Sorry, don't know about thyroid problems, but was wondering how long you were on doxy, how long you've had lyme and if your doc is a LLMD. From what I learned if you have chronic lyme you'll need to be on antibotics many months or you may relapse. If you caught it early, it's a different story. Good luck and hope your feel better soon....Kris

That is obviously not a lyme knowledgeable doctor. What did the doc say about the live blood tests? You might also have thyroid issues but that could be caused by the lyme bacteria infecting the thyroid.

Most docs here say we cant have lyme because of where we live too. So why do I and others in area and pets have Lyme.

See if chiropractor will request igenex test for co infections? (igenex.com)

100mg of doxy is not enogh to scratch the surface of lyme and is the wrong medicine for many of the coinfections.

I have had Lymes along long time and have never tested pos. on tests. The LLMD saw a marker in the blood that only Lymes patients have and it was there. Thyroid problems are a big issue with Lymies. My doesn't work at all and I am on mega doses of medicine. Alot of people are told that they don't have it and then when it is discovered (like me) it is way to late and it is in the nervous system. My most pain is in my legs my whole leg. All the Joints especially the knee and ankles. Just try to do some investagating about other symptoms you might have that are also lyme related. Hope that helped a little. It is all so confusing.
Sherry

So how does a person find out about these markers or have that test done. They took 8 tubes of blood (and 5 pokes) for various tests. ???

Hi Cheppie. I cannot understand why doctors think that Lyme disease does not exist in certain areas. It is the second fastest growing infectious disease in the US after AIDS, and it is in every state. Ticks do not stop at state lines and turn around because they don't belong there!

Infectious disease doctors are not usually the best to see for tick-borne illnesses unless they specialize in them.

The fact that this doctor said 200 mg of Doxy would have eradicated all infections shows he is not knowledgeable. 200 mg of Doxy is not in the treatment range for Lyme disease. Also, Doxy is not effective against all co-infections. Babesiosis is similar to malaria and needs to be treated with an anti-malarial (often Mepron) together with an antibiotic (has to be Zithromax, Biaxin, or Ketek).

Thyroid disorders can cause many symptoms. Be sure to have your Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies tested. These are simple blood tests. They are not usually done but are necessary for a comprehensive view. If you need help with your results, let me know. Some people, including myself, have Lyme disease and a thyroid disorder.

In my opinion, the most important thing anyone who has Lyme or may have Lyme can do is see a knowledgeable doctor.

Cheppie, no test for Lyme is completely reliable and results can vary by lab. It is important to be tested by a Lyme lab such as IgeneX in Palo Alto, CA. They use more sensitive testing and list more bands on the Western Blot.

A knowledgeable doctor will consider your entire history to diagnose you.

Don't trust the Utah infectious disease doctors. There may be a few who are actually Lyme literate but I don't know who they are. What I do know is that I did test positive for Lyme's and the illiterate Lyme doctor in Utah said he didn't trust that lab. So even thought the ELISA and Western Blot were positive, I still got the run around because, "I don't rust that lab." Not only that, he was unaware of the controversy and hearings that took place in Summer 2009 regarding the revising of the IDSAs guidelines as well as the conflicts of interest most of the panel who wrote the 2006 guidelines had. Those conflicts of interest include patents on the pathogen, working for insurance companies, testifying as expert witnesses in court cases on Lyme and receiving grants from various places for Lyme research, many of which came from pharmaceutical companies. The full hearing can be viewed on the IDSA website. You would think that Utah Infectious Disease Specialists would be aware of this controversy. Lyme has also increased at an endemic rate. Lyme is in Utah. Our doctors just need to catch up. Do find an LLMD, but you will need to meet with the Lyme groups in Utah to find one. Names are not given out because of the backlash by insurance companies as well as uneducated physicians.

Hang in there. I had tested negative for 10 long years, It took me to see a LLMD. I still think alot od the Infectious disease doctors do not believe that Lyme is as big a diseae as it is. I have been to a few and so have people I hae known who all have had it. They all got the same speech unfortunaly that you did.
If it is impossible for someone to hae it from Idaho then how does he explain people in Arizona and Florida and California with it? Don't mean to be a bummer but alot of the ID doc. just don;t know and do not alot about it. There is even evidence (apparently) that it can be passed by mosquitoes and birds can be infected with these ticks from sitting on the deer themselves and birds like to fly all ober the place.
Just be aware if you feel strongly that it is lymes stick with it. Actually if you can find a doc that has Lyme experience. I had to fight this for 10 years and I found out I had this all my life. Someone should have caught the symptoms somewhere along the way. Now my whols family is infected with it!
It symptoms are identical to thyroid problems been that route millions of times. If I were you I would do what I did. Research until you are satisfied this is not what you don't have. If you only knew the things I have went through and the things I have been diagnosed with and medications I never needed that could harnmed my health all because a doctor did not know for sure and that convinced them it was not possible that I hae Lyme.
I wish you so much luck. I hope that your test come back that it is thyroid. At least there ae known cures for that. God Bless.

Your doctor is reciting the IDSA party line I'm afraid. If you think he has potential to have an open mind maybe you could print some literature from ilads or one of the other good organizations.... maybe he would be willing to learn. It's so hard when there aren't knowledgable people around you, but if he is curious enough, and if he can think outside the box, maybe you can bring him along. It's such a struggle to have this, and to have to bring the doctor along only makes it more tiring, but it may be your best option. what do youthink? Will he learn? He's at a UNIVIERSITY!!! Maybe you can shame him into learning!!! LOL!

I hate well...basically everyone who dosen't know wtf they're talking about when it comes to lyme. I went to mayo clinic and they told me absolutely nothing more than I knew going. And I waited like half a year on a waiting list to get in there for an appointment for a week!