posted
Okay, my son got bit by a tick about 2 months ago. I removed the tick within 24 hrs., sent it for testing, and have been treating him with doxy/flagyl since. The tick tested positive to lyme, but negative to all other coinfections (bart, babesia, rickettsia, erlichia).
I just got my son's blood test(6 wks after bite) back from MDL, which shows him IgG positive to babesia, negative to everything else. I'm confused as to whether he got this from this tick bite, or if it was from a prior unknown tick bite. He has no symptoms.
I also noticed in late spring/early summer streaks on his back which look like bart streaks. I thought that he may have scratched himself climbing a tree or something. But, they are still there. The doctor now thinks that he has bart. and babesia. She was waffling about treating the babesia because he has no symptoms. However, she prescribed zithromax/mepron. He is supposed to start tomorrow.
My question is, should we treat asymptomatic babesia? I don't want him to start feeling sick, when he feels fine now. I am confused.
Posts: 418 | From NJ | Registered: Sep 2007
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
How old is your son?
I can only share my opinion on this topic. No, actually I won't. I am in-between too. Yes, I will. Ugggggg!
Possibly, if I could I would treat to be sure this doesn't pop up and hurt him later when more entrenched.
Could he have been born with it?
Too many considerations. I would go with the doc on this one I think. We do know the longer you have it the harder and much more costly to get rid of it.
Hope you get better thoughts than this one. Wish I was more help.
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
IF I truly have Babesia and it's the cause of my health issues (big if and no proof exists), then YES, I'm inclined to say treat it because it can get hellish and ruin your life.
However, the IDSA has said it's not a big deal if immunocompetent. Any condition which results in someone never being able to donate blood for their whole life makes me a tad bit skeptical that it is 'no big deal.'
I agree - go with the LLMD's call. That's what they get paid the big bucks for. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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jackie51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14233
posted
I agree, that's why we pay the LLMD's big money.
But, it is hard to know what is asymptomatic in children. They don't have a reference point to know when they are not 100%. They could have a symptom or two and not even know it because they always had it.
There is something your LLMD picked up on. You could ask or see if it is a gut feeling, who knows.
Good luck. Watch for depression in kids who are on mepron. Very tricky. The emotions can be roller coaster like.
Posts: 1374 | From Crazy Town | Registered: Dec 2007
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gmb
Unregistered
posted
I too had no significant Babs symptoms (I tested neg) but we treated anyway and symptoms flared up during treatment. Best to treat now and try to get it out of the way. If not it may impead Lyme treatment.
manybites
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33750
posted
My son had babesia microti and no lyme pozitive but pozitive bands .One LLMD did not wanted to treat him but DR J in Ct put him in antibiotics right away.My son herxed like hell and was just 8 years old.So not delay as it will get worst in the future and more ekspensive in the long run.There is no garanty that he will not get bit again and get more infections in the summer.Make sure he does not have FRY bug or bartonella as when this are high that is when babesia exsplodes.So is very posible that he might have bartonella that need to be treated at first.
Posts: 1379 | From disable | Registered: Aug 2011
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
Does your son have no symptoms at all or none that you identify as babesia?
I had no babesia symptoms until a couple of years after the bite, when suddenly after only a swollen knee during all that time, the lyme symptoms exploded.
It appeared to me that maybe my immune system was holding down the lyme, but then was overwhelmed, and then couldn't fight the babesia either. Got a mixed message from this: treat the lyme and babs won't be an issue? or treat them both because babesia is thought to depress the immune function too? Very puzzling to figure these things out.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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manybites
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33750
posted
Right now he still has symtoms.he complained before about headahces and had HIGH FEVERS that I could never understand WHY and than dizzeness.I doubt he eradicated it as the treatment has changed lately.I am about to retreat him again as he is complaining.
But so far he had no fever and He gained weight.He lost that weight only when he was in Azithromycin and Mepron for 1 1/2 year and that was 2 years ago.It is not easy to eradicate babesia when is too long in the system and the immune is suspresed.Now that your son is still is strong can eradicate it and recover quicly.So he might need to be in treatment for months instead of years like many others.
Posts: 1379 | From disable | Registered: Aug 2011
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posted
Thanks for all your replies! My son is 14yrs old. He has no symptoms of anything, except for possible bart streaks on his lower back.
There are small things that he complained about when he was younger, that made me worry about lyme/coinfections at the time, but, they went away.
He would do some OCD type things, like raising his eyebrows all the time, or some other thing with his mouth, but, he grew out of it. He also had complained of stomach pain a few times, when he wasn't sick, and would have his feet fall asleep (pins and needles), which I attributed to sitting in a chair with his legs dangling. He has never had any cognitive problems, and is an A student in advanced classes.
Of course, I was always worried about him having lyme because I do. But, I didn't have it (or so I think) when I was pregnant with him. I got symptoms when he was 3yrs. old. It was about this time when he started kicking violently in his sleep and having nightmares, as well. He still kicks (restless legs), but, the nightmares did not persist.
Anyway, he got the streaks months before his tick bite, so he must have gotten bit before.
I do not see a LLMD anymore, as I cannot afford it. I have been lucky to find a PCP that has been learning about lyme, and she is the one who treated him for the tick bite, and tested him for babesia. Since he is asymptomatic, she was unsure whether to treat him. She ended up prescribing zithromax/mepron, based on some notes that she had from her training with an LLMD.
I have always wondered how the people who have sick children, and are sick themselves, do it. I always felt really grateful that my son was healthy, because I don't think I can handle it emotionally, physically, and financially. It's hard enough being a single parent who is sick, but still has to work. What a nightmare. I'm hoping and praying that he will remain asymptomatic throughout the treatment, and that he will have no further problems.
Thank you all for your input. Posts: 418 | From NJ | Registered: Sep 2007
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manybites
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33750
posted
"would have his feet fall asleep (pins and needles), " This is bartonella.
This is what you need to be worried as when they fall asleep it has to do with the part of the brain beeing infected with bartonella.I have had it for 20 years and WAS A PERFECTION and A student and now after 15 years of having it was running from one ER TO another Doctor and fighting for my life.
At least I would put your son into herbs .Read here is plenty .Do not let the infections to build up.I am disable and I wish I had anyone in the world to tell me about what I had and why my weird symtoms would pop up and destroy my life.There is no garanty he will not get bit again.If you have a chance to put him in azithro and mepron GO AHEAD and add some artemisin .My son got bit by EEE encephalitis and Got the Fry bug while having babesia and bart and lyme and I KNEW nothing.It took me years of crying and feeling guilty of not knowing all these and not being able to help him while he was having high fever and I was clueles and the PCP would put him in Azythromycin only.I can never get my son back as he used to be perfection . The damage from babesia and bartonella is non reversable in the the body as babesia can create errosion so bartonella and damages INTERNALLY.I would suggest you to do somthing about it. I know it is not easy .While I was fighting for my life I was crying for my son and not min life that was falling apart QUICKLY b/c of activated babesia and bartonella.
Posts: 1379 | From disable | Registered: Aug 2011
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