I know a lot of people who say they had Lyme disease "once" but they took doxy for 10 or 30 days and they got over it.
They say that while they willingly accept a new diagnosis of MS, lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc.
Boy is that true!
Pinster....It really isn't about how smart your doctor or any other dr is. It's what they were TAUGHT. The medical schools are teaching incorrect information.
I'm serious. And I understand how difficult it is to believe that. Perhaps if you'll read this essay, you'll better understand.
posted
Forgot to add....Please don't donate blood anymore. You don't want to pass this along to someone whose life is already threatened.
Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
If you need heart surgery do you go to your local General Practioner ?
If you need teeth fixed, do you go to a gynecologist ?
Do you go to your local butcher for car repair ?
How about taking sky diving lessons from the appliance repair guy ?
If you have lyme.....................
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
If you need heart surgery do you go to your local General Practioner ?
If you need teeth fixed, do you go to a gynecologist ?
Do you go to your local butcher for car repair ?
How about taking sky diving lessons from the appliance repair guy ?
If you have lyme.....................
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I felt fine after my tick bite, no rash, no fever or joint pains. My doctor told me to wait 4 weeks and then have a test. Wham, 3 1/2 weeks after my bite my face became paralyzed (Bell's Palsy)and other symptoms came pouring in (still no rash, fever or joint pains). Now I'm in my ninth month of treatment and making progress.
Your only chance to kill this quickly is by taking antibiotics within 2 weeks of the bite. If you were my best friend I would take you to the Doctor right now and make sure you start antibiotics TODAY. Alternatively you can start them after you get really sick and take them for a few years.
I am also alergic to penicillin and avoid drugs however, once you get Lyme symptoms you will gladly take any drug that will kill it. I had no trouble with doxycycline or tetracycline. If it does make you feel crappy just think it will be over for you in 3 weeks. I have at least 9 more months to go. No time to think about it, start the drugs now. hatsnscarfs
posted
Yes, Pinster has doxy but is Pinster taking it yet?
An acquaintance asked me about my Lyme treatment. She had been bit by a tick and her Dr. gave her antibiotics. She didn't take them though, she was still thinking about it since she didn't really like the idea of taking antibiotics. As the months went on she was sinking deeper into brain fog and was having really bad joint pain. Walking was getting difficult. She was starting to think it might be from the Lyme, duh.
So she had the antibiotics but they didn't do her any good since she still hadn't taken them!
When I talk to people about Lyme now I tell them that if they or anyone they know is bit by a tick they need to get antibiotics AND start taking them right away. There is no time to think about it or weigh out "natural, alternative options" etc. The alternative is to wait, get really sick and then take them for a really long time.
My PCP and allergist are excellent at what they do each day. They were pretty clueless though when it came to Lyme and did what outdated books told them to do. At least they are open minded and now learning from the mistake they made with me. I'm on the East Coast where you would think Drs. would have more experience with Lyme. Not so.
So, Pinster, If you're taking the drugs now you need to work on getting more of them before they run out. Read my above post carefully. Stopping the drugs early was hell for me. hats
The feedback you are receiving here is correct. Don't take the tick bite lightly. There is a good chance the little monster injected you with some of the worse bacteria you can think. It's good that you have a doctor who gave you the abx "just in case". Many won't even do that much, without hard test proof. I would contact your state Lyme support group, they should have a list of Lyme literate docs (LLMD) and hopefully you will find one closer than in my area (100-200 miles away). At the same time I would follow the suggested dose of doxy (200 2x day) by the folks here and secure more anyway you can, while your head is clear. Good luck, I hope your next 8 weeks are better than my last 8 weeks. (when I was bitten)
Posts: 40 | From Pacific NW | Registered: Mar 2005
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
I'm going to give Pinster the benefit of the doubt: maybe this person didn't fully read through the links. Then again, when you aren't very ill, there is alot you don't do ( such as not take life and health for granted)
So maybe he/she needs some quick points: 1.) Lyme disease only reproduces in the human body every four weeks, where you can then kill it with antibiotics. I'm sorry, so what is ten days of doxy going to do?
2.) Lyme disease can penetrate the blood brain barrier of the human body. Doxy at 200 mg doesnt GET to the blood brain barrier. I dunno, some people like borrelia in their brain. I don't.
3.) Im not catching Pinster's drift on anything about any doctor in CT. And there ARE papers presented. They're called ILADS conventions and much, much more. Try going to one- just once.
4.) A tick doesnt ONLY transmit lyme disease. Sorry. It has tag along coinfection friends, all of which require different treatment.
5.) Do all eye doctors know about delivering babies? What hand surgeon do you know can ooperate on a brain? Leave LYME to lyme specialists, period.
I probably just wasted 10 percent of my morning, without coffee, trying to educate the "smarter".
I congratulate you on not being sick, I really do. But don't take it from any of us- we're not sick. We come here for the free smilies.
And just in case you ARE still reading this post? That rash you got, is very diagnostic of contracting lyme. I don't give a flip if it faded, expanded, didn't expand, or shriveled up and jumped on some old
woman at Krogers. It's diagnostic, period.
Welcome to lyme disease.
Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Pinster????? whatever, I can't remember numbers more than 2 sec thanks to Lyme and Co:
But anyway, groovy???? couldn't describe it any better. Here I am sitting at the computer trying to find the cheapeast place to buy my abx, because my insurance money is totally gone after 4 months of Lyme treatment and believe me the bright yellow post its come in very handy.
I am laughing and crying at the same time and just thinking I wished I had the opportunity than Pinster???? is just throwing away right now; but I wasn't that lucky I never saw the tick, got the rash or anything like that. The only thing that I SAW COMING WAS GETTING DISABLED AFTER A BAD FLU, FOLLOWED by MILLIONS OF VISITS OF IGNORANT AND ARROGANT DOCTORS that told me to pop another celebrex to "kind of" relieve the pain and misery that I was having.
If I had the chance you have right know, I will NEVER-EVER throw it away.
posted
Pinster, can't you see what attention you've gotten with your post? Why do you think just about everyone is trying to tell to open your eyes? These people have all experienced what you are going to soon enough. Six months ago I thought you got lymes only from a tick bite and that you took some medications for a few weeks and that was it. Boy was I ignorant! Just like you. I did however listen when a friend told me about her entire family having Lymes. And guess what? My child and I both have Lymes and coinfections. My child seemed to be a normal healthy child. We beleive that he was born with it. Find yourself a good Lymes doctor and get tested and treated asap. And if you don't listen to these people who have taken the time to try and help you then well, you'll regret it in time, trust me on this. WAKEUP. A coworkers mother in law just died of Lymes. Her regular doctor (ignorant of course) was treating her for hypertension,while she also had bells palsy and chronic fatique. The heart surgeron who spoke to her family after she died asked "who in your family has Lymes?" Amazingly he recognized what so many others don't. Oh and the person that had Lymes in the family was the woman's husband who was already dead. She wasn't as fortunate as you. She didn't have so many people telling her what to expect and how she can get help. IGNORANCE will KILL YOU.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
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groovy2
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Member # 6304
posted
Up --
Even tho its a old thead - lots of good words there--Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Will add a comment about hubby -- he never had a rash or knew about a tickbite. Within 2 1/2 months of a flu that just wouldn't go away he became disabled with Parkinsonian tremors and unrelenting nausea/vomiting/dry heaves.
5 years later he is making progress but a long way from well. Tremors progressed to include myoclonus and seizure-like episodes multiple times daily. Took 1 1/2 years to get a diagnosis of Lyme and another year to get any real treatment and to get diagnosis of coinfections Babesia and Bartonella.
So far he has seen over 65 docs, 28 ER visits, 10 hospitalizations (including 3 psych admits).
We are from Virginia and have traveled to 11 states in search of diagnosis and treatment.
About 4 1/2 months after initial flu symptoms ended up at Mt Sinai Hospital in New York City. We were referred there by another doc -- we thought that since it was a major hospital with a worldwide reputation it would be easy to get a diagnosis of something -- major depression/anxiety was NOT the answer we were looking for.
This was neurologist #2 out of 14 -- first 13 had no clue that tremors could be caused by Lyme!!!!!!
Doc #7 on the list (from New York) did order an ELISA test for Lyme which was negative. Next 25 or so physicians relied on this one test and never suggested repeating it or using a different testing method.
Even after got a positive PCR Lyme test most of the next 25 or 30 docs would not believe the test results because the test was from the "wrong lab".
The bottom line here is that Lyme is a CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS and if you even suspect a tickbite -- get to a specialist -- a LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor).
If you thought you had cancer you would go to the best cancer doc (oncologist) you could afford wouldn't you? Well, there was a survey done that determined that long-term "chronic" Lyme patients have a lesser quality of life than cancer patients.
That pretty much says it all.
Bea Seibert
P.S. Knew nothing much about Lyme disease prior to this other than that it came from a tickbite. Had never met anyone with Lyme. Since returning home from 4 years of medical travel have met many in the community who have Lyme or know someone who has it. One of the saddest stories is about the middle aged guy who attends adult day care so his wife can keep working to pay his medical bills.
The city is considering allowing deer hunting on private property to reduce the deer population. Yet the docs here are so behind the times we have to travel 4 1/2 hours to another state just for a primary care provider. Local doc fired us for doing alternative treatments -- IV Vitamin C and IV magnesium.
Don't count on the docs in New York or Virginia or anywhere else to diagnose and treat correctly. The choice is yours.
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Hello this is Pinster56. I haven't been on this board in a year but I was surprised to find people on here are asking how I am doing. I can't believe anyone even remembers me! Anyway, it has been a little over a year since I got the tick bite and the rash. I actually never got any symptom of Lyme Disease, ever. The bite itched on and off for months, which was a bit strange, but to this day I feel fine. I am a very busy husband and dad dealing with my 7 year old daughter's dance classes, doing soccer coaching, softball umpiring, working out at the gym, and of course working full time, and so it appears my health is intact. So I guess I will never know if that initial rash was Lyme and the antibiotic they gave me prevented an infection, or that it was some other type of reaction. I guess you can call me lucky--and thankful. I have learned a lesson, though. I am scared of ticks now and I wear DEET every time I go hiking in the woods! Thanks to everyone for all your sincere concerns. Good luck to everyone!
Posts: 18 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
You must get rid of all vegetable cooking oils cook only with olive, coconut, natural animal fats, this will boost your immune system.
Forget all the nonsence about low fat diets. The immune system is fueled by natural fats. Coconut oil is the best. Get it from the web. Google " Dr. Mary Enig" and begin to understand how the immune system works. Doctors don't have a clue.
Stay away from all diet drinks with manmade sweetners. That stuff is poison... Regular sodas has manmade corn syrup and is not good either.
Medications only assist the immune system they cannot replace it.... Get rid of all pets. They can carry it... You don't want a reinfection from them...
Take the advice from those above. They know more than 90% of the docs (ducks) outthere...
Remember Lyme can be passed to others from you. Be careful.... Read up on the Herx reaction so you will be ready for it....
Good Luck
From a long term caregiver for a Lyme infected wife. I wish I knew then, what I know now...
Tj
Posts: 192 | From Phoenix, AZ | Registered: Apr 2005
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Pinster--
Wow how is that for a crazy coencidence-- Maybe ESP or Mind Meld --lol
Fill us in more on what happened--
Did you end up taking the meds-- if so -what- How much and how long--
My sister in PA got bit a started doxi -400mg a day- for 5 weeks--
She started meds about a week after infection --
(She had lyme For Sure -tho)
Now about 2 yrs later she still feels good - AAAhhhh
It dose seem that many if not most folks who treat Earily can kill off these infections-- AAhhhh-- Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
Jay/Groovy2:
It wasn't a mind meld. I sent him a PM asking him how he was doing.
Pinster: I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling okay.
If you should ever develop strange symptoms, please check in again.
Wishing you the best, Carol
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Carol OK- It must be you and I with Mind Meld--LOL --Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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HEATHERKISS
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Member # 6789
posted
I took me 7 years to get really "sick".
Posts: 1974 | From ABERDEEN, NJ 07747 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Hello, If you read up on Doxy you will find that it has to reach a high enough blood leval to kill the spiroketts. 100 MG twice a day is also what they give teenagers for acne.
Even the Center for Disease control recomends much longer than 10 days.That never treats anything I have read.
My sister is a PA and her medical book says 3 weeks she gave me seven.And doxy is not the first choice antibiotic by any means.I am just allergic to the other two.
Ask your doctor how many tic bourne diseases there are.Think she knows the answer and how to treat them? Scientist think around 100 and know of 22.They do not know how to treat some of them.
A lot of people on this board have been infected by more than one disease.Very hard to treat.... better go to your library or type in lyme on any searh engine.....Better safe than sorry,,,
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