How do you know if one round of doxy will treat lyme

[Chatterbox58]

How do you know if one round of doxy takes care of the lyme bacteria? Will you always test positive once having the lyme?

[wonko]

I also should mention that another factor that can complicate successful treatment is whether or not the patient is co-infected.  Ticks carry more than just the bacteria that causes Lyme.  You can also contract babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, bartonella, and more from a tick bite.

Some of the co-infections do not respond to the same antibiotics that Lyme does.  So you can be cured of Lyme, but still sick with co-infections.

The co's can complicate the presentation too, since they can cause an even more broad array of symptoms and different rashes, too.

The general advice I'd give about contacted an LLMD depends on how much testing you've been through with conventional doctors.  Other conditions that are more easy to diagnose should be ruled out.  If you go through the wringer and all of your tests come out normal or non-specific, that may mean it is time to seek out an LLMD.

I don't recall a tick bite in my life, so I really don't know how long I've had it.  I know I started to experience symptoms and declining health starting in Spring 2007, during a very high-stress time in my life.  I saw many doctors and specialists in 2008 who could not explain my illness.  I was diagnosed with Lyme and bartonella by an LLMD in Dec. 08 and have been undergoing treatment since  then.

[Chatterbox58]

Wonko, thanks for the info....hmmmm, so very complicated.  I'll check the websites out.  I wish I knew if I should contact/find a LLMD.  My eosinophils are elevated and I believe it's from lyme.  I believe I am going to be one also that falls through the cracks.  How long have you had lyme?

[wonko]

This seemingly straight-forward question is actually really difficult to answer!

There are two main "camps" when it comes to Lyme:  IDSA (the Infectious Diseases Society of America) and ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society).  The former supports that all Lyme, regardless of how late it is diagnosed, can be cured by a single course of antibiotics.  The IDSA also has rigid guidelines on the diagnosis of Lyme.  The later supports clinical diagnosis (not relying on blood tests) and longer treatment.

Both societies have website that you can search and read more about.

Both are private organizations to my knowledge, but the CDC (Center for Disease Control), which is a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services, endorses the IDSA guidelines.  In other words, the IDSA point of view is the mainstream, and what you are most likely to encounter at your doctor's office.

Basically, there is so much squabbling over the definitions, testing, and treatments for Lyme disease that many patients (self included) fall through the cracks.  

One aspect that everyone seems to agree upon is that early detection and treatment is best.  So if you are treated soon after your exposure, you have a better chance of recovering with a single course of doxy.  

However, since the testing fails in many early stage cases, and many don't recall the bite that infected them (that's my case), early treatment is never an option for some.

Some good resources if you want to learn more are the book "Cure Unknown" by P. Weintraub and the film "Under Our Skin."  Both have informative web sites.