Should I already be concerned w/ New "LLMD"???

I have my first appt with a lyme doc this coming Tuesday.  The post regarding what to ask your doctor was/is very helpful for me.  The problem is I first have to pay $500 and then I can ask questions regarding treatments, lyme, the doctors' education, etc. 

I just received an info packet in the mail 20 mins ago.  It has the doctor's consent form- no big deal.  The first bullet point states, "I understand there are two schools of thought with regard to the treatment of lyme disease, and Dr. _____ follows the guidelines set forth by the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS).  His treatment is based on sound scientific dara and evidence based medicine...".

This doc does not take insurance and first visit is $500 upfront. 

I am completely ignorant when it comes to lyme disease and treatment.  However, isn't that one of the biggest problems for sick lymes patients that some conventional doctors' follow only ILADS guidelines and do not treat their patients with the best choice of medication (if needed), but only what is suggested by 'Society' guidelines???  Or am I completely confusing ILADS with a different 'Society' like Infectious Disease??? 

Please help!  It took me awhile to scrape together $500 and if something shows suspicion, I just want to be aware.  Suggestions, advice, anything please??? 

I just saw 'Under Our Skin' last night also...  

The ILADS guidelines are the ones most people want their LLMD to follow. The IDSA guidelines are much more restrictive and tend to advocate only 4 weeks of oral treatment and then for a select number of patients, 4 weeks of IV. After that, I believe they suggest no treatment whatsoever for lingering or persistent symptoms.

So the LLMD following ILADS guidelines shouldn't be a warning sign. Have you talked to others who have used him/her? You might be able to google the doctor and see what comes up in order to look into his education and training.

As far as the cost, I think that's a standard amount for a first consultation with a LLMD that doesn't accept insurance. I've looked into several LLMD's in my area and most were about $1000 for an initial visit if they didn't take insurance. The Igenex testing can be costly as well. I think I paid about $740 for that. Some LLMD's do take insurance, so that might be something to look into further.