posted
My daughter, who is 8yo, was just diagnosed with Lyme via IGeneX and her HGE IgG titer was 1:40, IgM titer was negative.
I know doxy is the treatment of choice for this, but is she old enough to have gotten past the danger of staining her teeth? If not doxy, what else is effective?
This is a new one for me - DD10 has babesia, I have no co-infections (that show up on the tests, anyway).
She'll see the LLMD next Wednesday - should I call and let him know about this or is it not really dire?
She's recently had bad stomachaches that come and go throughout the day and also will say she's not hungry, then eat lots or say she's hungry and then not eat anything. Very confusing...
-------------------- Getting older is when we would rather not have a good time than have to get over it. - Oscar Wilde Posts: 386 | From Radnor, PA - where the ticks run free | Registered: May 2006
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
Hi Penn,
I'd be more alert for fevers with erlichia. In rare cases erlichia can be serious especially when accompanied with high fevers. I'd error on the side of caution and let the doc know the test results asap or before the appointment. He may want to start her on something.
She may be too young for doxy but there's other effective meds. The other daughter with babesia will certainly need to be treated. I'm not sure specifically what the doc will use as zithromax, mepron and artemisinin are the standards for adults.
In your case, never rely on lab tests for co-infections. There's many strains you can pick up they have no test for and it's easily missed. Relying on symptoms is a better bet.
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Thanks for the reply. She was bitten in late May this year but has not experienced fevers. She has had these stomach problems on and off and, for the last 3-4 weeks, a persistent cough that comes and goes. Nothing I've given her has really helped the cough and I've read that can be a symptom of Ehrlichia. I may call in tomorrow and let him know, though I've been told he won't prescribe without seeing someone in person.
DD10 and I are already being treated - she has been taking artemisinin since June as well as zith. I'm on zith and doxy without anything that screams co-infection, so for now he's treating me just for Lyme.
-------------------- Getting older is when we would rather not have a good time than have to get over it. - Oscar Wilde Posts: 386 | From Radnor, PA - where the ticks run free | Registered: May 2006
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2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
Hey Penn,
I frequented Radnor quite often for Penn Medicine Eye appts. I lived in West Chester on Brinton's Bridge road where the ticks take 2 friends and run free.
I moved to Indiana.
On BB road we all got sick. My daughter was around 8 yrs old. She had the same stomach issues you speak of.
We finally went to a Lyme GI Pediatric specialist in Neptune NJ who biopsied her stomach and GI in several places and sent it off to MDL.
Although her blood had come back negative she was PCR pos for Bartonella from the biopsies. That's a big one in that area.
She saw Doc J in Conn while we were investigating all this. No Lyme was found in stomach or other TBD's just Bart. Stomach pain sometimes subsiding with throwing up.
She took Doxy and it was okay. She was on a few things because we were treating Lyme too.
I believe she was on Doxy for 4 months, but can't remember doses. I trust Doc J implicitly.
Her therapy stopped the pain, and we hope it is gone. She is now 12.
Here For You,
2roads
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Tetracycline antibiotics are usually rapidly effective for ehrlichiosis. Because these antibiotics can cause dental staining in children, physicians should consult an infectious disease expert when treating children.
For one strain, the MBC of chloramphenicol was ≤8 μg/ml. These data suggest that quinolone antibiotics and rifampin may be alternative agents for patients with intolerance to tetracyclines. (To treat ehrlichia).
Doxycycline and rifampin were found to exert rapidly bactericidal effects, with MBCs in the extracellular culture medium of less than 0.5 and 0.125 microgram/ml, respectively.
Further clinical investigations are necessary to evaluate the role of rifampin in the treatment of human ehrlichiosis, especially in children.
Successful Treatment of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in Children Using Rifampin
PEDIATRICS Vol. 112 No. 3 September 2003, pp. e252-e253 link below:
posted
Thank you so much for all of that good info. I'll have to keep Bart in mind going forward.
I'm just hoping that she makes it to Wednesday's appointment without any further incidents. I had to sit with her until she fell asleep last night because her head hurt and her stomach hurt.
There is a ped LLMD nearby, but we're months away from getting an appointment, so maybe we'll end up going to the ped GI doc in addition to our regular LLMD.
-------------------- Getting older is when we would rather not have a good time than have to get over it. - Oscar Wilde Posts: 386 | From Radnor, PA - where the ticks run free | Registered: May 2006
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hardynaka
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8099
posted
If you're open to alternative treatments, take a look at a post I did this summer. My daughter was also positive for ehrlichia, rikettsia, bart and borrelia, all from a single tick bite this July.
She's got intestinal problems almost immediately, got fussy, tired etc. She could only take amoxy (2 years old). Amoxy was inneficient (it doesn't kill any co-infection). After 3 weeks on it, no single does missed, she was still bad with more symptoms appearing. And got yeast from amoxy.
I shifted to PC-Samento and PC-Noni, plus Buhner's herbs (slowly, as some taste awful). Also pau d'arco for yeast. After a few days, she was free of all co-infections (except yeast, took a bit longer). Only ART tested though.
After many weeks on herbs, she got finally free of borrelia too. Now she's energetic as before that tick bite.
If your daughter can take doxy (old enough), it could be another alternative. Mine couldn't.
Selma
Posts: 1086 | From Switzerland | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
I'm definitely open to herbal stuff - I started myself on Buhner's protocol before I could get in with an LLMD. I'm trying to find a holistic doctor who can help me with a regimen and dosages for an 8 year old. She can swallow capsules, but I don't want to overdose her, especially given that she'll probably herx.
Thank you for your thoughts - I'll keep pursuing the alternative avenue as well as traditional LLMDs. I may call Dr. J in CT to see if he's still taking patients - he's about a 3 hour train ride away from us and with both girls sick it may be worth it.
-------------------- Getting older is when we would rather not have a good time than have to get over it. - Oscar Wilde Posts: 386 | From Radnor, PA - where the ticks run free | Registered: May 2006
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hardynaka
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8099
posted
You can write to Buhner to ask about dosages for kids too.
I gave andro smashed in honey to my 2 year old (not too smashed, or the taste was going to be toooo bitter). Took some days for her to accept, she ended up taking it daily, 3x.
For your daughter, you can powder it well and put into veggie capsules, so that she doesn't feel the bitterness of the stuff.
All other Core protocol herbs don't taste too bad. Daughter took PC-Samento instead of cats claw, easy to drink. The rest, powdered in her drinks. And I added PC-Noni, prescribed by my naturopath. The combo worked very well!
Buhner wrote that astragalus is an herb that has no side effects (bad effects). You can give a lot to kids without worrying. All the others must be taken with care (amounts).
Dr. J. is still taking patients, it seems! Good luck!
Posts: 1086 | From Switzerland | Registered: Oct 2005
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2roads
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4409
posted
Hey Penn,
How is it going????
Just thinking about you, and what you're deciding upon.
Here for you,
2Roads
Posts: 2214 | From West Chester, PA | Registered: Aug 2003
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