Is there any definitive symptoms to help diagnose babesia?
I have daily headaches and bone pain which from what I've read could be babesia.
I also have joint pain and swelling and muscle pain and weakness.
Positive bands 23 and 41 Igm. so I definitely have borelia.
Thanks
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
Almost all the symptoms you described are classic Lyme, but there is overlap. Air hunger, sweats, chills, and debilitating fatigue are some common Babs symptoms.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
From Dr. S's book, "The Lyme Disease Solution"
Babesiosis
As with other co-infections, there is a lot of overlap of symptoms between Lyme disease and Babesiosis. An accumulation of the following signs and symptoms probably warrant testing and/or treatment of Babesiosis:
___Chills
___Fatigue and often excessive sleepiness
___High fever at onset of illness
___Night sweats that are often drenching and profuse
___Severe muscle pains, especially the large muscles of the legs (quads, buttocks, etc.)
___Neurological symptoms often described as "dizzy, tipsy, and spaciness," similar to a sensation of "floating" or "walking off the top of a mountain onto a cloud"
___Depression
___Episodes of breathlessness, "air hunger", and/or cough
___Decreased appetite and/or nausea
___Spleen and/or liver enlargement
___Abnormal labs (low white blood count, low platelet counts, mild elevation of liver enzymes, and elevated sed rate)
___Headaches (migraine-like, persistent, and especially involving the back of the head and upper neck areas)
___Joint pain (more common with Lyme and Bartonella)
___anxiety/panic (more common with Bartonella)
___Lymph gland swelling (more common with Bartonella and Lyme)
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
For me it was extreme fatigue, chills (mild), dizziness (boat going up and down feeling), near fainting spells, and back pain.
(I think I'm leaving something out!.. it's been awhile)
Posted by wgshuckers (Member # 27869) on :
How did you KNOW you had/have babesia infection? Blood test results?
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
Lymetoo,
What kinda back pain
I'm positive I've been having babs flareups
but the back pain I wasn't sure on the cause.
For me it's mostly lower-mid back
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
Babesia can be asymptomatic in some people. I did not think I had it for three years but I tested positive. Then it was obvious.
I never had the fever or drenching sweat many people complain about. But I had no stamina and was always tired. I had bouts of air hunger (feels like you cannot get enough oxygen so you try to get a deep breath or yawn.) I also had bouts of headaches which I thought were migraines. Imetrex always cleared them up.
I was dizzy with babesia when it was active. I had vertigo, ataxia (walking like a drunk) and felt like I was very spacey - "walking off the mountain into the clouds".
I also had depression. Not weepiness or sadness. Depression. I had no motivation, no joy. I was unable to respond - just a dead to the world feeling.
When babesia was most dominate I could fall asleep almost any time which was nice - after the insomnia of bart!
Mentally I was out of it as though my mind was stuffed with marshmallows. I could not concentrate at all. My brain was not getting enough oxygen to think. I could not do the things I used to do with ease. Thoughts would be gone before I finished thinking them. So confused.
I've been treating with Mepron/zithro 9 weeks and improved but still have a ways to go.
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
Nefferdon-I think you've answerd my question regarding babs. I've got the dizzy, the depression, the sleepies, the can't think. I guess it's back on the Babs meds.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I knew I had babs when it was seen in one of the babs blood tests done by Igenex.
It was the one where they actually look at your blood and see the babs in some of your red blood cells.
It's called the FISH test.
Unfortunately, many people have babs but test negative for it.
From page 5 of Burrascano:
"In Babesiosis, no single test is reliable enough to be used alone. Only in early infections (less than two weeks duration) can the standard blood smear be helpful. In later stages, one can use serology, PCR, and fluorescent in-situ hybridization (�FISH�) assay. Unfortunately, many other protozoans can be found in ticks, most likely representing species other than B. microti, yet commercial tests for only B. microti and B duncani (Formerly known as WA-1) are available at this time! In other words, the patient may have an infection that cannot be tested for. Here, as in Borrelia, clinical assessment is the primary diagnostic tool."
Posted by cleo (Member # 6646) on :
Do you have to have a low white blood cell with babs? I have been treating bart and symptoms of babs have surfaced.
air hunger more fatigue cough vertigo feeling but not vertigo pain in thighs which is new
I have taken malarone before without zith and improved greatly without a herx but it didn't last. I have read that babs quickly develops resistance to malarone alone thats why zith is given. I had the same response to plaquenil but with a herx and then went downhill while on it. I have read the same for plaq. about babs. http://www.canlyme.com/
I am starting coartem tom. and am very nervous. I have heard herx and no herx.
Are there other vectors for babs other than ticks? Can it be passed between family members?
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
How sad is this...
When I think of Babs I think of "Night Sweats." And when I think of "Night Sweats" I think of "Night Moves" - by Bob Seger