bart concerns

I have been seeing this doctor for the past month in half named Ruth Krizs who has been great.  She has been working with me on getting my levels back to normal such as my vitamin D, Iodine, thyroid exc. I have been too many doctors and she is the first doctor who has treated me without using synthetic drugs which to me is great.  My last blood test was to Fry Labs which of course since I’m writing this came out positive.  Ruth Kriz has explained to me that I have small traces of bartonella and that I have to take two drugs one called plaquenil to flush this parasite out in the open and another antibiotic to kill it. What gets me nervous is that she states that I will feel like crap. She explains that where ever this parasite is living is where I will have the problems such as flu systems, headaches, inflammation, and rash exc. Has anyone taken these drugs and actually been cured. Ruth has not been able to state how long it will take to cure me. She stated that some of her patients have been on these antibiotics for over six months now. I am not big on factory made drugs and to be on and antibiotic for that long scares me.Any feedback would be greatly appreciated in regards to the drugs I have to take and side effects that may occur and why this doctor states I can’t take these results to another doctor because they never heard of this bartonella.

Hi Girly,
Did you read the thread at the top titled "The Basics"? Some of your questions may be answered in that. Your doctor probably told you you would feel like crap because of the Herxheimer reaction, which happens when the bacteria die and release toxins into your bloodstream. Luckily, though, this only lasts for a couple days usually. If it lasts longer and you continue to feel awful on the antibiotics (especially if you have a rash or a fever), you should call your doc.
Yes, it's true that some patients are on drugs for many months (I was on them for two years!), but not everybody has to stay on them that long. It all depends on how you feel. If you're better after a few months, then you can probably stop the antibiotics; if you're still showing symptoms, then your doc will probably want you to continue.
There are also some natural approaches to treating bacteria (which I think you can also read about in that thread I mentioned). Some people have had great success with those, and some people have not found them helpful. It all depends on what you feel comfortable trying AND what works for you.
I hope this helps. Let us know if you still have questions! Usually this is a more active board - I'm thinking people were just out enjoying the weather this weekend or something like that. :)