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Posted 9/29/2014 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I am new to the forum and would appreciate advice. I had a bull's eye rashes in June of 2013, but did not see a tick. I am a foreigner and did not know about Lyme disease, although I live in an endemic area. The first doctor I saw for the rash said it was an insect bite. From the time of the bite until December, my only symptoms were low grade fever and fatigue. Really bad symptoms began in February, including severe joint and muscle pains, very stiff neck, numbness, tingling, and night sweats. I went back to my physician in March, and got referrals to an allergologist and a rheumatologist, who ran tests and did not find anything. I mentioned the bites to my doctor, and she ordered tests including Lyme. I saw the picture of the bull's eye rash on the interned and figured out that is what I have. I begged my physician to prescribe doxycycline, and took it for 4 weeks. It relieved the night sweats, but not the other symptoms.

Then I saw an infectious disease doctor who ran tests on lyme and confections. All were negative. Meanwhile, my symptoms got worse. I had lightheadedness, fatigue, twitching, insomnia. Around that time, my endocrinologist told me to quit taking my levothyroxine for hypothyroid. Now, 3 months later, I have started taking it again, and it helped my light-headedness.

I found a LLMD doctor and had several tests at IGenex. The Complete Lyme Panel results showed: IFA - Equivocal; IGM - Positive; IGG - Negative; Multiplex PCR - Negative. My LLMD ran an expensive blood smear in his lab and found babesia, although the test for Babesia Duncani from IGenex was negative.

I am confused about the babesia results, as I no longer have night sweats and fever, which are main symptoms of babesia. I have several tiny red dots on my torso. Could they be symptoms of babesia, or the result of taking herbs that are blood thinners?

I have been on the Buhner's protocol for a month and a half. I had to stop taking herbs because I had pelvic pain. My OB doctor said that a sonogram showed that my endometrial lining is thicker than normal for my age (post-menopausal). I wonder if some of the herbs could cause that?

My LLMD doctor prescribed doxyclicine, bactrim, Mepron, and Artemisinin to treat both Lyme and Babesia. My question is: If I do not have babesia, what is the impact of taking the medications unnecessarily?

I apologize for the very long post, and greatly appreciate any information you can provide.

Thank you very much,

Nadezda
Posted 9/29/2014 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Nadezda!
Welcome to our community!! I am so very sorry for all that you have gone through, but you've come to a good place to find support and learn more about what you can do.

It wasn't the herbs that increased your endometrial lining thickness - Lyme can cause Endometrosis in some women unfortunately, but some women recover once they recover from Lyme disease.

Unless a doctor has been specifically trained by ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) they really don't know much about Lyme at all. And since the Lyme bacteria goes throughout the entire body and can affect any part of it at any time - no matter what their specialty is, they would need to have that training in order to understand what it is doing to you.

I would suggest that you go back on Buhner's herbs as they are very good for dealing with these infections. But - talk to your LLMD about this. They need to know what's been found, just don't stop your Lyme treatments until your LLMD tells you to.

Yes, the red dots can be from Babesia - there are other symptoms that go with Babesia as well and you can find great symptoms lists (& a link for a very complete symptom chart) in the "New to Lyme? Start here!" thread that sits at the top of the forum.

I would greatly encourage you to take some time to read through that thread, as it has a lot of very important information in it including those symptoms lists, detoxing suggestions (as I would encourage you greatly to start detoxing too!!), helpful links and more. Many here refer back to that thread many times while they are healing.

What about your thyroid health? You said that that goofy ID doc told you to stop taking it. Have you been tested again to see if you still need thyroid meds? What about adrenal health? Have you had any adrenal tests?

It's not surprising that the ID doc told you that your tests were negative. They haven't had the training they need to even know what a positive Western Blot looks like - seriously. Although I do want to say that there are a few ID docs that have stepped up and gotten properly educated through ILADS.

Keep reading and learning, just be sure that you are reading from reliable sources so that you get the right information.
We are here to help you get through your treatments and learn all that you can about healing from these infections!!
Posted 9/29/2014 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Traveler,

Thank you very much for your quick response. My TSH level went up significantly, and T3 is lower than normal. I have resumed my thyroid medication. When I see my physician tomorrow, I will ask for adrenal tests.

Thank you,

Nadezda
Posted 9/29/2014 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Are you seeing a LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) that was trained by ILADS standards (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)? This is very important in order to have a doctor who understands how Lyme impacts the entire body.

For a better understanding of the tests for your thyroid and the function of the thyroid, I really liked this site: www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
Posted 9/30/2014 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Traveler,
I would appreciate it very much if you could provide me with the information about LLMD. I live in Maryland.

Thank you very much
Posted 9/30/2014 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
I would be happy to share that information with you, Nadezda - but aren't you seeing one now? You mentioned seeing one in your first post.

All of your doctors should be Lyme literate - although that is very hard to do, so you have to have a LLMD as a Primary care doc so that they can direct all of your medications. They understand how Lyme impacts the entire body and conditions that can sometimes come along with Lyme, like thyroid issues and others. Treating the Lyme disease can sometimes clear up thyroid or other issues though.

If you would like to change to another LLMD, or if for whatever reason need to see another LLMD, I'll be happy to share that information with you, but you need to send me an email. You don't have one listed - just click on my screen name or the blue envelope under my screen name to send me an email.

Please be sure to include the area you live in, so I can search for the closest one to you - we don't have many in this country yet. Also it would be helpful if you will let me know if you would be willing to travel into another state to see a LLMD. Some people are close enough to another state that it makes sense for them to travel there instead of going clear across the state they live in.
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