Posted 6/15/2017 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hello. I'm new here and would appreciate recommendations for great LLMDs in the Washington DC area. I live in Fairfax, VA.
Here's a brief health history:
Female, age 32, active and healthy aside from things listed below
2003 through early February 2017 - Took omeprazole every 2-3 days for heartburn.
2011-2013 - Lived in Mumbai, India
February 2017 to Present - Take digestive enzymes for heartburn instead of omeprazole (trying to get healthier and I completely stopped omeprazole)
Jan/Feb 2017 - Drenching night sweats only once per week, still ongoing but not as frequent
Early April 2017 - Developed symptoms of hunger for air/shortness of breath that are still ongoing
May/June 2017 - Developed symptoms of numbness and some tingling in arms and hands, still ongoing
May 2017 - Had doctor do blood work for a bunch of stuff (partially out of just curiosity and also due to symptoms that recently developed). Below are some lab results, but basically I have H Pylori, gluten sensitive, 3 bands positive for Lyme, low vitamin D, mild peanut allergy:
Lyme IgG by WB P58 Ab ABNORMAL, P41 ABNORMAL, P39 ABNORMAL
Lyme IgM WB - Negative
Bartonella Antibody Panel - Negative
Ehrlichia Ab Panel - Negative
Babesia microti Antibody Panel - Negative
H Pylori IgG Abs 4.2 U/ml - HIGH
H Pylori IgA Abs 28.9 - HIGH
Gluten sensitivity Antigliadin IgG (native) 30 - HIGH (non-celiac gluten sensitivity)
F013 - IgE Peanut 0.18 Abnormal (slight peanut allergy)
Vitamin B12 405 pg/mL (normal)
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy 31 ng/mL (low)
May 2017 - Treated H Pylori with 10 days of Tetracycline, Metronidazole, Omeprazole, and Pepto Bismol
Note: Hunger for air symptoms dramatically improved while on these meds. Numbness in arms/hands got a little worse.
June 8, 2017 - Blood drawn for additional Lyme testing. Informed doctor that air hunger reduced and numbness increased while on H Pylori meds (which can also treat Lyme), and she thought they might have been attacking the Lyme. She really thought I have Lyme at this point.
June 15, 2017 - Lab results for second round of Lyme testing came back negative, and doctor will send me list of specialists for lungs and neurologists for numbness.
June 20, 2017 - Will undergo breath test to see if H Pylori is gone; Will ask doctor if I can go on Doxycycline for 30 days to see if it helps symptoms (hunger for air, numbness, few night sweats) rather than pursuing lung and neuro specialists right now.
I know many Lyme tests can give false negatives, so I don't want to drop the whole Lyme thing just yet even though the doctor's office says it's negative and I should pursue lung and neurology specialists for my breathing problems and numbness. I lived in India around 5 years ago which had tons of pollution, but I've had chest xrays since then (standard practice for my government medical clearance), and they've been fine. Perhaps I got H Pylori while living in India.
I'm wondering if there's a link between Lyme and H Pylori and gluten sensitivity?
Do my symptoms also possibly point to Babesia?
Do you think I should go ahead with Doxycycline treatment for 30 days to see if it helps?
Please let me know if you know of a great LLMD in the DC/Northern Virginia area. Thank you!