Hi Szabo246 -
All good responses so far.
My hunch is that your LLMD is not really a very experienced LLMD. And there are quite a few of them out there - not to say that he is not a good MD... but any experienced LLMD knows that Lyme cannot be "eradicated", nor can a test suggest that it is here, or gone, or will be back tomorrow. The tests can't do that--they can barely tell you if the microbe is in your body.
An MD might want you to stop treating w/ abx early in order to "protect himself" if you know what I mean... or perhaps he thinks you're done treating - hard to tell. But I know what I would do - if you have more abx left in your prescript
ion and you are not experiencing significant side effects or problems with the abx - I would continue taking them until your prescript
ion runs out.
I think it's great that you've had someone willing to treat you for the past 7 wks - consider yourself fairly lucky that you've had tx and that you caught it early. Your chances of avoiding chronic problems are increased quite a bit.
No test is going to give you accurate info about
what is going on with the Lyme. All a test MIGHT do is confirm you have Lyme, although the erythema migrans (EM or bullseye) rash already did that.
Taking abx when an EM shows up helps prevent the growth or impact of the microbe invasion. But taking abx primarily to address an EM rash never made any sense to me - most people don't produce the rash so it's a poor indicator of what the spirochete is or isn't doing in the body other than a rash can initially suggest the spirochetes have entered the body and are moving through the flesh and the WBC are on the attack. But the ongoing rash for weeks or a return of a rash doesn't always mean anything logical and not treating until a rash shows up doesn't make any sense either.
In other words, a rash indicates infection has occurred and that that infection is likely Lyme, and it also might suggest the immune system is functioning pretty well, but other than that, EM doesn't provide any other info during or after successful or unsuccessful tx.
I might have had an initial EM when I was first bitten - I was so hill I was dilerious and don't remember if I did see something on my back or made it up. And then, nothing for 16+ yrs. Then I started treating w/ IV Rocephin and little EM rashes started popping up all over my body - they would come and then fade over a few months. I've had other rashes (5 categories in all, including EM) that also came and went - and one that never went away.
Anyway, treating a rash until it goes away doesn't make much sense. At some point the spirochete generally leaves the blood stream, drills into tissues, and doesn't return until it wants to reproduce. So I wouldn't worry about
the rash as any specific indicator. I have "stains" all the time from rashes and bruises. Most eventually fade.
So I'd continue on the abx - if the MD wants to retest and it doesn't cost YOU anything, fine. You also don't need to tell him you've continued the abx - just let him do his tests. Nor do you really need to go back to him if you don't want to and if you think you don't need any more abx.
But if you start developing ANY other Lyme & Co sx please get to a different LLMD immediately.
Also, I'd take this questionnaire to determine if you might have other coinfections - or at least keep it handy if other sx develop.
Jernigan's symptom list:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3673749&g=3673789#m3673789-p