posted
How reliable is ehrlichia testing? I was just reading about ehrlichia, and a lot of the symptoms I had attributed to babesia also seem to occur with ehrlichia (chills, shortness of breath, etc.). I have not yet had a positive babesia test and have tested through three labs, so even though my LLMD and I were treating it clinically I'm not sure I ever had it.
I did have a negative ehrlichia test from Igenex, really soon after my initial tick bite, but should I be testing elsewhere? Is it like bart or babs where Igenex only tests for a couple of strains but there are many?
I am wondering because my shortness of breath is so severe right now, and the treatments I'm doing for Lyme and bartonella would probably not cover ehrlichia.
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Also, does anyone know if Bicillin is at all effective against ehrlichia? The Lyme doc on this blog recommends Rifampin as well. Has anyone taken this for Ehrlichia? I have a lot of the symptoms of this person profiled in the blog:
Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
I've had both strains of Ehrlichia (Ehrlichia and Anaplasma, or back then called HME and HMG I think) for five years. I have been on repeated long courses of Doxycycline and separately, long courses of Rifampin (Rifampin for 14 months).
I am still positive for one of the Ehrlichias despite this, so perhaps I have a resistant strain although the other Ehrlichia finally turned negative on testing.
Doxy and Rifampin are supposed to knock out Ehrlichia - that's why Doxy is often the first drug of choice for Lyme because it also treats Ehrlichia. But it didn't work for me.
I honestly don't know which of my symptoms are Ehrlichia because I have all the coinfections.
My repeated Ehrlichia tests have been through IGeneX. I recently developed shortness of breath about the same time my Babesia Duncani test turned positive and I have not done any Babs treatment yet, so I don't know which disease is causing that in me (I'm still positive for Bart despite long-term treatment).
Bicillin is for Lyme, not Ehrlichia. I've been on Bicillin before and it helped my stamina, but nothing else, but many patients have wonderful improvement on it for Lyme.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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Hi Jill, Well you've sure got some resistant little bugs! Did you have herx symptoms when you began Rifampin? Do you remember what they were? I am wondering if part of this severe shortness of breath and chest pain is at all herx-related. It doesn't feel like it, but I restarted Rifampin after being off of it for six weeks, just ten days ago. I was on it for about 11 months before that. So theoretically I guess that should have knocked out some of the Ehrlichia if I have it, but my bart has certainly managed to keep outliving it.
Thanks for the information.
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
My herxes on Rifampin were like something out of a horror story, although my LLMD seemed to think they were all consistent with Bart.
My reactions either as side effects to Rifampin (which is a tough medication even for non-Bart people) and/or herx reactions included: dizziness so bad I'd have to hold onto walls and chairs in my house, sense of being on a rocking boat, sensation of being stung by bees (only lasted three days, thank goodness), increased myoclonus, electric shocks in legs and feet.
Eventually I did acclimate to Rifampin but I had to ramp up dosages slowly and maybe that's why the Bart became resistant, who knows.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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