posted
I don't understand how anyone gets in to SEE a doctor, let alone get diagnosed with anything.
I've been on the phone ALL DAY and can't manage to get an appointment anywhere.
I guess it's back to the ER with me to hope I can convince someone to give me some antibiotics.
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
scorpiogirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 31907
posted
Been there done that... ER won't give you antibiotics. They will just tell you to follow up w/ your Primary Care physician. So don't even bother wasting your time and money going there!
You need to find a LLMD even if you have to go out of Network. Then maybe you LLMD can work and direct your PC w/ your care. That is what I would do.
-------------------- Posts: 1391 | From Lyme Land | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
Did you get LLMD referrals? If not, you can post in Seeking a Doctor and folks will give you names.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
I saw in another post where you said you could get in to a LLMD in August. I would go ahead and make that appt. In the mean time, try and get your hands on some antibiotics. 2 months is a resonable time frame to get and appt.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I apologize but I don't think two months is "Reasonable" at all, particularly when we're talking about a PROGRESSIVE illness that WILL get worse without treatment.
Two months is unacceptable.
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
I m with you the amount of time delays we have to endure with this illness are unacceptable and a perfect example of how poor our health care system is. I recently waitd 4 months to see an endochronoligist when we thought LD was causing a chemical problem.
Not to mention 3 months for a neurologist and 8 months to be diagnosed in the first place due to incompitent docs. Either way dont wait get some ABX in you however you can.
Posts: 72 | From chico, ca | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
It might seem unreasonable, but the LLMD's are doing the best they can. There are so few of them to treat so many of us since most doctors decline to treat.
How long ago were you bitten?
For those with chronic Lyme, waiting two months is irrelevant because most have been sick for so long before figuring out what it was.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
anonymiss, you will be better off if you accept the reality of the wait to see a good lyme doctor.
I understand that when you are sick, a one week wait is like being consigned to hell for one week. We have all had to wait to get in with a good lyme doc.
With this disease, you will have to learn patience. And, that is an understatement.
Lyme disease is embroiled in a major medical controversy. So, if you try to go to docs other than our lyme docs, you will not get help. You will get humiliated or worse.
Take a look at this video to get an idea of the controversy:
This Boston TV show about lyme disease was taped by a girl on LymeNet and she put it on-line for all of us to be able to view it. You will learn a lot about the medical controversy surrounding lyme disease and why it is so hard to find a doctor who knows how to cure a person of lyme disease.
You will also hear over and over how people tested negative for lyme disease, only to find out later that they actually had the disease.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Right, for those with CHRONIC Lyme. I am pretty certain that I have caught this BEFORE it has a chance to become chronic, if only I could find a doctor to give me some freaking antibiotics already!
What I'm trying to do is keep this from becoming a chronic problem, and I'm running up against brick walls every where I turn.
Two months might very well mean the difference between being cured and being sick for the rest of my life.
Just not a chance I am willing to take.
Posts: 156 | From Virginia | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
springshowers
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19863
posted
I would order some antibiotics online and get started on your own. I did that for a couple years around some other infections I had prior to finding lyme and a doctor. And I just researched what to take for what and dosing. I even did it for a couple years. I look back and my notes and it was what the doctors have all tried me on and did and i was right on target with what to do. If you only have a couple of months it can not hurt. I would do it if I had to wait and I was you trying to catch it early and nobody giving you any. Seems like luck of the draw at ER and maybe you can try. I have been there where they laugh off the diagnosis and I have meet some doctors at the hospital who take it quite seriously.
Good luck
Posts: 2747 | From Unites States Of America | Registered: Apr 2009
| IP: Logged |
Go to a walk-in clinic. Your PCP won't help at all?? Make the appointment with the LLMD!!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
philly78
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 31069
posted
You really need to just make that appt. for August. In the meantime, while waiting, you can do some things on your own. You can try the ER or walk in clinic and demand that you be given abx but it doesn't always work! So be prepared. We do give abx for people who present with bulls eye rashes or flu like symptoms following a known tick bite but it is only 4 weeks worth.
If you cannot get enough abx to cover you until seeing an LLMD, I don't know that I would even start them. Starting then stopping for too long a time can lead to greater resistance. I read somewhere that those who were improperly treated are harder to treat later on than those who sought delayed treatment.
If you really don't want to wait that long, then maybe you can drive to another state and see if there is a doctor that can see you sooner. I'm not even sure if that is feasible for you but figured I would throw it out there.
What about herbs? Maybe you can start on that while waiting for the appt?
Sorry you are running into obstacles! Waiting on appts really does stink. I called today to get an appt with an endocrinologist and I'm not going til the end of September! Ugh!
-------------------- When faced with pain you have two choices....either quit and accept the circumstances, OR make the decision to fight with all the resources you have at your disposal. Posts: 1000 | From PA | Registered: Mar 2011
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
She's been having symptoms since at least Jan. 2010:
posted
Philly's got a point - if you can't get in right away to see someone - unless you can travel a little to see someone who can get you in - people are doing other things, like herbs -
Stephen Buhner wrote a good book, "Healing Lyme", about the herbs, and there's a yahoo group, Lyme_Aid_Buhner, where everyone discusses them.
Also lots of supplements to take - listed in Burrascano's 2008 guidelines.
Lyme treatment falls into three categories - kill/deter, detox, and fortify the body. So you could study up on options and start trying things in the other categories.
I like the anti-inflammatory category of supplements - am doing really well with mangosteen juice (eyes and intestines) and noni juice and grapeseed extract capsules. Many like tumeric/curcumin as an anti-inflam. This is a good tx category, since Lyme is inflammatory.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
scorpiogirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 31907
posted
Anonymiss,
I feel your pain and I hear your frustration. I completely agree with you. We live in the free Nation, not some Third World country yet some of the sickest folks cannot get in to see a doctor for months! It makes absolutely NO SENSE to me! But when it comes to Lyme this is our reality.
I was able to get an appointment w/in 2 weeks, but I had to wait 4 weeks before my LLMD put me on any antibiotics! She wanted to work on my immune support and detox BEFORE starting IV meds. Now that I have started IV (12 days ago) I really think it helped me tremendously in regard to herxing! I had some rough days but overall I'm pleasantly surprised at how well I'm coping. Trust me after the two appointments and still she wouldn't give me my prescriptions I was ready to scream at her but she just said, our plan is aggressive and I want your body prepared or you'll ended up in the ER! I was NOT HAPPY about the wait b/c in those weeks being off my orals, my BART went completely out of control.
So with that said... perhaps you can start with that first so when you have your appointment you're ready to go. My LLMD and Naturopath feel that the key to beating Lyme and Co is
Immune Support Detox Meds (whether it's antibiotics or herbals)
So if you look at it from that perspective, you have 2 out of 3 parts that you can get started on your own. So take back control and get going. There are a lot of resources here that you can leverage off. Ask your questions, many here are awesome at sharing. Good luck hun. Let me know if I can help in anyway.
-------------------- Posts: 1391 | From Lyme Land | Registered: May 2011
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic