posted
I recently started seeing a palliative care doctor but didn't tell him my diagnosis. I heard this is a big no no if you have lyme. He said he needed medical records from my previous doctor,(an LLMD) in order for him to move forward. My LLMD mentioned that she never states in her notes that patients have Lyme but I know there's a positive culture in there somewhere. I need to be under the care of a doctor but I'm worried he'll put Lyme disease on my medical records and I heard this can be bad especially when it comes to insurance. Any thoughts?
-------------------- I have severe light sensitivity so please be patient as I have difficulty using a computer. Posts: 28 | From Los Angeles | Registered: Dec 2015
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
You can get your own records and then censor some of it if necessary. There might be a charge for this, and tell your doctor's office you don't need the whole record. That way you can see what it says, whether lyme is mentioned. The hitch is that if meds are mentioned, your new doc is going to ask what they are for.
I don't understand why the new doc needs anything from a previous doctor.
Maybe other people will have useful replies. I never tell a doctor my lyme diagnosis, but I live in a less friendly state than you do (CA).
You might ask your lyme doctor this question, and lyme support groups. They will know the local situation better than we do.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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WPinVA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33581
posted
I tell every single doctor I see about the Lyme. Most are good with it. No one has doubted it or called me crazy. Some have been very good with it. If a doctor isn't good with the Lyme diagnosis, I move on to a different doctor right away.
Personally, I feel it is important for each doctor to know my complete medical profile. I think it could negatively impact the care and treatment otherwise.
What exactly is the worry about insurance? Insurance often does not cover many forms of Lyme treatment, but you are not seeking Lyme treatment from this doctor, correct? The concern is that one positive Lyme test in a file will preclude future insurance coverage for everything else you may have?
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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posted
Right. But I've already done all of the standard Lyme treatments like long term antibiotics, etc. I'm not looking for Lyme disease treatment from this doctor but he wants a diagnosis and will probably send me to a bunch of other specialists for that. At this point I don't think it will matter if he knows or not but I doubt if he will have any type of treatment protocol in mind which is what he wants to do. All I want is a doctor just supervise my health since I'm not sure what direction to go in right now.
-------------------- I have severe light sensitivity so please be patient as I have difficulty using a computer. Posts: 28 | From Los Angeles | Registered: Dec 2015
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