Aa
Treatment
So I recently came across the knowledge I most likely have Lyme and have had it for many years. In elementary i remember picking a tick off in between my toes but didn't think anything of it, it was red and swollen for about two years, but I was young. Since then I now realize I had so many random undiagnosable issues that I've suffered with are all symptoms of Lyme. I just took some blood tests and am waiting on the results. I was wondering, because I'm now in college, what chance is there of having it for life or how long would it probably take to treat.
Yes, agreeing with everyone above, someone I know in her 3rd year of treatment found out yesterday that her blood test finally came back positive for the co-infection Babesia. Her LLMD, a well known doctor in the lyme field treated her based on her symptoms. If you do not get treatment with an LLMD , who uses a specialized lab called igeneX , there is a great risk of having false negatives, which many of us have experienced.
So, yes, if you stick it out you can get cured.
We are here for you should you have questions. We are not medically trained but can help based on our experiences.
Good luck!
So, yes, if you stick it out you can get cured.
We are here for you should you have questions. We are not medically trained but can help based on our experiences.
Good luck!
Good question. Many LLMDs are reluctant to declare a patient "cured" after treatment has made them well, as some patients end up back in the office months or even years later with a relapse. Lyme sometimes has a disturbing way of hiding out in immune protected areas and reemerging later. Some folks seem to spend years off and then back on antibiotics whenever symptoms return. Many others are cured after treatment and never have a relapse. We have one such resident treatment veteran here on this site. :)
Having it a long time does make it harder to cure. My doc said in a book on Lyme treatment that he has an easier time treating someone with just Lyme for 20 years than he does someone with Lyme + 2 coinfections for 5 years. Have you seen an LLMD? Have you been evaluated or tested for coinfections yet? (i.e. Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, and Chlamidia Pneumoniae). What lab is doing your Lyme testing? Are you aware of the likelihood of false negatives?
If you do have Lyme and are willing to stick with the treatment and not bail out before an experienced LLMD says you're done, and you're willing to take care of yourself to support your immune system (diet, supplements, healthy lifestyle), you have a good chance. My PA said they have too many patients who get tired of treatment and feel they're "good enough" and stop coming. Those are the ones most likely to come back later.
Keep us posted!
Having it a long time does make it harder to cure. My doc said in a book on Lyme treatment that he has an easier time treating someone with just Lyme for 20 years than he does someone with Lyme + 2 coinfections for 5 years. Have you seen an LLMD? Have you been evaluated or tested for coinfections yet? (i.e. Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, and Chlamidia Pneumoniae). What lab is doing your Lyme testing? Are you aware of the likelihood of false negatives?
If you do have Lyme and are willing to stick with the treatment and not bail out before an experienced LLMD says you're done, and you're willing to take care of yourself to support your immune system (diet, supplements, healthy lifestyle), you have a good chance. My PA said they have too many patients who get tired of treatment and feel they're "good enough" and stop coming. Those are the ones most likely to come back later.
Keep us posted!
Welcome to MedHelp --
In your situation, I would personally pursue treatment. Sooner is always better, but it's not uncommon for Lyme to go undetected for a long time.
The Lyme ticks also often carry other infections that need separate treatment, so having an MD who understands all this is important. When your test results are back, if you would like to post here the details of the test results, we would be glad to share with you what we have learned in our various journeys with Lyme and its co-infections.
The tests are not always reliable, so it takes a good doc to interpret the tests and your history and symptoms as a whole, and there is a split in the medical community about how difficult such a diagnosis is or is not, and how to treat it and for how long. We can get into all that when your tests are back, if you'd like to share them with us.
No one here is medically trained that I know of, so we can't give you medical advice, but are happy to share our own experiences with Lyme.
Lyme is a bit different in everyone, which confuses the MDs, and in addition there is a bit of controversy over the best way to diagnose and treat Lyme, and we'll be glad to share our experiences if it's helpful to you.
A suggestion: get copies of ALL the tests your docs run, in detail, not just summary sheets. All these details are important, because different docs interpret them in different ways. I understand that you are entitled by law to have copies of all your tests, and if you don't get them at the followup appointment, it's difficult to know later if a request is honored fully -- I've had the desk people hand me only the top sheet and figure that's enough, but with Lyme, details are very important.
We'll look to hear back from you! Take care --
In your situation, I would personally pursue treatment. Sooner is always better, but it's not uncommon for Lyme to go undetected for a long time.
The Lyme ticks also often carry other infections that need separate treatment, so having an MD who understands all this is important. When your test results are back, if you would like to post here the details of the test results, we would be glad to share with you what we have learned in our various journeys with Lyme and its co-infections.
The tests are not always reliable, so it takes a good doc to interpret the tests and your history and symptoms as a whole, and there is a split in the medical community about how difficult such a diagnosis is or is not, and how to treat it and for how long. We can get into all that when your tests are back, if you'd like to share them with us.
No one here is medically trained that I know of, so we can't give you medical advice, but are happy to share our own experiences with Lyme.
Lyme is a bit different in everyone, which confuses the MDs, and in addition there is a bit of controversy over the best way to diagnose and treat Lyme, and we'll be glad to share our experiences if it's helpful to you.
A suggestion: get copies of ALL the tests your docs run, in detail, not just summary sheets. All these details are important, because different docs interpret them in different ways. I understand that you are entitled by law to have copies of all your tests, and if you don't get them at the followup appointment, it's difficult to know later if a request is honored fully -- I've had the desk people hand me only the top sheet and figure that's enough, but with Lyme, details are very important.
We'll look to hear back from you! Take care --
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