyme doctors use specialty labs. They catch a lot more cases of lyme.
Still, the lyme tests are not that good, even at the best labs. So, the diagnosis cannot be made by a test. A good lyme doctor knows that.
See this quote from page 7 of the Burrascano Lyme Treatment Guidelines:
"DIAGNOSTIC HINTS
Lyme Borreliosis (LB) is diagnosed clinically, as no currently available test, no matter the source or type, is definitive in ruling in or ruling out infection with these pathogens, or whether these infections are responsible for the patient's symptoms. The entire clinical picture must be taken into account, including a search for concurrent conditions and alternate diagnoses, and other reasons for some of the presenting complaints. Often, much of the diagnostic process in late, disseminated Lyme involves ruling out other illnesses and defining the extent of damage that might require separate evaluation and treatment.
Consideration should be given to tick exposure, rashes (even atypical ones), evolution of typical symptoms in a previously asymptomatic individual, and results of tests for tick-borne pathogens. Another very important factor is response to treatment- presence or absence of Jarisch Herxheimer-like reactions, the classic four-week cycle of waxing and waning of symptoms, and improvement with therapy."
ERYTHEMA MIGRANS
Erythema migrans (EM) is diagnostic of Bb infection, but is present in fewer than half. Even if present, it may go unnoticed by the patient. It is an erythematous, centrifugally expanding lesion that is raised and may be warm. Rarely there is mild stinging or pruritus. The EM rash will begin four days to several weeks after the bite, and may be associated with constitutional symptoms. Multiple lesions are present less than 10% of the time, but do represent disseminated disease. Some lesions have an atypical appearance and skin biopsy specimens may be helpful. When an ulcerated or vesicular center is seen, this may represent a mixed infection, involving other organisms besides B. burgdorferi.
After a tick bite, serologic tests (ELISA. IFA, western blots, etc.) are not expected to become positive until several weeks have passed. Therefore, if EM is present, treatment must begin immediately, and one should not wait for results of Borrelia tests. You should not miss the chance to treat early disease, for this is when the success rate is the highest. Indeed, many knowledgeable clinicians will not even order a Borrelia test in this circumstance."
I'm actually now in the late stage of the [suspected] Lyme Disease, it has been almost nine years since I got that tick bite [it was on my ear], and it's all very chronic now
My cognition is actually severely impaired [I'm trying very hard to simply type this, and it's taking long].
I apologize for any grammar mistakes and if my typing seems "mechanical"
I edited my post to separate each sentence to make it easier for those experiencing neurological Lyme symptoms, like me, to read.
hopingandpraying, I'm hoping I did it correctly as you said, the illness is severely inhibiting my ability to process and understand information.
Posts: 3 | From Derwood, MD | Registered: Nov 2015
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posted
You did just fine - thank you for your effort. It is much appreciated. God bless you.
Posts: 8981 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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