its hard when you dont have insurance, but if i were you i'd recommend a consult with a lyme literate doctor in your area.
you can go to 'seeking a doctor' at the beginning of this site.
do read the attached document written by the top lyme doctor in the USA for a list of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for lyme and coinfections. coinfections are organisms that travel with lyme bacteria.
good luck and keep us posted. Posted by Lou B (Member # 64) on :
Here is some information that may help you: Lyme disease is known as the great imitator because it imitates so many other diseases and medical problems and this is sometimes confusing to the average medical doctor. Also, the tests for Lyme disease are unreliable and many people who actually had Lyme disease received false negatives on tests that are currently available for Lyme however a positive test should be taken seriously as false positives are rare.
A rash, sometimes described as a bulls eye but the rash can take on any shape, occurring within days or weeks of a bite by an infected deer tick is a positive symptom of Lyme disease. The rash occurs in approximately 50% of the people who get Lyme disease. Anyone who has been bitten by a tick, develops a rash or develops symptoms of Lyme disease should be concerned!!!
The best diagnosis is done by a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor - LLMD. This is a doctor who is highly experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
If you are looking for Lyme Literate Medical Doctors - LLMD's, I suggest you do the following: For Online Doctor Referrals, please click on the following URL for the Lyme Disease Association Doctor Referral page: http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/Doctor_Referrals.html
You may also locate a LLMD in your area by posting in the Seeking a Doctor forum.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
It is very common to get the bulls eye rash and never see a tick. In fact, I believe that's the way it occurs most of the time.
I got a rash and never saw a tick. The tick is usually long gone before the rash appears.
My lyme doc said the bulls eye can be a spider bite or a tick bite. He said that nobody can tell them apart, so the person must be treated as if it is lyme disease.
By the way, lyme disease causes fibromyalgia, so I believe you have lyme disease and probably have had it for some time.
Many people don't get the bulls eye the first time they are bitten by a tick. That's why they have lyme disease for years and don't know what is wrong with them.
That was me. I had lyme for 10 years undiagnosed. Then, I got diagnosed and treated for it and I have been rid of it for 4 years.
Then, last August I got bit again and got a bulls eye. Had to get that treated by my lyme doc.
You will probably be pleasantly surprised at how your health will improve once you get treated for lyme disease.
I have friends with the fibro diagnosis who got rid of their fibro with good lyme treatment.
Even my lyme doc had fibro. Once he tested himself for lyme and found he was positive, he treated himself and got rid of his fibro. It's been 9 years for him.
Sorry to say that Florida is very, very low on lyme docs. You will most likely have to travel out of state to get treated for this.
And, most lyme docs don't take insurance. So, we pay out of pocket for treatment quite often.
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
welcome fm patient
we've all been/are fibro too!! not by choice ...
reading your heading, YES, the tick that bite you may have CO-INFECTIONS ...OTHER ILLNESSES:
bartonella, babsiosa, erlichia, rocky mtn. spotted fever, or 1 of many more
fm, please break up your post into many SHORT paragraphs and double space between each paragraph for us severely neuro lyme folks so we may comprehend and read your post. use my guidelines below, and big thanks hugs
Welcome; I'm so glad you found us!! You've come to the right place for education and support!
Betty's suggested POSTING GUIDELINES . many of us have neuro lyme where we can NOT read long solid block text and be able to comprehend and read it as is.
please edit your post by CLICKING PAPER/PENCIL ICON to right of your name. that opens up BOTH subject line and body text.
now please break up your WORDY SENTENCES into one sentence paragraphs. Then hit ENTER KEY ``TWICE`` after each paragraph; we need that space for comprehension.
then go to left hand corner and mark box to receive ALL REPLIES, and click EDIT SEND
we thank you for helping us; otherwise, we will SOB, SCROLL ON BY, since we can't read to help you. If I see posts like this, I SOB them; to hard on me. ----------------------------------------------------
I found Turn the Corner Foundation through the website for the Under Our Skin movie. Here is the link for their website. At the bottom of their webpage there is a link to click if you are interested in getting help finding and LLMD.
I emailed them for help and got a response with the names of over 10 LLMDS in two states in less than a days time. What an incredible blessing! Thought I'd pass it on. By member Aimee, 7.11.09 ------------------------------------------------------
People seeking doctors might be able to get help from their state online information and support group. Nearly 3,400 people belong to state groups. Some of the groups are small but more than 20 of them have 50 or more people and seven have over 100.
The groups are moderated and you have to apply. Most don't allow doctor names, but once on the group, you can ask for doctors in a certain area and ask people to email you privately. *******************************************
This explains the medical politics around lyme WHY you need an ILADS-educated or ILADS-member LLMD (and there are also some ILADS-member LL NDs (naturopathic doctors):
You should also be evaluated for coinfections. Not all tests are great in that regard, either, but a good LLMD can evaluate you and then guide you in testing. One of the top labs is:
"With most infections, your immune system first forms IgM antibodies, then in about 2 to 4 weeks, you see IgG antibodies. In some infections, IgG antibodies may be detectable for years.
Because Borrelia burgdorferi is a chronic persistent infection that may last for decades, you would think patients with chronic symptoms would have positive IgG Western blots.
But actually, more IgM blots are positive in chronic borreliosis than IgG. Every time Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces itself, it may stimulate the immune system to form new IgM antibodies.
Some patients have both IgG and IgM blots positive. But if either the IgG or IgM blot is positive, overall it is a positive result.
Response to antibiotics is the same if either is positive, or both. Some antibodies against the borrelia are given more significance if they are IgG versus IgM, or vice versa.
Since this is a chronic persistent infection, this does not make a lot of sense to me. A newly formed Borrelia burgdorferi should have the same antigen parts as the previous bacteria that produced it.
But anyway, from my clinical experience, these borrelia associated bands usually predict a clinical change in symptoms with antibiotics, regardless of whether they are IgG or IgM." ===========
ILADS The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) provides a forum for health science professionals to share their wealth of knowledge regarding the management of Lyme and associated diseases.
UNDER OUR SKIN dvd LYME DISEASE documentary, www.lymediseasefilm.com go to this site to view trailer of UNDER OUR SKIN 5 min. Clip! Premiering 2008!! on big screen 09 in 10 LARGE CITIES ONLY!
* Please note: What you are about to read below is NOT meant to scare any of you from any lyme testings done; it's meant to be informed PRIOR to going into having various tests done and then be told what the costs will be! * Mine was sticker $$ shock on various testings done by my 2nd LLMD/new to me in 4=06. Those tests/results are found elsewhere in my links/advise.
* Igenex's charges for these below things cost $905, which I figured up the last 2 days for 2 other folks includes
* The below tests were done for ME; you MAY NOT NEED them all ok! :
* western blot IGM & IGG, this is MANDATORY for you which costs $200 total for 2 tests done; 6.09 same prices still. * * ******************************************************* * OPTIONAL ONES ARE:
* co-infection panel for YOUR AREA OF COUNTRY; * PCR WHOLE BLOOD...this is what my LLMD ordered!
It's PREPAY! unless you are on medicare; IGX will file the paperwork & it's FREE to you.
go to www.igenex.com and read over their info. Prices go up twice a year: MAY and NOVEMBER!!
* * have blood drawn MON. or TUES. only; you don't want your blood sitting in post office over the weekend; will ruin the results!
* Also, call 1-800.832.3200 for CURRENT PRICES! * They will also send you a ``test kit'' with their required form, all the test vials, & box to ship it in! OUT OF USA will take longer to receive!
* You need to DOWNLOAD IGENEX's required form.****************************************************** * * MD, DO ,ND, AC, DC are all fine** must sign, date, and show DIAGNOSIS CODE on there why he's ordering the test.
Make sure you show to FAX results and SNAIL MAIL PAPER COPY! My results were lost for 4-5 weeks! Bettyg * * When you get your results, please post them in MEDICAL; * Post ONLY the POSITIVE & IND ones .... not the negative ones!
GET COPIES OF ALL YOUR SPECIAL BLOOD TESTS: western blot igm/igg and/or co-infection tests always!!
OVERSEAS INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING TO IGENEX/FRY LABORATORY! 2-23-08
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otherwise, we will SOB, SCROLL ON BY, since we can't read to help you. If I see posts like this, I SOB them; to hard on me.