Did your current Lyme-literate doctor say *why* she doesn't believe in antibiotics for long-term treatment?
Maybe she's treated a lot of patients with long-term antibiotics and found them to be unhelpful? Or, maybe she found them to cause more harm that good?
If that were my doctor, I'd want to know more about
their "beliefs" and whether they're
open other therapies (antibiotics, etc.) if the Cowden Protocol doesn't help you.
Perhaps I'm being too literal about
the word "believe" (
i.e. "My LLD does not believe in antibiotics for long term..."), but my opinion is that a doctor should be
open to doing whatever they can to help their patient recover, provided it's legal and not believed to cause more harm than good.
My initial thought was follow what 1yrinVA suggested and to look for another provider. But, I also understand you're limited by the availability of providers in your area. Plus, there would be additional cost with starting over with another provider.
So, you may wish to consider having a conversation with your current doctor and asking her if she has any flexibility in her approach. If she's inflexible, I'd try to find out her reasoning and see if it makes sense to you. From there, you would have more information from which to make a decision.
Ultimately, your goal is to recover. Your healthcare provider should share that goal. If they restrict therapies without good reason, then I see that as possibly limiting your chances of reaching your goal.
Otherwise...
If there's another provider in your area that seems like a good fit for you but is currently on a waiting list, you could see if they have a standby list. So, if a patient cancels, they could call you and see you sooner.
Before doing that, however, you'd want to do your best to ensure that provider is a good match for you, with regard to their philosophy, how they treat, their success rate, or whatever other metrics are important to you. I'm fully aware that most Lyme-literate doctors are expensive and usually do not accept insurance.
Some providers might be able to work with you remotely, though I don't have any particular suggestions to offer.
_
Post Edited (The Dude Abides) : 7/4/2023 6:06:55 PM (GMT-8)