Hi Vcham!
Welcome to our community! I'm so glad you found us.
I hate to tell you, but the ID doc likely wont' be of any use unless you have confirmation that he/she has been trained by ILADS. Otherwise they will believe that Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat with short term abx.
The 200 mgs of Doxy that your hubby is now taking will keep the bacteria from replicating, but isn't strong enough to actually kill the bacteria - he will need to be on doses of 400 - 600 mgs a day to kill the bacteria.
His feeling worse at times is likely due to a herx (Jarrisch-Herxheimer reaction) that I common among most Lyme patients. It's a worsening of symptoms (and sometimes new symptoms develop) due to the large amount of toxins that are created when the bacteria die. Since he's on a relatively low dose right now, it's quite possible that he has a high bacterial load and although the doses are too low to "complete the job", they are high enough to create a herx during the beginning of treatments.
To help with his herxing, he needs to be doing some detoxing to help his body deal with the extra toxins in his system. We have some really great detox suggestions in our "New to Lyme? Start here!" Thread that sits at the top of the forum. It is also loaded with other important information like symptom lists (as Lyme is rarely the only infection passed), and even information on probiotics that your hubby will need to keep Candida (yeast) infections at bay while he is in treatment.
You can send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelop under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well. Please include your state and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will see how close I can get.
You can also email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at
[email protected] for LLMD referrals and you can go to http://tbdalliance.org/ to learn more about
these infections.
You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:
www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74 You can also now email TBDA (Tick Borne Disease Alliance) at
[email protected]
and ask for LLMD referrals also.
You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your Lyme journey.
www.ilads.org/lyme/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf The best part of this is that you and your hubby are NOT alone!! We are here to help you find the information you need to help him heal!! Keep asking questions!