Autoimmune or Lyme Limbo

[Michele]

I just found out a colleague was bitten by a tick 3 weeks ago. Amazingly, an astute ER doc ruled out her having stroke symptoms and tested her for lyme. She was evidently CDC positive. He called her at home when the test results came back a few days later and told her to see her local doctor immediately, that she had lyme disease.

She was also referred to a neurologist. Do neurologists recognize lyme disease? I've wondered that because when I was in the RA/Lyme limbo-land the top doc at a research institution told me he didn't know why I was in so much pain and when I begged for his opinion on who could helped me he shrugged and said, “maybe a neurologist.” How do neurologists do with lyme dx and treatment?

Her local doc only gave her 5 days of doxy. :headbang:
(I sent her information for an LLMD and more aggressive treatments. Now I hope she pays attention to that information!)

Michele

[Maz]

[user=50]Michele[/user] wrote:

Do neurologists recognize lyme disease?

Hi Michele,

If the neurologist is Lyme Literate, she should be okay. If not, then he/she will likely follow the IDSA treatment guidelines and, when symptoms persist, will call it something it else…post-Lyme syndrome (aches and pains of daily living) or MS or some other neuro disorder. If she had stroke-like symptoms, then it's also likely she is suffering from Bell's Palsy, which means her Lyme has become disseminated, has infiltrated her nervous system and has become chronic. Five days of doxy is nowhere near enough for neuroborreliosis.

I hope your friend heeds your recommendation and seeks help from a LLMD. Dr. J in Wash DC would be a very good bet for neuroborreliosis, but if she can't get in anywhere any time soon, then would be happy to send you a LLMD listing for VA or surrounding states if needed. You might want to fwd Dr J's website to her, so she can read up about Lyme on his very informative site.

http://www.jemsekspecialty.com/lyme_detail.php

Peace, Maz

[Michele]

Thanks, Maz!

I'll pass this information on.

Michele

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