Moderators Please

Hello to Girlie, Traveler, and Purrsiankitty.
I believe you are all? Anyway I am totally new here and I have been trolling around here for a little bit of time now. Still a bit in denial I think. Yet it is about to become real, I have my first LL Dr appointment on the 24th. The Dr is a infectious disease specialist. However in my area he is at the top of the list for Lyme Literate. (Does not give me much comfort)
I'm a very strong person and always at the mass half full, yet now I must say I'm a bit freaked out.
My test results from my DOM dr. Where as follows
23 reactive
41 reactive
66 reactive
I quickly became a half backed protocol consisting of my own discoveries, some with a naturopath.
Feeling okay in doing so.

Well I say all that to ask, first off if any of you be in faith say a prayer, please.
Next someone said there is a list of questions for Dr. I could not find them?
Also to ask if there is any other advice.

JeanBean -- It is on page 2 of the New to Lyme thread at the top of the list of threads..... I copy and pasted it here for you.

We started a thread titled "Questions to ask a LLMD's?" and the answers that members posted were so great and we even had a request that the questions be put in this thread for ease of finding it. I did my best to organize these questions in a way so that the conversation would flow a bit better, but remember, I'm still in treatment as well!! Giggle!

If there are any more suggestions for questions, please feel free to locate the original thread by using the search function here on this site and type in "questions to ask LLMD's?" and add to the list. Thank you!

So here are the questions that were posted:

1) How many patients have they treated successfully?

2) Do they believe in Chronic LD or all in your head thing?

3) Their position on co-infections, their importance, testing, and whether you should treat them before, during, or after treating Lyme.

4) What protocol do you use for each of the tick-borne infections?

5) How do you like to start off with new patients?

6) How long they treat with antibiotics? Do you use IV's? and when?

7) Do they think herxing is a good thing or not so good? Do they believe it's dangerous to have a bad herx?

8) What does he/she think about detoxing? What are your thoughts on supportive therapy?

9) How long are you willing to try to treat a patient when nothing is working?

10) How do they ascertain when they believe treatment has been successful and can be stopped? How do they go about that transition?

11) What do they recommend you do if you need to get a hold of them because of a concern? How do you feel about playing phone tag? Can I use email to reach you?

12) Well, I would ask the doctor if he/she attends the lyme conferences - as there is always new information presented.

13) What would be helpful/expected in our relationship so that their license stays protected while also protecting my health? (Like, should you go to them first with issues? What should the Primary Doctor be told, etc.)

14) Why have they chosen to be an LLMD, despite the risk of loosing their license? (The member who submitted this question doctor had a friend who died of it.)

15) Are there any local community groups/forums they attend or recommend that their patients attend?

16) One big suggestion for those visiting their LLMD is to have the LLMD write down on paper any orders, additional supplements (dosage) and advice. When the member who submitted this suggestion first saw the LLMD they said their memory was poor and brain was not retaining much. Most of their Doc's verbal advice they did not retain unless they wrote it down. Otherwise when they got home they had forgotten what the doc told them to do. This is actually quite common. There is a lot of info the first few visits - you'll notice that the docs almost always take notes! A better option - if you can remember -is to take a voice recording device!

**This is not a comprehensive list! Please think of any more questions you may want to ask your doctor that pertains to you/your situation.

Girlie I typed lyme literate doctors in Victorville CA a list of five came up and the ID came up at the top of the list. My Dr referred him, after I checked for myself.
So I'm Hopi g it is a good choice.

Girlie said...
Hi Jean

Your test results show you are positive - in fact I believe Igenex considers bands 23 and 41 positive as CDC Positive.

Was it someone in a Lyme group that said he was a good Dr for Lyme?

An ID Dr won't be qualified unless he is also Lyme Literate.

The list of questions is in the New to Lyme?..Start Here! thread.
Take a look and pick the ones you'd like to ask him.

JeanBean you are welcome.

Oh gosh I have been to the Nascar race down by you in Fontana! I live way up by Truckee, CA.

Ask your doctor if he is an ILADS member.

ILADS Member: ILADS is a nonprofit, international, multidisciplinary medical society, dedicated to the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of Lyme and its associated diseases. ILADS promotes understanding of Lyme and its associated diseases through research and education and strongly supports physicians and other health care professionals dedicated to advancing the standard of care for Lyme and its associated diseases.