I just had my appointment with a LLMD this week (ILADS, recommended by co-worker of dh whose son had lyme -- and also by opusgirl so I was feeling pretty confident :) )
Went to the appointment earlier in the week. His determination was lyme as well as Bartonella co-infection.
He recommended beginning b12 injections at home. I am kind of nervous though -- over the b12 injections. He said I'd feel improvement with them, but shots make me nervous. His nurse said if we bring the b12 and syringes to the office, she'd show both myself and dh how to use them, so we'd know how to do it right. So that's a relief. I am just still.... well, nervous (did I mention shots make me nervous....)
He also gave a sheet with recommended herb/supplements....
*colloidal silver, 2 tsp. 2 times a day
*teasel, 1-5 drops 3 times a day (beginning with one drop the first week, working way up to the 5)
*probiotic, 50 million 2/day
*vitamin c, 100mg 2/day
*chlorophyll 2 tablespoons 2/day
diet:
no yeast, no sugar, no pasta, no white potatoes, no peanuts, no pizza
(note. these are all foods I have daily, in big amounts .... so i guess I've been fueling the bacteria I've been hoping to get rid of :( )
Antibiotics: zithromycin and minocycline
I think I've taken generic of zithro before, but the minocycline has me on edge because I had such a reaction to the doxy (insane pressure in my head on the 200mg/day dose, then when it increased, I got hives, itchy throat and mouth, itchy throat, rash, etc. and was told to stop). Soooo, mino being in the same family concerns me. Dr. said that since there was a reaction with the doxy, not to take the mino until I was in his office, so he could observe any reaction and be there if need be, so that was reassuring a bit.
the antibiotic plan ... start the zithro now if I choose to -- don't take the mino until I go back in 6 weeks and physically take it in his office. (it's 6 weeks, because then he'll have the igenex results)
begin diet, herbs/etc and b12 injections now.
go back in 2 weeks for blood work for the igenex test. (that way there's be at least 30 days between when I last had doxy, and having the blood drawn. he said that should be long enough of a wait. I know I read (here I am pretty sure) that 6-8 weeks is the wait time, but he said 30 days would be okay, and not affect the test that much if at all).
He too noted my thyroid is huge -- I told him of my upcoming test through family dr. and he said it was a good idea because it's seemingly too enlarged. He said that less than 20% of lyme patients have (forget the type) thyroid issues, so this could be a separate issue, or caused by lyme, he wasn't sure.
So that's where I'm at now.
would you take the zithro now ... or wait for the test results and take combined withe the minocycline?
have you taken b12 injections at home? is it dangerous (he said no, but then, I do worry...)
regarding diet -- is slow and steady change just as good as rapid change. because truthfully, I don't think I can stick to it if I have a huge overhaul immediately. He said yeast was the worst, so maybe cutting that out first, then easing in to cutting back sugar, etc?
Oh! and he did look over my previous tests, and also my pics of the bulls eye. He said in his opinion it's not a bulls eye "rash" even though it was concentric circles pink/red/flesh alternating. He said the "rash" is larger, this was small. What he did say though is that it was definitely (in his opinion) a tick bite. Does that have any bearing on treatment?? He didn't seem to think so, but I've been thinking about
that for awhile since the visit.
I hope I got my thoughts out less jumbled than they have been in my mind
-- I've been thinking in circles lately!