Can anyone recommend a naturopathic practitioner or llmd in or near Pennsylvania? or does anyone know the member"tickbattler" and who her practitioner is?
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
The best doctor on the east coast is DR C outside of Philly. Does kids. Will PM you.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
How old are the children? Each lyme doctor has different age restrictions.
Also, you will likely have to wait about 1 year to see Dr. C, mentioned by bcb1200 above.
Posted by phillytwin (Member # 47957) on :
They are 5. I know her wait is long and she's very pricey I cannot afford her. Though I'm sure she's the best. Did u hear why she's the best in philly?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
There are VERY few doctors who treat children that young. So, your choices are few.
Are you willing to travel? To D.C? Connecticut?
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
Welcome to Lymenet! PM sent for PA & CT.
Your dear children need to be evaluated and treated by a Lyme-literate doctor (LLMD). Non LLMDs have no clue about this horrible disease or its complex treatment!
A LLMD is one who has treated Lyme disease and the co-infections which come with it for many years and has gotten patients well. A good one will follow Dr. B's Guidelines, the "gold standard" for Lyme treatment.
Unfortunately, LLMDs are far and few between. Your children need to go where they are.
Also most LLMDs do not accept insurance due to the politics surrounding this horrible disease. Read poster TF's explanation, "Why Lyme Doctors Don't Take Insurance":
Yes, I'm willing to travel. My one daughter tested positive for anaplasmosis but no one will treat her cause they say she's not stmptomatic. My chiropractor checked for it cause she was negative for lyme and he said most if his patients with lyme have anaplasmosis. I'm fearful they may have congenital lyme.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Pediatric lyme specialists will NOT treat children who are asymptomatic even though they have a positive lyme test. They say, "Leave well enough alone."
If they test positive for lyme but have no symptoms, then their immune system is handling the infection. So, they will not treat such a child.
So, if they have congenital lyme but no symptoms, then leave them alone. So, for you, there is no sense going to a lyme specialist. Hopefully, they will remain asymptomatic for the rest of their lives!
Posted by phillytwin (Member # 47957) on :
What is symptomatic for pediatric pts?
Posted by phillytwin (Member # 47957) on :
Is there anything I can do to support them to avoid symptoms?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Avoid moldy environments, pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals (like lead poisoning), eat a healthy diet. Take a daily vitamin and probiotic. Teach them not to smoke.
Anything that weakens the immune system you want to avoid. So that includes steroids (immune-suppressing medications like cortisone, prednisone, etc.) sugar, tobacco.
To see symptoms in young children, go to this old thread where the preeminent pediatric lyme specialist spoke about children born with lyme disease and its coinfections:
You could expect complaints of pain, stomach ache, fatigue, just like with adults with lyme.
The child could appear to be on the autism spectrum but makes eye contact. So that is an indication of brain problems. The child could also have sensory issues (sensitive to light, sound, cold), neuropathies, and problems sleeping.
If bartonella is present, the classic bart symptoms can appear: "lots of streaks, shinbone pain, digestive issues, and extreme mood changes, crazy rages." This is what the mother of a 2-year old wrote and told me. Her son was extremely hypermobile also.
If babesia is present, then night sweats.
So, pretty much what you see in adults.
And, if they take antibiotics for anything, they could have a herx.
Betty G's post in the following thread has a great list of children's symptoms: