Aa
Testing for Lyme and coinfections, including brain scans, needs to be ordered and interpreted in view of your symptoms and history. If you MD is openminded, s/he might be able to read up and follow the 'Diagnostic Hints and Treatment Guidelines' by Joseph Burrascano MD posted at ILADS [dot] org under the tab 'about Lyme.'
Overall, I would try to start with a doc who is already familiar with Lyme, but if that's not available to you, then an openminded doc who is willing to study up might do just fine.
Best wishes --
Overall, I would try to start with a doc who is already familiar with Lyme, but if that's not available to you, then an openminded doc who is willing to study up might do just fine.
Best wishes --
No I don't think they tested me for other illnesses like lyme. My doc is kinda different, he thinks of lupus something like a parasite or bacterial infection. I was already diagnosed with lupus about 7 years ago by another doctor. I just had a mri done that showed some kind of T2 change or white contrast or something so I don't know what that could mean now.
The blood tests for Lyme are not very accurate, so yes, it is (from what I read) quite possible to have normal blood work and still be infected. Part of the reason for that is that after a while, your immune system gets tired of making antibodies to the bacteria and just stops. However, the blood tests look for not the bacteria, but the antibodies. So if it's been a while since you got infected, you might not have a response on the tests, on top of the tests not being very good anyway. Diagnosis has to be based on history and symptoms, not just blood tests.
About symptoms getting worse on abx: in Lyme, it's called 'die-off'. It means the abx are killing the bacteria, which are releasing bad stuff into your system and causing a reaction. That may be why you get more symptoms when you up the abx.
Were you tested for other diseases that the Lyme ticks carry in addition to Lyme? These diseases are just as bad as Lyme and usually need different meds from Lyme. Each test is specialized to the disease, so there's not one-test-finds-all-diseases. Which co-infection(s) to test for is based on your history and symptoms usually.
If your doc treats you with a few weeks of abx and tells you you're cured, you might want to find a Lyme doc for testing. Non-Lyme docs think a short course of abx does the trick, but Lyme bacteria have a very slow reproductive cycle and it takes longer treatment time to kill them, because the abx do their work while the bacteria are reproducing and are therefore vulnerable. Some other diseases have that same slow-repro characteristic, like tuberculosis ... so it's not impossible, but nonLyme docs don't usually buy that idea.
Is your current doc the one who thinks you have lupus?
About symptoms getting worse on abx: in Lyme, it's called 'die-off'. It means the abx are killing the bacteria, which are releasing bad stuff into your system and causing a reaction. That may be why you get more symptoms when you up the abx.
Were you tested for other diseases that the Lyme ticks carry in addition to Lyme? These diseases are just as bad as Lyme and usually need different meds from Lyme. Each test is specialized to the disease, so there's not one-test-finds-all-diseases. Which co-infection(s) to test for is based on your history and symptoms usually.
If your doc treats you with a few weeks of abx and tells you you're cured, you might want to find a Lyme doc for testing. Non-Lyme docs think a short course of abx does the trick, but Lyme bacteria have a very slow reproductive cycle and it takes longer treatment time to kill them, because the abx do their work while the bacteria are reproducing and are therefore vulnerable. Some other diseases have that same slow-repro characteristic, like tuberculosis ... so it's not impossible, but nonLyme docs don't usually buy that idea.
Is your current doc the one who thinks you have lupus?
Is it possible if you have a bacterial infection like lyme that is doesn't show up on blood work? Like the white blood cell count is normal? I am seeing one now. I am taking doxycycline at a low dose 50mg a day, he tried to bump me up to 100 cuse I wasn't getting any better, but my syptoms were enhanced.
Have you consulted a Lyme specialists? Many MDs do not know much at all about Lyme disease, and so they confuse symptoms of Lyme with symptoms of other diseases.
There is a big split in the medical community about how easy/hard it is to get Lyme and how to treat it. There is also a theory some MDs still hold that after treatment with a short course of antibiotics, the Lyme infection is cured and any symptoms remaining are an auto-immune reaction to a infection that is no longer there. No consideration is given to the idea that the infection was not fully treated and is still there.
This confusion makes it too easy for unaware MDs to jump to the conclusion that an inadequately treated Lyme infection is really 'only' lupus, although the two diseases are not related.
I would suggest you find a Lyme specialist for a second opinion. Is it possible to have Lyme and lupus at the same time? Yes, but before coming to that conclusion, I would be sure that it really is Lyme.
Treatments for autoimmune disease like lupus focusses on suppressing the immune system, which is exactly the opposite of treatment for Lyme, which is a bacterial infection and needs your immune system awake and active. Treating a Lyme patient with lupus medication could very well make the patient worse.
There is a big split in the medical community about how easy/hard it is to get Lyme and how to treat it. There is also a theory some MDs still hold that after treatment with a short course of antibiotics, the Lyme infection is cured and any symptoms remaining are an auto-immune reaction to a infection that is no longer there. No consideration is given to the idea that the infection was not fully treated and is still there.
This confusion makes it too easy for unaware MDs to jump to the conclusion that an inadequately treated Lyme infection is really 'only' lupus, although the two diseases are not related.
I would suggest you find a Lyme specialist for a second opinion. Is it possible to have Lyme and lupus at the same time? Yes, but before coming to that conclusion, I would be sure that it really is Lyme.
Treatments for autoimmune disease like lupus focusses on suppressing the immune system, which is exactly the opposite of treatment for Lyme, which is a bacterial infection and needs your immune system awake and active. Treating a Lyme patient with lupus medication could very well make the patient worse.
Yes I match sooooo many of the symptoms of lyme, but I also have lupus. But the docs don't know what's going on now..... for the last 3 months. Treating it for lupus actually made it worse whatever it is
Lyme disease can cause about 100 different symptoms. Not all people with vertigo have Lyme, and not all people with Lyme experience vertigo. But vertigo can be caused by Lyme. I don't think that Lyme is the most common cause of vertigo, so unless you have other symptoms of Lyme disease I wouldn't associate vertigo with Lyme. I'm not medically trained, so you should certainly consult a physician to get a better idea about the origin of your vertigo.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Lyme Disease Community
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Can HIV be transmitted through this sexual activity? Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia answers this commonly-asked question.
A breakthrough study discovers how to reduce risk of HIV transmission by 95 percent.
Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia provides insight to the most commonly asked question about the transfer of HIV between partners.
Before your drop a dime at the pharmacy, find out if these popular cold and flu home remedies are a wonder or a waste
Fend off colds and the flu with these disease-fighting foods
