My husband got RMSF from a tick bite he got while working in our back yard. Our family md tx him right away with doxycycline. He did not wait for his labs to come back.
RMSF can kill you quickly; people here die from it every year, so if you suspect you have it, get to the md and get on doxy as soon as you can.
Most doctors are not as weird about RMSF as they are about lyme; they seem to realize it can be fatal.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
well, the weird thing is I have tested positive for RMSF and not lyme. I got an igm positive for RMSF after being ill for 3 months, (which rmsf in it's classic form should have killed or crippled me by then or so they say.) I took a few weeks of doxy and tested again a few months later which was igm positive but didn't show up igg pos.
which my doctor felt it should have shown up as a past infection at that point. I really don't know but I am on doxy now for clinically diagnosed lyme, but I'm still not sure if the rmsf test was accurate. It is a relief that I am on the right meds if rmsf is my problem or contributing to my problems.
I am now waiting for my LLMD to fill out a lymetap application so I can afford extensive testing for lyme and co infections. Unfortunately I sent the application in over a month ago and my dr. doesn't seem to be in any hurry to take 15 minutes to fill out a form. Sooo until then I am confused and frusturated.
Posted by Haley (Member # 22008) on :
Yes I have had high titers for RMSF in the past. I liked IV doxy but I don't know if the RMSF is gone yet.
I would be interested in hearing what types of herbs people use for this.
Posted by Tracy9 (Member # 7521) on :
Both my husband and I were diagnosed with RMSF years after our initial infection. I was treated with IV Tygacil. I was very sick at the time I tested positive and the IV meds made me feel much better. I was told just like all the other co infections, it can go dormant and come out at any time. I am just very glad I got tested for it on an IGENEX panel at that point because I was feeling awful and had no idea why, and felt so much better once it was treated.
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
What is the difference between IGM and IGG. Doesn't either one mean you have it?
Posted by oskari (Member # 32464) on :
i think igg is a past infection and igm is an active one. correct me if im wrong.
i also have rmsf. or atleast i tested igg positive for it(rickettsia is the bacteria).i've been sick for two years now. main complications left are heart problems and a mild brainfog.
ive been on doxy for six months. just finished last month. made me a lot better. now i just have to figure out how to finnish this. im on tons of superfoods,raw foods, and natural spring water. im also on some supplements, herbs and vitamins. auto-urine therapy(yeh, i drink my on ****) is my latest addition. i think its doing something Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
oskari, how long did it take you to feel better on doxycycline? I have been on it 2 and a half months and have only had a few good days, don't know whether to attribute it to abx or not.
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
gigimac,
Sometimes it takes more than just doxy to treat RMSF. The 2nd med choice would be a combo of doxy and rifampin.
If you also have lyme, which is a high probability, then the doxy by itself will not be enough to treat that infection and that could be why you still feel so bad.
It is very hard to sort out all the coinfections and unfortunately it is often a trial and error process to see what meds will work for each person. A good LLMD will treat most patients with med combos to cover the 3 most common infections -- lyme, babesia and bartonella. Rifampin is one of the meds which will work on several of the infections just like doxy does.
I would try to get a scrip for rifampin and add that to the doxy to see if you respond. But please go low and slow with the rifampin -- many people herx really badly on this med. Hubby had to start with 50 mg and work up to the normal dose of 600 mg over 8 months.
This is not medical advice, just my opinion based on hubby's experiences.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
Doxy, rifampin and zyth.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
Bea, your husband was years into treatment before they figured out he had RMSF, true? Were there any symptoms clues they might have caught earlier, before a positive test result?
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