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Posted 11/1/2016 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
It's been a long time since I've posted. I was thinking about seeing Dr. J. in DC. I've heard he is pretty darn aggressive in his treatment and only treats with antibiotics, both oral and sometimes IV. Has anyone been to Dr. J, if so, what has been your experience? Have you gotten fully better, what was the average cost of treatment and how long did you see him for? I'd be interested in any and all details of your experiences with him since I am considering seeing him and he seems really expensive.

Thanks!
Dave
Posted 11/1/2016 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't seen him...but if I were to travel to the U.S. that's who I'd see.

i like what I read about him...his research, etc.


He is aggressive - as in 3 or more abx at once..BUT - it's not everyday...so that lessens the 'harshness' on the body...(He may do daily 'loading' in the beginning of treatment to get the bacteria load down...not sure)


Please update us if and when you do see him....
Posted 11/1/2016 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there Dave. Good to hear from you. Hopefully others will be along who have seen him.
Posted 11/1/2016 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Dave I think hitting the bugs hard (if your system can handle it) seems to be the way to go. My first LLMD who I ended up leaving in retrospect I think had the right idea. When I was first diagnosed with Lyme and Babesia (didn't know I had Bart at the time) he prescribed 2 Cefdinir, 2 Artimisiae 2x/day and 1 Zithro. When I first went after Bart he prescribed 2 Rifampin and 1 Cipro 2x/day which is overkill for Bart. It put me in the ER but looking back I didn't need that trip just wasn't sure what was going on.

Shock and awe seems to be a method that has some success as long as you can take breaks and not overload your system.
Posted 11/2/2016 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't seen Dr. J, but I know people who have. He is expensive but worth it. His track record of success is very high. If you do IV and live outside of the DC area, he will require you to have a local practitioner who is on board with his treatments.

Here is a blog that I follow. She is a patient of Dr. J, who had a very serious onset of disease.

/willtherebecake.org/
Posted 11/2/2016 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
I have friends who see him. Expensive but talented and kind and very good. Most do pulsing of abx mon, wed, fri. First appt three hours. May try oral for three months before switcjing you to iv if necessary
Posted 11/2/2016 10:16 AM (GMT 0)
Yes and I would be happy to answer specific questions off line. My email is posted in my details. Appointments are initial, 6 weeks and then 3 months or so. We are now 4 months between appointments. The first appt is the most expensive. After the first several I believe you can switch to Skype calls - they see patients from around the US and world.

We have seen great progress throughout this year. It is a long process but has been worth it. It is a combo of primarily antibiotics combined with supplements/some herbs and we add herbs for detox too and just run anything we will use by them first.
Posted 11/2/2016 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have being seeing Dr. J for 1.5 years now. I second what everyone else has said so far. The initial appointment is the most expensive (like most LLMDs), and then each follow-up costs about 1/3 of the initial. Initial appointment is very thorough. They will also order a TON of blood work. I went off to Labcorp after my initial and had 12 vials of blood drawn...yikes. But they check everything in order to develop baselines and rule out other conditions, which is a good thing.

He has a team of 4 or 5 nurses who he has trained well. If you choose to have your appointments with one of his nurses (this is common as J has a long wait list compared with the nurses and the nurses are less expensive) they will still consult with J after the appointment on your condition and protocol....it is not like the nurses are not under the tutelage of J.

Treatment is aggressive. Don't be afraid of this, though. They are not hesitant to find ideal doses for each individual patient as not everyone can tolerate very aggressive treatments, at least initially.
They do of course have the option of IV if needed. I did not do IV, so I am not sure on cost, which meds, and duration.

If you want additional information and more specifics, contact me via email.
Posted 11/2/2016 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
Great to hear from everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and is progressing in their healing journey. I'm liking the posts I read, all seem to be quite positive and seem to be around the same kind of tune. He is expensive but what LLMD isn't. I am thinking of seeing him. Here is what my plan is, please let me know if you guys think it makes sense or not, I value all your opinions:

-Currently seeing a DO in Michigan who treats mainly with Rife, she has a great track record according to her (need to figure out what "success" means, because that term is loosely defined amongst practitioners)

-Seeing a functional medicine doctor who hasn't done much for me in the last 6 months, he is just too busy and has not been able to see me consistently so I am probably going to dump him

-Going to see a nutritionist who is an expert on methylation and gene mutation, she is around 650 but that covers the cost of the consult plus treatment

- I had a visit with a mold specialist- not sure how I feel about him, the first visit cost me over 800 bucks. I'm not sure if I need to see a mold doctor. For those who have seen an LLMD, like Dr. J, have they also treated you for mold? IF you do have mold toxicity, are you seeing a separate mold specialist like someone who is Shoemaker certified or are you doing your treatments through your LLMD; if so, any progress?

-My plan is to continue with the DO- see how I feel in the next 3-4 months, I want to give her at least 6 months, I think she may be onto something for me.
-Dump my functional medicine doctor since my DO can do everything she can. My only caveat is the DO needs to be able to prescribe Byron White formulas, which is what I am currently on.
-Probably dump my mold doctor
-Continue seeing nutritionist
-See in 3-4 months how I am doing with the Byron White Formulas. If by end of February I think I need aggressive antibiotics, I will make an appointment with Dr. J.

What do you all think? All opinions welcomed!
Posted 11/2/2016 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
Fronton when you say aggressive treatment what do you mean? One, two, three or four antibiotics at a time? Also herbs?
Posted 11/2/2016 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hopefully Fronton will reply but in the meantime I can say that treatment is multiple antibiotics but started 1 at a time (think a few at a time pulsed at the same time) that vary as you progress through treatment. Sometimes herbs are used but either to enhance or are recommended for detox. We have found them to be flexible with herbs but they will let you know if there are some they prefer you not do due to excessive herxing, not really seen them to work etc.

If anyone has an answer to the mold question, I'd love to hear it as I have someone with mold and Lyme issues interested in Dr. J as well.

Everyone has to pick their path so that's a tough one DaveNJ. Because our DS is so young and had late stage Lyme by the time he was diagnosed, we decided to start with the big guns to get the load down and it appears to be working. There are folks and kids here who have healed with herbs too. Go with your gut!
Posted 11/3/2016 6:49 AM (GMT 0)
It's 3 and sometimes 4 antibiotics a day but like someone else said its not everyday, it works out 10 days a month.
My current protocol I take approximately 30 tablets a day. Only 4 of these tablets are supplements. Your protocol tends to get switched up every 3-4 months with plenty of antibiotic holidays.
Dr J is an infectious disease specialist he definitely believes antibiotics are the way to remission he probably won't suit you if you want a more holistic approach but does include certain herbs. Especially in babesia protocol. He encourages protecting stomach, covers yeast and offers tips on herxing again this includes herbs. For me he's not encouraged too many supplements yet. I think supplements are tailored to his initial assessment and bloods.. I don't remember mold ever being mentioned personally. You should ring the help desk and ask?
He also will encourage pain and sleep pills. His stance his until the pain and sleep is under control you won't get better.
You will have to push your body quite a bit but because of his methods it's easier to push through because you are always only a stones throw from your next antibiotic break.
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