Best lyme doctors in the country? (willing to travel)

I was just diagnosed with lyme recently through a DNA Connexions test(Borrelia burgdorferi F7- NSA, and Bartonella henselae- NSA)

I live in TX and got recommended some antibiotics to treat it but wanted to potentially get a 2nd opinion.

I would love any recommendations for who the top lyme doctors are, as well as if there's any that could be seen relatively soon.

Thank you!

Hi Atxlyme!
Welcome to our community! I'm so glad you found us.

If ​you haven't ​yet​, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists, helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, information on probiotics and much more.​​ ​​And, here's another good place to find helpful detoxing rout​​ines: ​http://www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html​​

What makes a good LLMD for one person can be drastically different for someone else, so your request is not an easy one. Some need a doctor that will do more handholding, and some need a doctor that is more open to alternative treatments, some need a doctor that excels at diagnostics, and others need a doctor that knows more about yeast/fungal issues, or the more obscure infections that sometimes come along with these tick-borne infections. But I do agree that a personal recommendation is better than just picking a name from a list! Just in case you need to see that list though, here are some other options for you as well:

​ ​For information on finding a​n ILADS ​(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)​ trained​ Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.

​​ Y​​ou can 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​​

Y​​ou can email ​the​​ Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at​: [email protected]​

​​ ILADS has their own referral system as well:ilads.org/ilads_media/physician-referral/

And www.LymeDoc.org

You will want to find an ILADS trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) as well as many others, 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 healing journey: www.ilads.org/lyme/treatment-guideline.php

Great! Thank you.

Hi welcome to our forum. There are other members on here from Texas, hoping they will see your post and be able to provide some references of good llmd.

I have two names one in Denton and one in Wimberly if you would like to email me. I never went to them personally, but met others in Austin that have.( I live in Massachusetts, but visit Texas)

You should consider starting treatment ASAP don't give the bacteria any more time to spread/replicate.

If you are willing to travel to D.C one of the best is there and accepting patients.

Take care and wish you the best of healing. Sincerely, Jo

Welcome Textemale,
Glad you joined our group. Thanks for stepping up and letting atxlyme know about your experience with the doctor in Denton.
As you know we suggest new members read "new to Lyme" page at the top of topics.

Glad you have found an llmd and are on your way to healing. Take care and remember to post whenever and ask questions when ever you need to.

Take care, Jo

Hi Textemale!
Welcome to our community! I'm so glad you found us -and thank you for posting right away to help out another member!

As Goshawk said, if you haven't yet, please do read through our "New to Lyme" thread that sits at the top of our forum, as it's packed with helpful and important information.

jinna when did you get sick and how long were you treating?

I think Dr. J in Washington DC has a wait list for cancellations. But generally speaking, most of the well-known LLMDs are going to be scheduling several months out. Heck, when Dr. H was still taking new patients, his waiting list was 2 years.

If you are willing to spend the money to travel out of state and see these docs (who are not cheap) and pay airfare and hotel for each visit, I would look into going to a clinic. Have you considered that route?

Rikky

I got sick first in 2005 with an EM rash. It took me a few months to get to chronic condition. I think dr. Horowitz wrote a book recently about lyme having not 3 phases, but only 2.

Initial, then chronic. I got from EM rash = zero lyme symptom except for that aesthetic problem, to sofa-bound in less than 6 months.

It took me full 4 years, day and night, on electro therapies, homeopathy, Buhner herbs (many!), Cowden herbs, dr. K's products and loads of therapies (microcurrent with rife frequencies, elimination of amalgams, chelation, cavitation surgeries, neural therapies with injections, lymph drainage, MFT acupressure, Psychokinesiology, pulsed light on the eyes with homeopathics, bach flowers, Sanum products, Rizols, many bee products... you name the stuff, I took it!!), and I could finally reach remission at a certain time.

Then I relapsed. Or got bitten again. My daughter then got bitten, took immediately antibiotics, to no avail: she ended up in wheel chair, neuro lyme, arthritis, encephalitis, you also name the symptom, she got it.

Well, it took her about 3 years (but she reacted faster than I did) to get better. It took me 4 whole years with day and night treatments to get better. What finally closed our lyme story was photon therapy with nosodes.

But I think that, without chelation and teeth procedures, and of course, energy testing following dr. K's ART school, I think I wouldn't have healed. We're still being bitten, but lyme does not come anymore for the last 8 years. We live in Switzerland.

mm57553 said...
If you are willing to spend the money to travel out of state and see these docs (who are not cheap) and pay airfare and hotel for each visit, I would look into going to a clinic. Have you considered that route?

Very open. Looking for the best, but still getting a handle on who's who in the space.

Which clinics are recommended, and upside/downside of going to clinic vs. other options?

atxlyme said...

Girlie said...
Dr. J has trained Practitioners now - and some people have their first appt. with one of them...and then a follow-up with Dr.J.

jemsekspecialty.com

Have many members here used them? How was their experience?

I email with one member who is very happy with the clinic.

There's another forum member who has a son seeing him and also speaks highly of him.

I know a few others who have mixed feelings, and another who isn't pleased.

I wonder what a search on here would come up with.

I see dr j in D.C. It would be unusual to see him in a follow up. You see him for 5 min at initial consult. They have been rx me oral abc for nearly 4 years now. Initially I reacted well and thought I was in remission but relapsed last year. IMO they don't get outside the abc box much. They do incorporate cowden herbs and other detoxes and suggest gluten free diet. There are several issues with the clinic - slow response time, rude staff and takes a long time to get refills called in. They will stick with you but are not very creative if you don't trend up. I'm sure other places are like that. Right now I'm considering hyperthermia in Germany....