Towards the end of May I started feeling some numbness in my hand, which spread throughout my various parts of my body, Ten days after this started, I had flu like symptoms for about 4 days. I was very fatigued, lost my appetite, had some nausea, and just felt crappy. At this point I went to the hospital but was referred to a neurologist.

About 14 or 15 days after the numbness started I noticed a small 1/2 inch red blotch on the inside of my right bicep. I thought it was a bite but redness started spreading around it after a couple of days very quickly until it was about four to five inches in diameter. The area was round and pink and raised somewhat, felt warm and had the original red blotch on the center. I went to my doctor and he said it was ringworm and prescribed lamisil. It went away slowly over a period of 7-10 days.

Right around the time I noticed the rash (6/1 or 6/2) my neck became very stiff on the back left side. This stiffness was pretty intense for about a month - painful and limiting my range of motion, but got better although I still have some of the stiffness.

I also notice that the muscles in my arms feel sore as though I have been working out.

Sometimes my right eye seems blurry but when I blink a few times and test it seems OK, I think my eyelid is drooping.

My heart started beating strange 8/25 when I woke up in the morning. It was beating really hard and skipping beats. Went away after a hour or so.

Went to my MD after that and he did an EKG that he said shows a heart attack. My previous EKG at the hospital was normal.
I asked him about Lyme disease and the possibility of that rash being EM and he looks at me like I'm stupid an says we don't have lyme disease here.

I had a spinal tap on 8/2 and am waiting for my results, they are checking for MS and Lyme.

I have looked at many pictures of EM and Ringworm on the net and I think my rash looked far more like EM than ringworm.

What do you think?

Thanks for your time

Welcome to Lymenet. Hope we can answer your questions & point you in the right direction.

Sorry you're having such a rough time and no good answers yet. Please, do not let anyone give you any form of steroid.

That will suppress your immune system & set your treatment back by months or years.

The bulls eye rash is diagnostic for Lyme Disease. If you still have the rash or it reappears, get a picture of it & stash in your files for safekeeping.

If you received the infection at the end of May, you have already gone 3 months without treatment.

There is only a small window of opportunity to treat this disease effectively & the clock is ticking.

Only a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor can evaluate you & based on your symptoms & history, he will decide if you have Lyme Disease.

There is no test that is 100% accurate at diagnosing Lyme. The LLMD will decide which tests you will need.

The tick can also carry co-infections such as Babesiosis, Erlichiosis and Bartonella & these cannot be ignored.

Lyme Disease is very complicated to treat as each patient presents with a different array of symptoms.

Please do not waste any time in finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.

The key to preserving your future is to find that LLMD now.

There are 3 ways to fine an LLMD near you.

Go to the first page & click on "Finding a Doctor." Post a request & someone from your area will e-mail you privately.

Sorry, we are not allowed to post LLMD names on the board.

The second way to find an LLMD is to click on Support Group on the Green Logo to the left of your screen. See if there is a group in Florida. Contact them via e-mail.

The 3rd way to find an LLMD is to click on the small green logo on the left, Lyme Disease Association, and click on the black column under Information -- Doctor Referral.

For more information & a symptom list, click on the 8th box down which states "Burrascano's Diagnostic Hints & Guidelines."

Print this out for yourself. Everyone refers to this for Lyme Disease.

I had a droopy eyelid for years & was misdiagnosed for 5 years by a neurologist & undiagnosed for 13* years. My 20 year old son has Lyme & has a right droopy eyelid.

This is very serious if treatment is delayed.

Don't wait until you get the results from your spinal tap. Start today & try to locate an LLMD.

Others will visit the post soon & provide you a list of links to help you.

Please keep asking questions; we are here to help. Let us know how things go.
Take Care,
Jan

Me too !!!
Your rash sounds exactly like my em rash. It took me over a year to get a correct diagnosis. We don't have lyme in Texas either .

It sounds like you've caught it pretty early, which is good- better chance of recovery. You need to find a LLMD- lyme literate medical doctor- to treat you. Hopefully someone will come along from your area with some info.

The spinal tap will most likely come back negative. I think they have a 10-20% accuracy rate in checking for lyme.

From your symptoms and the description of your rash, I would bet my bottom dollar that you have lyme.

Hi and WELCOME! Get a LLMD or at least Dr that is willing to learn about lyme. Borrelia Burgdorferi is a clinical diagnosis, based on symptoms and on your response to treatment. Good Luck, bumpy road ahead.

Post for a LLMD in Seeking a Doctor. Ps remember I am not a Dr, just a fellow sufferer.

How to Search Courtesy of Danq
LymeNet Links for New Members
Newbie's Lingo

Lyme Disease Audio Network
Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano's Treatment Guidelines
CDC Website on Lyme Disease
International Lyme and Associated Disease Society

Lyme Disease Symptoms
Rashes
Co-IinfectionsThanx M

Rose's 15 Facts for Newcomers
Making the Most of Your LLMD Visit
Camp A and Camp B, The Lyme Disease Contoversy
2nd Version Camp A Camp B

Why You Can't Trust Medical Journals Anymore
Something to share with friends and family members But You LOOK Good!

Labs
MDL
Igenex Labs

Western Blot Info
Explaining Borreliosis (Lyme) Western Blot Tests
Explanation of Western Blot Bands
Igenex Labs on the Western Blot
Melissa Kaplan's Lyme Website Explains Western Blot
Dr. C Explains Western Blot
Drug Interactions and Other Drug Info
Drug Digest
American Medical Women's Association Tiscali Reference Encyclopedia
Herxing
What Is a Herxheimer Reaction?
What Is Herxing?
The Herxheimer Reaction

Check Diet Link Atkins Diet
Sexually Transmitted ???
Transmitted Through Sex?
Sex Question-Serious-Adult Content
Video On Demand: Blood Supply May Be Source Of Lyme Disease Infections
Good Site Canadian Lyme Disease Association
FDA on Lyme Testing
Legal Help

No you don't always see a bite and if there's no bullseye the only way your going to be able to tell is (symptoms) and (((Maybe))) WB or lyme dot blot 3 day urine banged with abx's to free your antigens up for the test.
See this ( . )thats the size of the larva stage tick...
Next nymph size... ( * )
Next is adult ( o ) to ( 0 )
Pretty small????? HUH

Marnies......... Ten Points Regarding Mg and Lyme Disease

Canlyme MAG

Help with Meds

Vitamins you should Know

How many times have I heard that idiot statement?

At least one too many times...

My cousin was told the same thing...

She was a Florida native. She went camping there and had many bug bites. She got sick when she came home from the camping trip.

She had a positive Lyme test and was told by the experts that it HAD to be a false-positive because they don't have Lyme in Florida.

So they ignored the Lyme, time and time again and diagnosed her with ABLS... (Anything But Lyme Syndrome).

She suffered for years.. ended up wheel chair bound.. and died a slow painful death.

She left behind a child and a family who loved her dearly.

I left Florida when I couldn't get decent medical help because ..

"There is no Lyme in Florida".

Please take the above advise seriously and find help.

My rash was also misdiagnosed as "ringworm".

I was told it had NOTHING to do with why I was so sick.

They lied.

That was 18 years ago.

I had seven tick borne diseases... but it took me fighting for 15 years to get properly diagnosed.

Because... they "don't have Lyme in Florida".

I mean ... what would all the tourists think... if Micky Mouse had Lyme disease?

Welcome to Lyme Net...

Florida residents are welcome.. even if we know there is no Lyme in Florida.

CDC charts show:
1993 - 2002: Florida had 492 cases
previous chart: 1990-'92 had 66 cases

Total cases 1990 through 2002 = 558 reported cases in Florida.

CDC also says Lyme disease may be underreported by 10 to 12-fold.
This would be 6,696 cases.

I have a list of FL docs, too - don't know personally about all of them, but e-mail me if your interested.

Please, get yourself to a LLMD ASAP - don't rely on docs without experience with Lyme. You also need to be tested by a reputable lab for other tick-borne infections.

Hope that you didn't have much damage from the heart attack. There can be serious cardiac complications from Lyme.

He says my rash was unlikley EM because it showed up after the numbness.

He drew blood and was going to test it, I think ELISA, IGG, IGM ?

The doctor you saw, IMO, was definitely NOT an LLMD. How do I know? An LLMD would more than likely not order an ELISA test as they know that they are useless and not accurate one I-O-DA!!!

Just because a doc says that he treats Lyme Disease, LD, does NOT mean that he is actually what we are calling an LLMD. Usually, Lyme Disease and their co-infections is the ONLY thing that LLMDs treat.

Be sure and get to one ASAP for this will not get better unless you are treated. And, since you are so close to the MAYO there in J'ville, please, DO NOT even consider that as an option for treating LD.

Many here have been there, done that, me included. They have absolutely NO clue when it comes to dx and tx of LD, NONE!!! But, they will take your $3K up front and scratch their heads when all the test for whatever comes up negative and you still are having symptoms.

This will not just go away...you have to get treatment!!!

An LLMD would diagnose (dx) on your symptoms and prehaps the rash with only tests supporting his dx.

Many posters here have experienced Neuro symptoms early on. Sometimes this is their only Lyme symptoms.

I have NOT heard that there is an LLMD in Ft. Lauderdale...I could be wrong, but, I never heard of one there.

I'm so glad you let us know how you're doing.

I hope some folks from Florida will visit your post as they know the LLMDS there.

I'm concerned for you that this LLMD could not make a diagnosis based on symptoms at your first visit.

Please heed Rosemary's advice.

At the very least, call that office today & ask the "nurse" which lab your testing was sent to?

Please tell us what you learn. That ELISA is a huge red flag that he's not an LLMD.

Did he send the Lab work to IGENEX Labs in California or the MDL Labs? Those are specialty labs that an LLMD might use.

It's imperative that you know which Lab was used.

I may be wrong, but it sounds like to me he's going to diagnose you based on your test results.

Lyme tests can return negative & you can still have a raging infection.

Please, please remember------you only have a small window of opportunity to treat this in the hope you can irradicate it completely.

If you have Lyme, you should already be on antibiotics.

If you are not proactive about your health, you could develop "chronic" lyme & you will be on this board telling other young people to save themselves.

I realize we're throwing a lot of information at you & our warnings are rather stern, but go back & reread everyone's response to you.

Perhaps someone on this board even referred you to this LLMD. You're right, I don't know all the facts here.

I do hope we're wrong about this, but we're trying to give you a heads up.

And, yes a person can develop neurologic symptoms at the early onset of Lyme Disease.

Let us know what you find out. Again, we're just very concerned for you.

Take Care,
Jan

If this doc is going to make a determination based on the Elisa, then in my opinion you need to look elsewhere to get a true evaluation.

E-mail me if you want some other possibilities in Florida. What happened with your spinal tap results from August...anything show up?

And yes, neuro symptoms can come on fairly quickly with Lyme...every one is different. Also, the EM rash can come and go.

Keep in touch,
~Nancy

Good Luck

------------------

I think the tests were done at IRL - Indian River Labs.

The spinal test came back neg.

The doc was the first one to say the labs for LD aren't very good.

Evidently my symptoms could be due to a number of things and the doc is hesitant to treat with antibiotics imperically.

He will call me with results and if nothing else explains my problems in 3 months, treat with abx.

What do you think?

Most LLMDs use www.igenex.com and the results are so easy to read, that my 8 year old granddaughter can read it.

Rosemary

You really need to get to an LLMD, for not to is a big waste of your time and money and HEALTH!!!

The samples were sent to Quest Diag.

The orders were and I don't know what some of this means but here is what I was told.

CMP, CBC, LYME ELISA IGM IGG, LYME PCR, BABESIA IGM IGG, TSH, T4

We're so relieved to hear from you.

Everything we're trying to share with you is a result of our own experiences.

What we're saying to you is exactly what we would tell our own family.

My 20 year old son was recently diagnosed with Lyme. We pretty much knew he had it anyway because he had so many symptoms.

His right eyelid droops so it has already gone to the brain. It has disseminated. So in effect, he's walking around with a brain infection.

He's had many ticks on him. Strange rashes only appear after taking antibiotics for sore throats.

He tested positive for Lyme with Bowen Labs by the first LLMD who just closed his practice.

He saw a new LLMD, also a member of ILADS, & then had the Western Blot test from IGENEX Labs in California because it's required for insurance purposes. This office will not accept the Bowen Test.

We didn't have a choice because the first LLMD refused to treat my son without a Bowen Test & the second LLMD will only accept the IGENEX Western Blot.

I have my own testing nightmare that delayed treatment for a year. I didn't know what I was doing.

It just gets so complicated no matter what part of the country you live in.

Believe me, this is not easy for anybody.

Here I am harping about testing, but the key here is you had the Bulls eye rash. You have Lyme Disease.

The bulls eye rash is the one sign/symptom that LLMDs recognize as diagnostic of Lyme Disease. Period.

In a perfect world, you shouldn't even have to bother with testing. The rash proves you have Lyme.

Because a physician never saw the rash, it was not documented.

Knowing this alone, you should already be on antibiotics.

Oh......,to hear that this physician is going to make you wait for 3 months is to gamble with your future.

As McNTeddy said in his first post to you that there is only that crucial small window of opportunity to treat this.

This is not like letting other illnesses go untreated. It's damaging to wait.

Sorry to say, but you're losing ground here.

Your physician I'm sure is well meaning, but it's becoming apparent that he's going to accept Quest Lab results.

Even if Quest Labs are positive for Lyme & Babesia, an LLMD will not accept even THOSE results.

They will insist on additional testing from IGENEX or BOWEN testig to back up their clinical diagonsis based on symptoms.

I see your spinal test came back negative, but it's rare for Lyme to show up in spinal fluid.

Why? Because at the very least, the spinal fluid has to be sent to IGENEX Labs.

True, as your doctor said your symptoms could be due to a number of things, but most

of the time Lyme patients start acquiring secondary diagnosis due to Lyme.

That's the whole point of early treatment.

In fact, that's how doctors get sidetracked.

Lyme is the new great imitator.

I don't understand how he can ignore your rash. I just can't get that through my brain.

As far as whether or not to get the Bowen is strictly up to you. It's hard for me to tell someone how to spend their money-------most folks have limited resources.

It just looks like you need to pursue either Bowen or Igenex testing.

You can ask your doctor for one of these tests, but if he says no-----then you pretty much know you're not getting the treatment you deserve.

Thanks for sharing which tests you had run.

I looked up the CMP ------ it's a comprehensive metabolic panel to check kidneys, liver; things to check on a yearly physicial.

CBC - Complete Blood Count

Lyme ELISA - unreliable

Lyme Igm IGG - Western blot

Lyme PCR - difficult to get a positive; you can take this test monthly for the rest of your life & you may never get a positive.

A PCR test looks for a piece of genetic material for Lyme bacteria (borrelia Burgdorfi).

Babesia IGM IGG - test for tick borne co-infection, Babesia. (It's a protazoan that invades Red Blood Cells & treated with anti-malarials).

You may have a 'silent' Babesia infection. No hard core symptoms.

At present, I believe there are only tests for 2 strains of Babesia; so this can possibly go undetected.

If I'm wrong about Babesia, please correct me---anyone.)

TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone; the new standards for this test as of 2002 was changed and 3 is the top of the normal range (not 10).

According to Bambiland's research most men seem to feel best when their TSH is close to 2.

(Double check that TSH test result as a functioning thyroid is of paramount importance in fighting Lyme.)

T4 - thyroid function; also need to test Free T3 levels to see if thyroid hormone is being used at the cellular level.

Here's Bambiland's recent comprehensive link about thyroid:

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/027747.html

I certainly don't know every test a LLMD would run, but I don't see a CD57 test for immune markers; no test done for mycoplasma fermantans, etc.

Try to get copies of all lab work & review them for yourself. Save them for future reference.

It's true------ we clearly realize that only you know what's best for you.

Basically, this entire reply is that we don't want you to make the same mistakes that some of us have made.

We just want you to get treatment, but
ADEQUATE treatment for a long enough period of time to get well.

Please, keep asking questions.

Before finding the right doctor for you, Lyme is essentially a do-it-yourself disease.

I'm sorry you're having to go through all this rigamarole.

Looks like for now you get to be the patient & the doctor.

Hope all of our replies today can better enable you to make the best decisions possible about your treatment.

Mama Jan from Texas

I did see a family Dr. when I had the rash but he diag. it as ringworm.

The LLMD doesn't believe the rash points to lyme because it came after the numbness.

I don't mind paying for the Bowen test and I have a list of Dr.'s in the area that have used them.

Should I try to see one of those Drs. and just ask them straight out if they would do this test.

that is what I was saying, not that the test was a bad test. It's just any old idiot can read the words POSITIVE or NEGATIVE as with the Igenex test. It's in plain English.

Rosemary

And Igenex will except Medicare. Don't know about Bowen. All I know is what I've read and I've read a lot of people that have had this over the years at Bowen only to not know what they got by the test. Cause no one that they can find can read it.

I have some ideas for you, but I don't walk in your shoes or live in Florida.

So I'm just throwing this out for you to consider if it sounds reasonable to you.

Because you said you don't mind paying for the Bowen Test-----if I lived in Florida-----I'd get that Bowen Test.

Try to get one from a Doctor who will treat you with antibiotics. If he happens to offer you antibiotics on first visit, take them.

The Bowen Test is not affected by antibiotic usage. (non-refundable $250)

From now on, if any doctor offers a prescription for antibiotics, take it.

Your LLMD has already put you off because he doesn't believe you have Lyme. I know flat out he does not believe you have Lyme.

He's trying to placate you & putting off making a diagnosis for 3 months. Not good.

If your first Family Doctor thought the rash was ringworm, then this LLMD will side with him AUTOMATICALLY.

He's probably going by what your family doctor thought as much as anything.

He's not going to give you an IGENEX.

It probably would be less stressful for you to:

1. Just go back to LLMD only for the Quest lab work results. DON'T tell him about the Bowen.

You don't need any hassles from him. You're sick not him.

Before you leave, put him on the spot. Ask him (even if test results are Negative) is he still planning to prescribe antibotics in 3 months based on symptoms?

See what he says. I bet he says no.

The ONLY reason I say this is that he might be a future source for antibiotics for you; perhaps a stopgap measure for you if you still haven't received antibiotics from the Bowen/doctor.

But in reality,-------I don't think he'll ever give you antibiotics.

2. If you are certain that you will be able to get help with a different doctor who will prescribe the Bowen, then it's up to you whether or not to go back to the LLMD.

Like I say, it would be less stressful for you if you did not return to this LLMD.

Sure it doesn't hurt to go back for the test results, but do not walk through that office door anticipating that he's going to treat you.

It will only upset you. Don't subject yourself to that kind of disdain.

Just a final heads-up:

If you were to ever get an IGENEX test:
You probably need to have an antibiotic challenge to elicit a positive test.

You need 14 days of Zithromax 500 mg prior to testing. This has only been my experience. Others are free to disagree.

My first IGENEX was negative. The 2nd one was positive with antibiotic challenge.

I asked Sunday at our support group & the others said that the north Texas LLMD (member of ILADs) also gives the antibiotic challenge.

Try to do what's easiest on you. You will get a positive test from Bowen.

I am going to see if I can find another LLMD.

Why won't Dr's prescribe abx - what is the downside?

Boy, you're learning fast. You've basically received a crash course on the realities of Lyme Disease in America.

You've contracted a politically charged and very costly disease.

It appears that it is financially expedient for traditional physicians & insurance companies to say you don't have Lyme disease however they can.

Women are especially told their symptoms are stress or they're a psych case.

The lab tests for Lyme return from obscure Laboratories that even Albert Einstein himself couldn't interpret correctly.

It appears to us, that insurance companies like to ensure a non-Lyme diagnosis by providing sub-standard testing for Lyme.

How? Order a PCR test & statistically speaking, it will probably be negative.

Most of the time, some doctors will insult you in such a way that you never want to return to them and you'll drop your quest for answers.

It's called "living sick."

Especially young people who go alone to the doctor------- it's good to have an older adult go with them so the patient isn't put off.

Or, their complaints will be quickly discounted------like, "Gee you have so many dramatic symptoms and well-----they just don't "seem to fit." That's one of their favorites.

They don't want you to know about Bowen or IGENEX.

If you don't have a computer/internet & haven't educated yourself about Lyme and the differences between a true LLMD & a Doc who says they treat Lyme, then you are at a distinct disadvantage.

Traditional Docs want to see textbook Lyme. If you don't have the "perfect" rash-----too bad for you. You won't get treatment.

Furthemore, it was decided in the 70s by Dr. Steere that ALL Lyme Disease (LD) could be cured forever with just 1 month of antibiotics.

Most doctors and insurance companies still adhere to that unfounded standard of care in treating LD.

Dr. Steere takes credit for "discovering" Lyme when it was a mom named Polly in Lyme Conneticut who brought it to their attention that an abnormally high number of children mysteriously developed severe cases of arthritis.

Besides, Lyme disease, (borrelia-the bacteria) existed long before Steere was born. But now-------it's HIS disease. His claim to fame.

LLMDs who are on the frontlines treating Lyme patients are the true scientists.

Many have had Lyme themselves. One LLMD in Texas has had his license revoked for prescribing more than 10 days or 30 days of antibiotics.

Former Texas State Senator Chris Harris discovered he had Lyme when his dog developed Lyme. Vets can help you with Lyme.

He was instrumental in forming a State Commission on Lyme & told the Texas Board of Medical Examiners to back off.

The LLMD in Texas is able to practice again & his practice is full. He's overworked to the hilt.

In New York, Dr. Burrascano who wrote the "Treatment Guidelines for Lyme" has also had to fight to keep his license.

The State of New York OMPC goes after LLMDs hard & that's why we don't post their names publicly on the board.

We protect our LLMDs.

The late Dr. Bleiweiss had Lyme & you'll run across his articles about diagnosing Lyme.
The state came after him & smeared his reputation.

His wife left him & he committed suicide on the very day the "smear campaign" appeared in the newspaper.

When the establishlment found it financially expedient to make money off the backs of Lyme patients they created a so-called Lyme vaccine.

It was a disaster & many, for genetic reasons after taking the vaccine, became critically ill. They went from well to ill.

For some reason, the vaccine turned on certain genetic sites for arthritis & crippled them for life.

A travesty is putting it mildly. They pulled the vaccine off the market.

Just follow the money trail.

Lyme research is about 20 years behind and poorly funded.

Most research funds go towards AIDS; also, they get their necessary medications.

Tuberculosis patents get their long-term antibiotics.

A dermatologist will put an acne patient on antibiotics at a drop of a hat. Some Lyme patients have even gone to Dermatologist to get Doxycycline.

The saddest-----physicians who refuse very sick patients antibiotics yet when their own children get 1 tick bite, they quickly put them on long-term antibiotics until their symptom free for several months.

This is whether or not the child had symptoms or not; or the child had a rash or didn't have a rash. Lucky kid.

About ringworms....,
It's a fungus. The doctor could have taken a scrapping of cells in about 60 seconds from you & looked under a microscope & determined if you had a fungus.

I use to have eczema. That Doc would pop in & scrape the cells & dash off to his microscope & take a look; this ruled out fungus.

Then he treated my eczema after being certain it was eczema not a fungus.

Less than 50% have a rash with Lyme & they're definitely not all the classic Bulls eye rash.

Anyway, so glad to see you're going to get tested. Most everyone gets a positive test from BOWEN because it's a different test than the Western BLot.

The IGENEX western blot checks for the immune response -----antibodies; the Bowen tests will actually show you a picture of the microscopic Lyme.

It will test for Babesia & Erlichiosis, as well. You will receive a colored photograph of what they found.

Go to www.bowenlabs.com & explore their site. They'll have a sample photo of what your results will resemble.

When you find a good LLMD, be good to him & his staff. A patient from Florida recently received a letter from his LLMD saying that he refused to treat him as a patient any longer because he caused stress for the staff.

The patient merely requested that the staff call Bowen Labs---that's all. This patient liked his LLMD & things were going well & he had a great treatment protocol.

I think this doctor was in Fort Meyers, Florida------I'd have to check the board for that post. (I may be getting this confused with another post from Florida.)

We wish we had perfect answers for patients in Florida. It's going to be rough, but once you can find a doctor to treat you & the tick borne co-infections, you'll be on your way back to fishing.

Lyme Disease is the best kept secret in America.

Just look what you've already been thru?

I'll post a site for you so you can look at how different LD rashes can be.

So glad you're going to get REAL help. We can't help everybody, but if you come here-----we're certainly going to try to provide you with the facts. You can chart your own course from there.

Let us know how things go, we'll be checking the boards for your progress.

If you need help with the Bowen explanation, then we can explain that in understandable terms, too.

Take Care,
Mama Jan from Texas

P.S.

If you go to NEW LINKs above in Treepatrol's post------there's a link for Camp A and Camp B.

Camp A is Dr. Steere. The patients on this board are in Camp B. If camp A were doing its job, there wouldn't be a Camp B.

Edited for spelling/can't see small type in tiny box.

[This message has been edited by RECIPEGIRL (edited 16 September 2004).]

Some will be detected & immediately diagnosed by doctors as Lyme disease. (But you have to wait at least 6 weeks after a tick bite to test. The Lyme antibodies will not show up yet in the blood.)

Timing is crucial to attain accurate results.

Others folks might be told they got a bad spider bite.

Rashes......,

http://www.lyme.org/gallery/rashes.html

More rashes......,

http://www.lymenet.org/picture4.shtml

I have looked at all the rashes and I still think my rash was EM. But the numbness coming first is what has me confused. Isn't that part of a later stage of LD? I could tell the LLMD I saw ruled out LD as soon as I told him that.

I have looked at the Bowen Inst. site.

I would like to get a WB from IGENEX first, we'll see.

First, the doctor you saw is located in Plantation FL NOT Ft. Lauderdale.

Second, there is an EXCELLENT LLMD in Ft. Lauderdale and you have the name already.

Third, the LLMD Ziggy referred to is located on the opposite coast of FL from where you went plus that doc is a long distance from you. I believe I sent his info to you anyway.

IGeneX is an excellent lab for Western Blot IGM and IGG. It also has a MultiPlex PCR which is also excellent. It also has a Reversible Western Blot test which can be done. They also have a Lyme "Dot" Assay test which is done with urine, using an abx challenge so the bacterium will shed antigens (which is what most testing looks for).

Bowen Lab is a RESEARCH lab and therefore cannot charge fees for testing, thus the "donation" requirement. Bowen lab does not look for antigens. It tests for the actual antibodies in the blood. It is an Excellent lab. Unfortunately, not all doctors understand how to read the results. It would be good if Bowen could include an interpretation guideline when submitting the results to the physician. Of course, you could always request your physician CALL Bowen lab for a verbal explanation, if necessary. I personally feel the Bowen test is the most accurate and foolproof test out there for Lyme Disease. It can also see Babesia and Ehrlichiosis in your blood.

Quest Lab is the pitts, in my opinion, for testing for Lyme disease. It is my understanding that Quest only looks for OspA (band 31kda) and if it doesnt find it, then you are considered Negative for LD. Unfortunately for many people, many insurance companies will only accept results done from a lab in the State where the blood was drawn. this sucks!

My best suggestion is for you to see the LLMD who practices in Ft. Lauderdale. This LLMD is the best one in Florida. This LLMD will treat you if your clinical symptoms suggest Lyme, Babesia or Ehrlichiosis, even while waiting for testing results. This LLMD will go the distance with you.

Let me know how it goes for you, privately.

Lovey