Hi there,
I'm new to the forum and am feeling a little desperate right now with regards on where to go or what to do in terms of diagnosis and or treatment.
about
2 years ago I was bitten by a tick while on a camping trip. At the time I wasn't tick educated and it seems it was likely on me for a few days before I noticed the tiny bugger (believe it was a nymph). I didn't think anything of it at the time, but a few months after the bite I began showing odd symptoms.
My main symptoms are skin rashes that come and go quickly (like hives - often linear like - appears and last for anywhere from 10-120 minutes), random itchiness/irritated sensations, random pains, pains in my joints, tinnitus, difficulty sleeping, periodic chest pain, digestion issues, and eye floaters.
It appears I wasn't symptomatic until a few months after the bite.
I have been seeing a naturopath in the Ottawa area and have been following a strict diet for 9 months now. There has been marginal improvement, but I continue to have an increase in floaters, and continue to get rashes and random pains throughout my body (mostly joint area), as well as some other symptoms. Some days seem better than others, but it feels like I'm at a stalemate against whatever I am battling. I am better than I was 1 year ago, but the main symptoms still plaguing me affect two important senses so it's still pretty concerning.
I did an Igenex test last October for Lyme disease and my results for the western blot IgG came back 'Negative' with bands 39 I, 41 ++, 58 ++. The western blot IgM came back 'Negative' with only band 41 with an I. The naturopath stated that it could be classed as a mild positive but the results weren't overly strong. She suspects I have bartonella, babesia, and fungal overgrowth issues. Although I do have some lyme symptoms, bartonella ones appear to be more prominent.
I am feeling like I need to seek an alternative option/opinion - and perhaps pursue more testing and, if recommended, try antibiotics. The current treatment course I'm on doesn't seem to be helping me. My family doctor has not been helpful. He claims there isn't enough evidence to offer me any antibiotics and I'm aware that the standard duration (in Canada) likely wouldn't be enough for me. Multiple specialists I have seen (rheumatologist, ent, dermatologist, allergist) have provided little insight or solace.
I am in the Eastern Ontario region and am not sure what options I have in terms of getting looked at by a LLMD. I have heard of Dr. M M in New York State, but I am not sure if there are other options out there I should look into. It's pretty tough to be taken seriously in Canada and I'm hoping to find out more about
some of my options or who I should contact. Is there anyone in Canada that could help me out? Preferably in Ontario. If not, what would be my best options in other Canadian
locations or in the United States?
Appreciate any insight and help - feeling quite helpless and uncertain at the moment.
Post Edited By Moderator (Girlie) : 7/12/2018 8:57:04 PM (GMT-6)