I need a little insight about how this process should have gone, as I have some serious reservations after my first visit. I'll ask my questions first so they don't get lost in the background info and description of the visit that will follow.
What I should have reasonably expected from an initial visit with a LLMD?
I expected to need probiotics, but does starting 17 new supplements simultaneously sound excessive?
If I have trouble with any of them how can I possibly begin to know which is causing an issue?
Do LLMDs typically sell their own supplements and if so, should I expect to pay a steep premium vs ordering them online or buying from a local store?
On to the actual visit...
I've been unwell for over a decade. I've been through around 30 doctors and had the usual conditions ruled out. I recently started looking into Lyme at the suggestion of a knowledgable friend who lives in the endemic area we spend our summers at.
My symptoms are 100% consistent with Lyme; I typically have 75-90% of the symptoms listed on any checklist involving every relevant system in my body. I have had high exposure in an endemic area and am fairly certain I remember the actual bullseye rash from many years ago, though it was assumed to be ringworm back then (it did not respond to antifungal treatment).
My western blot was negative, but had multiple positive bands including one fingerprint band as well as 4-5 IND bands on each test. I experience a substantial reaction to antibiotics that seems well within the range of a typical herx. I tested negative for co-infections, but show strong clinical signs of at least bart and babs.
I had my first visit with an LLMD today. I spent a total of two hours there, but felt like the process was unproductive. We spent most of the time going through my medical history establishing a timeline for which symptoms started in which year, but spent almost no time discussing my current condition. We spent almost no time discussing the actual symptoms other than to name them and date them. We spent almost no time discussing Lyme disease and co-infections were never brought up.
When I tried to push the discussion in that direction she found a sheet I had filled out with a Lyme checklist. There were maybe 20 symptoms listed, each of which I ranked from 1-10 for severity. She pulled out an old accounting calculator, added up the total and concluded that the number was very high, which meant there was a good chance of Lyme, which started the brief discussion we did have about it.
In the end I walked out with a scrip for doxy (400mg/day) and biaxin (1000mg/day). This was the only part that was close to what I expected. We also walked out with two full boxes of supplements: 17 different pills/powders. They were over $500 for a one month supply... after looking online it looks like every one of them is 25-40% higher than they go for typically.
She is extremely intelligent and incredibly knowledgable in other areas, but I'm worried that the treatment will not be specific to Lyme. It almost seemed like she planned on treating primarily with a combination of supplements, while incorporating as many additional homeopathic treatments as my wallet will handle (blood irradiation, IV vitamins, lasers, there were probably a dozen additional mentioned during the visit).
Post Edited (Spall) : 9/28/2011 12:35:06 AM (GMT-6)