Llmd

[kelle619]

Hi. I have an appointment coming up soon with a llmd. But I would like some other names of llmd, just for backups. If you have any that you know of near me, I would greatly appreciate it. I live in the Philadelphia area. Thank you

[JackieCalifornia]

I would not be surprised if there is a quiet underground of Lyme docs in your part of Pennsylvania.  Some states have cracked down hard on ILADS-type docs, so they tend to be cautious about their names getting posted on sites like this.  

I just searched online for -- pennsylvania lyme disease -- and got a good list of online sites to review for leads.  Some of the information is fairly upfront about finding a Lyme doc in a particular part of PA, which is encouraging that people are willing to speak out.

Here's a leading clip from a PA newspaper article earlier this year:  

"Allegheny County reported four cases or fewer in 2013 and only 10 cases in 2012. For the past five years, Pennsylvania has reported the most Lyme disease cases nationwide."

Even if all the rest of the states are not giving out their true Lyme infection numbers, this is still quite a statement.  Sounds like a coming out party.
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Here's a leading sentence from another google clip:  "The Lyme Disease Association of Southeastern PA is an all volunteer support and information group supporting the Lyme disease community."
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And for comic relief from Our Federal Government At Work, here's another clip from google (there are lots of them), copied from the CDC [US government's Centers for Disease Control, which is known for it Lyme denial.  

Note that (below) even the clueless CDC includes Pennsylvania as one of the top Lyme locations last year.  

The biggest howler, however, is the statement that "this disease [Lyme] does not occur nationwide".  

Quote from CDC:
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"In 2014, 96% of confirmed Lyme disease cases were reported from 14 states:

    "Connecticut     Delaware              Maine    Maryland    Massachusetts
    Minnesota         New Hampshire    New Jersey    New York
    Pennsylvania    Rhode Island        Vermont         Virginia    Wisconsin

"Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States. In 2014, it was the fifth most common Nationally Notifiable disease. However this disease does not occur nationwide and is concentrated heavily in the northeast and upper Midwest."
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Note also the CDC's statement:  Lyme "does not occur nationwide" and is "concentrated heavily in the NE and upper Midwest."  Terribly outdated.  Ticks cannot read maps, and they go wherever they wish.

But anyway, setting aside the CDC's lack of understanding of the situation, Lyme really IS everywhere, and finding a good Lyme doc is doable, tho harder in some areas, esp where Lyme docs keep a verrrry low profile.  It's a hassle, but very very much worth doing.

[grdner]

There aren't many (surprisingly few for a large population center in the middle of a highly Lyme-infected area).  I went through ILADS plus my own research and found several psychiatric doctors listing themselves as llMDs helping with the mental side of dealing with chronic disease but only one medical in SE PA.  I will send you a private message.

[mojogal]

I just wrote ILADS.org to get names because I need a new LLMD. They are a good source.