Lyme medication and possibly finding a new LLMD

Hi everyone, I've been having a tough time lately maybe someone can help, it's kind of complicated...

My timeline:

Infected in 2005. Went one year undiagnosed, was tested, treated and recovered in 2006. I felt almost completely better after just four months. Alternated meds like Tetra, Zithromax, Mepron. Was seeing Dr P.

Went on with my life then was bitten and reinfected fall 2009. Was given Omnicef, recovered again in about 3-4 months. In the span of about two months, I had gotten Lyme, mono and swine flu. Recovered from everything. Saw Dr. G.

In late fall 2010, I again was infected. I was about six months pregnant. Went to Dr. G who assured me that baby would most likely be fine because I came in quickly since I recognized the signs. Put on Omnicef and Zithromax. Baby is in fact 100% healthy. I stopped my meds right before delivery because he was my third and I always get a bad yeast outbreak everywhere in my body when I have a baby. After the birth I stayed off abx hoping I was over it, stayed on Cat's Claw. about a month after the birth, I had a horrible relapse. I went back on the medication.

When I'm on the medication I'm fine. You would never know I'm a Lymie! And it seems to only respond to Omnicef. I dropped down to taking it once a day because it was so expensive. I noticed if I missed a day i'd get a flare.

Bitten again summer 2011. I didn't understand how I could keep letting this happen! I realize I simply can't go outside where I live. I was on Omnicef but the once a day wasn't enough to keep the new infection away, so I became sick. Went back to taking it twice a day for awhile.

Been medicating ever since, but Omnicef was still so expensive for me that I asked Dr. G for something else. He replaced it with Doxy. I tried that and something else...I can't remember if it's Zithro or Plaquenil he said to have with it...within a few days, I was incredibly sick again, so back on the Omnicef I went.

Brings me to now. I have really good insurance and Omnicef is completely covered now. I can take it twice a day again. I ran out on Sunday morning, took Doxy at night, then saw Lyme Dr on Mon. He said he thinks that I've been on meds long enough and in a few months he'd want to just have herbal treatments. I am scared and don't know if I am ready for that even in a few months. I got my Omnicef filled and took it Monday evening. I got a nasty flare just being without it just over a day. I feel horrible, flat on my back, can't take care of my children.

I also saw on the paper he only have me one month of Omnicef. He wants me to do this month plaquenil and Doxy, next month Omnicef and one of the others. No way I can do that! I called the office and I told them I'll feel horrible without it and the nurse tried to reassure me that it's just die off from the other medication, that my Lyme just got use to the other one. I didn't tell them I was still taking it.

Seriously, what am I supposed to do? Why does my Lyme only react from that one medicine? It wasn't like that the first time. I don't get it. It never seems to move past the early Lyme stages when I have a flare either. Just the horrible flu-like symptoms, then I take a bunch of meds and am fine till the next med slip-up. I cannot get rid of it this time!

If I am off of Omnicef and feel like death who is supposed to take care of the children. They are 1, 3 and 5 and very needy. I'm alone most of the time because my husband works and lives out of state all week. I'm panicking and crying a lot right now. It took me hours to get the little one dressed today.

Which brings me to the next...I'm supposed to move with husband soon. I was going to make the 2.5 trip every couple of months to see my Lyme Dr, but maybe I should see if there's one there. Anyone know of one in nh? my current llmd takes insurance and I really prefer that, I used to see one that didn't, I can't drop 300 on a doctor visit.

Also, I'm trying to figure out what else I can do. I do detox baths, drinking green tea, trying to modify my diet, I didn't eat horrible but I did eat some sweets and white flour. I am trying to figure out which supplements to get, I really would like not too expensive or hard to find. Can anyone shed some light?

Sorry so long!

Hi there Hol! I'm a mom as well...a single mom at that. This disease is wicked! See if you can find an integrative doctor, or an herbalist/practioner. I'm going to an herbalist next week that is also a specialist. I have an integrative doctor as well and she has greatly assisted with supplements to keep my energy and immune system up.

I'm on Biaxin (week 2). It tackles Lyme, Babs and effects Bart. My next move is when I meet with the herbalist to get something that is a cyst buster and attacks parasites. My body can't do too many abx.

Detox big time. Colonics, infrared sauna...whatever it takes.

I know its hard. I got my son dressed and off to the sitter and I'm experiencing poor gait/balance. Sigh.

What part of the country are you located? Praying for you!

Looking for LLMD in the Oklahoma Area

When will you be moving? Do you think it would be beneficial to try to wait things out until you have an appointment set up with your new LLMD then you can kind of have a clean slate and tell him/her what's been going on and why you feel like you should stay on Omnicef?

I think that probably the best compromise would be to keep Omnicef and add to it. If it were me, I would add a cyst buster and perhaps a macrolide and that's if you have pure Lyme and no co-infections. I take Plaquenil. I took that first for a long time before a cyst-buster. My LLMD felt like it does work for cysts. We thought it would knock the load down before I started Flagyl.

Flagyl was fine for me in small doses during the day, but when I switched to taking it all in one big dose, it has been very tough for me. Tindamax has a reputation for being easier for patients to handle. Grapefruit seed extract is also very effective and so are Banderol and Samento. The latter can be used on all 3 forms of Lyme with success.

I am also nervous about switching to purely herbal treatment. However, some people do find that it's helpful. I was very skeptical and then tried artemisinin a few weeks ago for Babesia. That herb created a much stronger herx than any of the medications I had previously taken (for Babesia).

I also think that it comes to a point where you have to decide what you're comfortable with. If you are comfortable maintaining at your current level than long-term omnicef may be what you need. If you are still trying to get significant improvement, you may need to ramp up the treatment to something that addresses all three forms. The downside of that is that a lot of times you will herx and feel worse when the treatment is stronger.