In 2000, I tested positive for Babesiosis and was treated. I went through the complete cardiac work -up then. Many of you know the drill.........confused looks on the faces of cardiologists who don't understand these two diseases..............symptoms that don't add up. Anyway, I was treated with antibiotics and Mepron in 2000 and bounced back.
Last week, I had a killer sore throat. I went to a local internist (not my Lyme doc) and he was alarmed at my heart rate......115. It's been down hill ever since. He sent me straight to a group of Heart doctors. I was pleasantly surprised to get a doc (young) who didn't roll his eyes when he heard my long tale. (Maybe they're actually studying Lyme/Babesiosis in Med. school now????????!!!!!). The EKG was abnormal, heart rate elevated at 115.He said something about a leaky valve too. He set me up for a bunch of tests. He said he could put me on meds to slow the heart rate, but wanted to find the cause. I had the stress test 2 days ago (not nuclear). There were no abnormalities; in fact I was running on the treadmill at max speed and incline. I did above average for my age (40). I always work out when I feel well enough, so it was no surprise to me.
Now, since yesterday, I've had lots of chest pressure, the heart is racing. I have also been getting extremely cold, I bundle up and then I sweat. I have lost about 12 lbs since August. That kind of snuck up on me, I knew my clothes were a bit looser, but it wasn't until the Dr. weighed me how much I'd lost. I had an alrming weight loss when first diagnosed with the Babs in 2000.
So.............question...............have many of you experienced reoccurence of Babesiosis? At what point do I panic? Can I test negative, yet still have the Babesiosis as with the Lyme? Is the Babesiosis strictly in the blood, or in the tissues , as with the Lyme? I don't want to end up in the ER with Heart Block. Do I page the cardiologist on the weekend and tell him what's going on. I know he'll tel me to go to the ER.....I ahte the ER!!!!!!!!!

Of course, it becomes an issue of who really is right. I just thought I would pass this along.

I do know many lyme patients that know through symptomology that Babs has come back - I have also known people that have been on Mepron for months at a time multiple times....it sure sounds like it could be coming back for you or maybe you were reinfected?

Hang in there.

I'm sorry to hear about your reocurrence of symptoms. How many rounds of Mepron and Azithromycin did you take?...it can take up to four or five months to treat Babesia sometimes longer.

I myself took 10months and don't seem to have Babs symptoms recurring since 2003...or not yet anyway!

I'm afraid the symptoms you describe could be Babesia, the weight loss and sweats and chills, heart issues sound suspicious. In NJ you must be close to Dr B of LI - he is my LLMD and excellent, well worth seeing as he is so experienced and can diagnose clinically.

You'd most likely be better off consulting with Dr B. than a cardiologist who is ignorant to the effects of chronic Lyme.

Yes you can have negative tests and have Babesia, it dives into the bone marrow when you start to treat it.

IMHO what the chemist said that Lymied consulted is incorrect..Babesia probably can reside in the tissues and one month Mepron wouldn't effectively treat a chronic babesia infection.

If you test positive for Babesiosis, try Riamet available in Europe. I have had it sent several times from Germany. If you do not get a positive test, try ART. We had a negative Bowen test while still having symptoms that was negated by ART test which was positive. These critters hide in pockets and are not showing up when we want them.

Two or three courses (60 hours each with 24 tablets) of Riamet often do the trick. It did for us with less. Mepron for a lot of money did not help either my husband or myself.

If you have not addressed your teeth or cavitations/old wisdom tooth sites or heavy metals, cardiac problems a very common from these. The metals settle there and hamper the functioning.

Following publication:

"Marked Elevation of Myocardial Trace Elements in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Compared With Secondary Cardiac Dysfunction

Frustaci, A., Magnavita, N., Chimenti, C., Caldarulo, M., Sabbioni, E., Pietra, R., Cellini, C., Possati, G.F. and Maseri, A. Department of Cardiology, Department of Occupational Medicine, and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Catholic University, Rome Italy and CEC 4Environmental Institute Joint Research Center Ispra, Rome, Italy

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Vol. 33, No. 6, 1999, pp. 1578-1583

Objectives: We sought to investigate the possible pathogenic role of myocardial trace elements (TE) in patients with various forms of cardiac failure.

Background: Both myocardial TE accumulation and deficiency have been associated with the development of heart failure indistinguishable from an idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Methods: Myocardial and muscular content of 32 TE has been assessed in biopsy samples of 13 patients (pts) with clinical, hemodynamic and histologic diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), all without past or current exposure to TE. One muscular and one left ventricular (LV) endomyocardial specimen from each patient, drawn with metal contamination-free technique, were analyzed by neutron activation analysis and compared with 1) similar surgical samples from patients with valvular (12 pts) and ischemic (13 pts) heart disease comparable for age and degree of LV dysfunction; 2) papillary and skeletal muscle surgical biopsies from 10 pts with mitral stenosis and normal LV function, and 3) LV endomyocardial biopsies from four normal subjects.

Results: A large increase (>10,000 times for mercury and antimony) of TE concentration has been observed in myocardial but not in muscular samples in all pts with IDCM. Patients with secondary cardiac dysfunction had mild increase (<5 times) of myocardial TE and normal muscular TE. In particular, in pts with IDCM mean mercury concentration was 22,000 times (178,400 ng/g vs. 8 ng/g), antimony 12,000 times (19,260 ng/g vs. 1.5 ng/g), gold 11 times (26 ng/g vs. 2.3 ng/g), chromium 13 times (2,300 ng/g vs. 177 ng/g) and cobalt 4 times (86.5 ng/g vs. 20 ng/g) higher than in control subjects.

Conclusions: A large, significant increase of myocardial TE is present in IDCM but not in secondary cardiac dysfunction. The increased concentration of TE in pts with IDCM may adversely affect mitochondrial activity and myocardial metabolism and worsen cellular function.

Other studies which relate mercury to heart disease."

Please note the number of 22,000 the mercury concentration in the heart!!!! from what is considered normal. And usually where the metals are, the Lyme take up residence.

There are mountains of research on all of it, and I have been talking about if it seems forever.

Hope this helps.

Lou, the symptoms of being cold and sweating is a very dominant part of metal toxicity as are cold hands and cold feet. Yes, the autonomic nervous system is not doing what it normally does, balancing all senses. There are so many signs. I have listed them several times here under Symptoms of Mercury Toxicity. You might want to make sure you are not forgetting something.

A negative metal challenge test means little if the mineral balance in general is out of order in the body. The body will not release any metals
if that is the case. So a lab test might also not tell the true situation. Symptoms decide, and if you have treated Lyme Disease for a long time, most likely something else is amiss.

Take care.

My heart symptoms have been like yours. IMO you probably need more lyme treatment.

Over a year ago I was treated for babs. Have had almost four years tx for lyme, with an 8 month break when I felt well!
I knew I was relapsing when the heart stuff started up again. It is now gone after 4 months of treatment. I am not a doctor, but think you should see an LLMD for further treatment. Cardiologists are beginning to recognize lyme because of the heart symptoms.

I began having chills and headaches again and LLMD thought I still had babs lurking.
I have just started my second month of Mepron and am feeling better. He will not
give it for more than two months.

Relapse is not uncommon when you have had it for a number of years. Not sure how long your 3 rounds of IV's were. Maybe you could tell us more about the exact treatment you've had?

Other Lymenetters have recommended Allergy Research/Nutricology brand. When I went to pick up a bottle from the vitamin store the other day, the salesperson looked at the bottle and said,

"This is one of our honest products."

What did he mean by that, exactly?