I need you help. I need to find information about co-infection with lymes, also anything about testing and getting negative results. I got an appointment with a LLMD that is covered my my insurance if I get the referral. As on now I made the appointment and am going to have to pay for the apointment at full cost out of pocket, but my insuacne company will reimburse me if I was referred. Problem is my doctor believes the test done locally is correct. (It was not a western blot test.) So I want back up for when I talk to him to show that I really need to see this LLMD doctor.
Thanks up front for all the help!
[ 25. July 2006, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: LookingforHope ]
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
Check the Newbies help links towards the top of this page. There is a lot of information there.
Hiker
Posted by liz28 (Member # 4946) on :
I am not a doctor and can only make suggestions, not give medical advice. But one possible option is to go to www.vitacost.com and order Nutricology artemisinin, take at least 300mg per day for a week, and see if it has any effect. If you have babesia, you will see a temporary worsening, then improvement in symptoms, although artemisinin is not a cure by itself.
While most Lymenet patients seem to choose mepron as a babesia treatment, which is very expensive and has a high relapse rate, there are many malaria drugs you can get through travel doctors and clinics which may also help you--although you MUST research them on your own first, since the dosages require in-depth knowledge. Most of them are extremely cheap. Just make sure you get them from a reputable source, as there is a booming counterfeit malaria drug industry.
If you are concerned about bartonella, one suggestion is to get a one-week prescription of rifampin, another cheap antibiotic, and take half a capsule per day for three days. If you have bartonella, that is enough to produce a noticeable shift in symptoms.
Doxycycline is a very inexpensive drug, and is taken by both acne patients and travellers in tropical areas for years on a daily basis. You can get it as an acne treatment from almost any dermatologist, and as a daily malaria prophylaxis from a travel doctor. The only real side effects for most people are nausea if you take it on an empty stomach, and increased sensitivity to sunburn. If you look for a sunblock containing either mexoryl, titanium dioxide, or Parsol, you will get good UVA/UVB protection.
![[bonk]](graemlins/bonk.gif)
(It was not a western blot test.) So I want back up for when I talk to him to show that I really need to see this LLMD doctor. ![[group hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)