My question is this: since what I'm reading about the disease tells me the bug runs in 4 week cycles, wouldn't it be prudent to stay on antibiotics for an additional 2 weeks longer (6 weeks total) to make sure and hopefully avoid a long term dibilitating illness? Since I'm operating without insurance, I could find another random doctor and ask for two weeks more of antibiotics...just kind of skipping some of the information. This doesn't feel right, but it's hard to get people to take you seriously and I'd rather not suffer the consequences of their ignorance. I always have difficulty fighting with doctors over things they seem so ready to dismiss: the head and muscle aches, rash, etc. I'm also concerned about my son, who seems tired, has had several unexplained fevers (102...although there is a fever going around his preschool).

My second question is compliance with the medication. It took me a while to get the second set of antibiotics which meant that I had skipped most of the day and I've been late on a couple of the doses as a busy mom. I'm trying to be very alert to this, but I'm concerned that this will affect the medicine's effecicy. I guess I'm just a little worried, given the consequences should this become chronic.

Also: I'm breastfeeding an infant. I've heard that this is okay with both the antibiotics and lyme...but it's still worrisome.

Thoughts?

You no doubt know by now you are much smarter than the doctors you have seen.

Please try to find an LLMD as soon as you can. The fact that you are nursing concerns me. You might want to get some input on that matter pronto.

Back to your main question. Yes, 6 weeks would be better than 4 weeks. Some docs are now going with 8 weeks for early catches. What strikes me is that you don't know what you have got in addition to lyme. Ticks frequently have other germs too, like ehrlichia, babesia, bartonella and others. Amoxicillin won't touch any of those others. Doxy is the usual choice for a new case because it will hit both ehrlichia and lyme. I presume amoxi was prescribed because of the breastfeeding situation.

My daughter was presrcibed 2000mg amoxicillin per day (she's 10 and weighed about 70 lbs.) so I would think your dose should be a little higher. YOu could take Burrascano's guidelines in with you to a doctor.

I don't think missing a dose or being late will have any lasting effects. In fact, some people "pulse" antibiotics anyway .

I stopped breastfeeding my son earlier than I would have liked because we both tested high for toxic metals and other substances and my doctor suggested I stop for this reason. This was before I found out that I had Lyme (which I certainly had while I was pregnant and passed on to my son.)

Go to support groups at the left, find one close to you and contact them for a doctor referral

How old is your baby? Lyme may be passed thru breastmilk, jury is out on that, amoxicillin is often prescribed to pregnant women with Lyme, usually at much higher doses

guidelines here may be useful- www.ilads.com

6 weeks is often recommended as a minimum treatment

Babesia (cousin of malaria) can cause high fevers-are there also chills/headache/nausea present?

another good site www.canlyme.com

EM is diagnostic for Lyme

There is a search option on this site.
Look back into the past of posters-
Look and See there experances-
That is what I do.
Contenue to Take Charge--This is one
of the things Many people on this
site wished they had done sooner.
Good luck to you--Jay--

Ps - one more thought on large-long
doses of abx--
Take it now or take it Much- Much later.

Sorry about my spelling

Your situation has stayed with me since I last posted and I thought this might generate some more good information for you.

I would urge you to take the folks here up on their references to any links provided.

Now for my 2 cents! ..........Should you remain on the Amoxicillin the dose needs to be upped to at least 3grams a day (3000mgs) along with this you want to add Probenicid 500mg 3x's a day to be taken along with the Amoxicillin.

Sue, your a Mom with what sounds like terrific instincts! They are something not to be ignored !

Keep your chin up !
Bon

Yes, I'm determined to be aggressive about this and try to get it while the gettin's good...so to speak, and then keep my fingers crossed after that. I've tried to email the support group several times but have received no reply. Treepatrol(?) was kind enough to email me some suggestions for California LLMD but they are all very far away. There was one email addie and I will try that for maybe a referral. A neighbor has a friend who went into the hospital with second stage (I think...intravenous antibiotics) and said she'd try to get the name of the doctor but no luck there yet. I'm taking my pills.

As for the baby, yes it would be hard to stop breastfeeding right now but more importantly I find myself in a quandary. It's likely that if I had the infection for any time before the EM then my baby is infected because I didn't know and was nursing...if it passes through nursing and the jury's still out there...although frankly precaution, yes! If I did pass any bacterium along then I want to KEEP nursing in hopes that she gets some of the antibodies too, and a fitting dose of the amox. If not, then I worry about the effect long-term antibiotics will have on her (it can make kids deaf depending on what antibiotic is used) and am very tentative as to increasing or going to heavier stuff, and then if I stop breastfeeding I have to worry about fighting with doctors on two fronts -- my own and her potential. So it just feels very difficult and like I'm flying blind as to the most helpful route. Then there's my son's mysterious rounds of illness I need to fret about, although they seem communicable and therefore NOT lyme...unless the family all got infected at the same time and we're all just cycling through things. ARGH. And their dad just disbelieves that anything could possibly be wrong and thinks I'm being a hypocondriac for taking medicine that could prevent a bigger illness.

Umm...I think that's everything.
So my plan is to keep taking pills, keep breastfeeding, keep an eye on the kids and try to find an LLMD...and if I can't just skip over some history to get enough amoxicillin to go 6 weeks. I'll check out the pregnant mother's group, and some of the other links, and bring the lyme advice thing to whatever doctor I end up with. Thanks for your great advice and good wishes. If you have anything else to add, feel free to throw it into the mix. Can't hurt.

*Especially* if you know a LLMD in the Pasadena/LA area.

You and your children need a lyme literate doctor for the right treatment now.

You've gotten a lot of good advice and I hope we can help you find a lyme specialist near you. You may also want to contact the lyme support group in your area for this. Go to support groups on the left hand side of this webpage as already mentioned.

My llmd advises against stopping and starting antibiotics because it could lead to antibiotic resistance.

Sometimes it takes a while to get in to see a lyme specialist once you've found them. If this is the case, try to get in on a cancellation.

Good luck to you.

I'll also add, that I got in to see a doctor whose practice was closed by pulling his CV of the internet and showing it to other doctors in case they knew anyone he published with. It turned out that my psychiatrist had a very obscure connection to him and e-mailed him and got me in. My former boss also knew him.

Find out as much information as you can about the doctor via receptionist, internet etc. and then ask everyone you know if they know him or her. You might be surprised and have an appointment within one week (!) like I did.