I asked the Infectious Disease doc to test me for Babesia. Her exact words to me were "You can't have Babesis because, frankly, you would be dead." So, she didn't run that test.
However, I've seen people list night sweats as a symptom and that is one of my many symptoms. I've been thinking it's a pre-menopausal thing...but I'm still too young for menopause!!
Posted by surg (Member # 6937) on :
What? I lived. It was hell but I'm alive. I just had a relapse and I'm still alive. The symptoms that came back were facial flushing, chills, sweats, fever, air hunger, GI upset, floaters in the eye, dizzy, brain fog, heavy legs, anxiety, and fatigue.
Posted by stella marie (Member # 7216) on :
Hello kp,
Sounds like you do not have a LLMD, just what we call a duck. You really need to see a LLMD to get proper treatment.
Stella Marie
Posted by Michelle M (Member # 7200) on :
Hello, KP!
First mistake -- bad doctor!!! EEEK!
Second mistake -- thinking babesia must follow a certain prescribed set of symptoms! EEEK! NOT!
I treated CDC positive neuro lyme for about 10 months with SOME progress, but not enough. I foolishly ignored co-infection testing, especially babesia testing, because I didn't think I had enough of the symptoms on the "list."
For example, I NEVER had "night sweats."
Well, when my lyme treatment seemed to not be working, I decided to test for babesia. And voila! I had babesia WA1, the west coast type.
Moral of the story: You ain't gotta have ALL the symptoms. (Mine were really just screamin' headaches, brain fog, fatigue -- really lyme symptom imitators.)
As far as what your ID duck said: All I can say about that is, she's on the right track about the severity of lyme and babesia (or another coinfection) together -- they're NUTHIN to mess with, but they certainly are survivable. :-)
Don't let her test you anywhere but IGeneX.
But DO make her test you.
If you can't get to an LLMD for whatever reason, print out this article on the prevalence of lyme and co-infections, take it to her, and hope that her ability to read has not been compromised by her long years of experience.
Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella spp., Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophila in Ixodes scapularis Ticks Collected in Northern New Jersey Martin E. Adelson,1 Raja-Venkitesh S. Rao,1 Richard C. Tilton,1 Kimberly Cabets,1 Eugene Eskow,2 Lesley Fein,3 James L. Occi,4 and Eli Mordechai1*
Medical Diagnostic Laboratories L.L.C., Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08504,1 4 Walter Foran Boulevard, Suite 103, Flemington, New Jersey 08822,2 1099 Bloomfield Avenue, West Caldwell, New Jersey, 07006,3 Graduate Program in Biology, Rutgers University, New Jersey 071024
Received 15 September 2003/ Returned for modification 7 January 2004/ Accepted 9 March 2004
PCR analysis of Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in New Jersey identified infections with Borrelia burgdorferi (33.6%), Babesia microti (8.4%), Anaplasma phagocytophila (1.9%), and Bartonella spp. (34.5%). The I. scapularis tick is a potential pathogen vector that can cause coinfection and contribute to the variety of clinical responses noted in some tick-borne disease patients.
Posted by Lisianthus (Member # 6631) on :
Here is a symptom list for babs....
20. What signs and symptoms would lead a doctor to suspect a Babesia infection in a patient? How many strains of Babesiosis have been identified and how many are commonly tested for in commercial labs?
The following signs/symptoms may be present in those infected with Babesiosis:
Fatigue* Arthralgias* (aching joints) Myalgia* (muscle pain) Drenching sweats* Headaches* Emotional lability* Depression* Dark urine* Splenomegaly* (enlarged spleen) Dizziness* Nausea and vomiting* Cough* Dyspnea* (difficulty breathing) Fever* Chills* Hepatosplenomegaly* (enlarged liver) Jaundice* Malaise* Shortness of breath* Bleeding tendencies, bruising* Thrombocytopenia* (low platelets in the blood) Hemoglobinuria* (red cell breakdown, with release of hemoglobin in the urine) Hyperesthesia* (over sensitivity to touch) Pulmonary edema* (fluid accumulation, swelling in the lungs) Encephalopathy* (alters brain function) Low to normal range leukocyte counts* Possible elevated levels of dehydrogenase, bilirubin, transaminase* Anorexia*
Approximately 25%- 66% of Babesia patients are known to be co-infected with Lyme disease. These symptoms may continue for long periods of time, decrease, then return. A low Babesiosis titer (IgG) often indicates a chronic infection.
An acute or current infection may show a higher reading on the IgM test initially. There are over 100 species of Babesia in the United States but only ONE or TWO species are currently checked by commercial labs.
Hope this helps you, Lisi
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Yes....Please find a real dr soon!! Your life is at stake!
Babs for me meant extreme fatigue, headaches, mild night sweats, mild chills, dizziness, feeling faint, air hunger.
Posted by liz28 (Member # 4946) on :
Just like malaria--do a Google search on plasmodium vivax.
I had a constant lowgrade fever, daily spiking fevers on a 24-hour cycle, seizures in my hands and arms, flushing, sweating, extreme exhaustion, dizzyness, vertigo, coughing, headaches and nausea.
Posted by tickedntx (Member # 5660) on :
Lisi:
Can you point me to the source of your symptom list? I would like to forward it to someone.
Thank you
Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :
My sleep apnea is relating to babesia. Thats just one of the symptoms for me though. I hope you get it all figured out!
Posted by dharmacleaning (Member # 2114) on :
The first alarming symptom was an ice pick in my brain - 1 pm, July 3, 2001. Shaking, fever, terrible pain in my brain. Night sweats, nausua, and a weird feeling something was eating its way down from my chest to my innards. Crunching sounds when I walked. When I talked to people, little balloons rose above their heads and I would look at the words inside the balloons and wonder "why did I say that?" I could not eat. I had no thirst. I felt I was dying and didn't know why. My doc did the test and put me on clint/quinine. I had just finished 3 weeks on doxy.