my dtr just completed abx. first amox then doxy. what now? what do i look for? can she be considered "cured" when she is symptom free for a period of time?
i am feeling a little on edge since abx stopped but want to know what to look for.
thanks.
Posted by KS (Member # 12549) on :
It might help if we knew her age.
Posted by amye (Member # 16052) on :
9 year old with initial presentation of knee swelling 2 times. treated and then had swelling in the other knee.
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
this may help .... xox
From ``GENEAL'' June 2007
I have been doing some research regarding Lyme and signs/symptoms in small children.
I know many of you have small children that you may be concerned about. I believe my youngest child (4yrs old) may have gotten this disease from me.
For All Children
-dizziness -neck pain and stiffness in almost 90% -sore throats -swollen lymph nodes -excessive thirst, -Chest pains in at least 70%, some have palpatations -Sense of air hunger or shortness of breath, dry cough
-abdominal pain in about 50%, can mimic acute appendicitis -sometimes vomiting, heartburn -rashes that come and go, malar rashes, new psoriasis
-migratory arthralgias, joing pain in 50% to 100% -myalgias in over 80%, back ache, morning stiffness, pain at rest, muscle weakness
-frequent illnessses, dark circles under their eyes -intermittent red, hot pinnae of ears -sleep disturbance in over 80%
-Neurological symptoms are protean and can appear AT ANY TIME during the course of infection *hypersensitivity of skin, scalp and hair *Hypersensitivity to noise, light, smell *Alterations of taste *poor balance and coordination *Uncharacteristic behavior outbursts, mood disturbances, depression *social withdrawal *New onset phobias *Oppositional behaviors *Obsessive compulsive disorders *Deterioration in school performance in over 90% *Difficulty with concentration and attention in school with easily distractibility as well as "brain fog" in over 80% *New onset of ADD
*When measured with formal neuropsychiatric testing, children demonstrate defects in auditory and visual sequential processing
Less Commonly:
*Movement disorders-spaticity, ataxia, motor or vocal tics *Cranial neuropathies, e.g. Bell's Palsy or optic nerve neuritis *Peripheral neuropathies-numbness and tingling, distal parathesias, subtle weakness
Pre-Schoolers and toddlers
- Modd swings, sudden emotional outbursts - Irritabiity - Personality changes - Regression of motor and social skills (developmental milestones) - Changes in play behavior, tire easily, less active
- Trouble falling asleep, frequent awakenings - Nightmares, new phobias, recurrence of seperation anxiety - Diaper rash unresponsive to normal treatment - Frequent URI's, ear and throat infections, bronchitis, pneumonia
Congenital Lyme Disease
* Infants can be infected with Borrelia transpacentally in any stage of pregnancy and/or via mother's breast milk.
* The co-infections: Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma and perhaps even the Ehrilichias can be transmitted transpacentally to the developing fetus.
* Gestational Borreliosis can be associated with repeated miscarriages, fetal death in utero, still births, hydrocephalus, cardiovascual anomalies,
intrauterine growth retardation, neonatal respiratory distress, and maternal toxemia of pregnancy.
* Infants either infected congenitally or from breast milk can have
- Floppiness with poor muscle tone - Irritability - Frequent fevers and illness early in life - Joint sensitivities and body pain - Skin sensitivity - Gastro esophageal reflux - Developmental delays -Learning disabilities and psychiatric problems
* Infants bitten very early in life will have many of the same symptoms - loss and decline in developmental milestones.
I found this to be a pretty inclusive list of signs/symptoms for small children, infants, and those suspected of congenital Lyme.
Sadly, my two children do exhibit many of these symptoms and both have positive bands for Lyme via Igenex diagnostic lab in PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
She should be symptom-free for two months before ending treatment.
Otherwise I would not stop treating. That is ILADS/Dr. B criteria.
If she meets this criteria, then I would look for any Lyme symptoms. If she has any symptoms, talk with her LLMD.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
My LLMD says you must be symptom free for at least 3 months after stopping antibiotic treatment, to be considered cured.
Posted by amye (Member # 16052) on :
thank you all. i will now keep my fingers crossed.
Posted by lymewreck36 (Member # 4395) on :
Hi guys. I'm not so sure that even three months being symptom free is o.k. for going off medication.
My youngest with lyme was diagnosed when she was 4, but was infected when she was three. She has been treated for 5 years now, and last fall she seemed to be symptom free for many months, so we went off her medication. She had been treated with all the antibiotics, including flagyl, and had stopped herxing.
For three months, we held our breath. And she started to report little pains and fatigue, like excessive muscle soreness after running around the track during P.E. in school.
Everyone kept telling me that this was normal, even though the other children did not have this excessive soreness.
Or she would limp one day, and my stomach would get into a knot, and everyone would tell me that you can't attribute everything to lyme. She would not limp the next day, and everyone would give me the "I told you so" look.
She started feeling a little anxious, and everyone would tell me that kids do get nervous when taking tests, but my guts told me something else.
I kept trying not to look like I was forcing an illness on her, and holding back.
Then she started having that fear/dread at bedtime that I knew so well was part of her big lyme picture since she was 4 years old.
I wanted to scream and told my llmd about all of it.
He said maybe we should try her back on medication, but my daughter asked me not to put her on until she had gone to "ski camp" with the school (we live in Switzerland).
I said o.k., thinking she was very smart. She didn't want to herx on her ski trip.
When she returned, we put her back on her meds, and it has been hell ever since with the herxing, crying, anxiety, night terrors....etc.
She is getting a little better, but it is baby steps. She is just now, 7 months later, starting to be able to go to bed without crying.
But she still has the anxiety on a nightly basis and does not want me to go out at night.
That our story. Follow your instinct, and fight for your daughter. If you think she is slipping, be very vocal. Start a diary of her health, posting every day what she experiences, so when you go to the doctor and he/she asks you what is going on, you can produce a chart.
Give the doctor a copy of your diary, and keep that diary going.