Early Diognosis anyone?

Hello all -

I have been lurking for over a month now and have appreciated the wealth of information this site has given me, I am sure I would have gone insane without it!

I found the tick embedded and a week later exhibited classic symptoms and the bulls eye rash. Tested positive after second blood test, finished 4 weeks of Doxy and after 8 days am back to square one. Seeing my PC Dr. today for follow up.

Has anyone here had an early diagnosis and if yes I would love to hear your story as to treatments and prognosis. My Drs attitude is if this is caught this early I should be cured after one treatment. Today may be her last day as my PC if this attitude continues.

Thanks again for the great information and advice.

Hi Bumble Sunshine ~

Thanks for the reply! I have much the same in symptoms as you, although one symptom that is worse in the morning is the soles of my feet are very sore and I have a constant low grade headache. What bothers me the most is the fatigue. I feel like sleeping all the time and can't.
What I do not understand is the fact that we know our own bodies, we do not want this disease and frankly if my Dr has no ideas for relief I will ask for a referal to a LLMD in my area.

Have you found an LLMD?

I remember when I suspected my son could have lyme after breaking out in a rash and having painful knees at the same time. I was already battling lyme for about a year, having gone undiagnosed for 3 years. My son's peditrician said to me well he's been treated within the past few months with an antibiotics so any bacteria he had would have been killed by that medication. This the doctor I trusted my kids with! This is how little is known about this disease. Now having been on antibiotics for two years and feeling better and better each day, I am so profoundly adamant about doctors learning the existence of not only chronic lyme but the nature and extent and seriousness of the disease altogether. It will take many of us suffers to someday get the word out there. Get to an LLMD and spare yourself the delay. Unless you have an openminded dr. willing to learn and listen, an LLMD is the only one who will be able to get you well. Best to you.

Just to add to what everyone else has said, I was also diagnosed early on. Saw the tick bite and then 3 weeks later started having fever, fatigue, stiff neck, constant joint pain, muscle fatigue, and some minor memory problems. Started taking doxy 4 weeks after the bite. Did 7 weeks on doxy (200 mg/day) and still had all of the same symptoms. I had 3 different doctors (my GP, a sports med doc, and a rheumatologist) tell me at this point that I was cured of lyme. I listened, and over the next few weeks, I continued to get worse.

That was 5 months ago and I'm still struggling with lyme and co-infections. The good new is that I found an LLMD and a naturopath who specializes in lyme about 2 months ago and I'm finally starting to feel a little better.

If you're still having symptoms, don't let any doctor tell you you're fine. Get to an LLMD. Good luck!

If there were suspicions you had cancer would you go to your GP to be diagnosed and treated?!!!

I cannot emphasize enough, go to a Lyme Literate Doctor and get treated as soon as possible, before it turns into Stage Two Lyme Disease and you find yourself posting for help on Lyme Forums for years to come.

Those who know me, know that I'm not usually this blunt. There's been several Lyme Disease deaths this past week...I'm compelled to "shout it from the rooftop".