Bartonella does infect the endothelial cells that line the gut - so its not unreasonable to interpret the stool test PCR as a likely indication of bartonella - especially if symptoms match closely as you describe - and also in the context of a known tick born infection - like Lyme.
without comprehensive diagnostic tests its going to be very hard to confirm polymyositis - i think the high creatine kinase is just a sign that inflammation from any cause is causing higher than normal tissue breakdown.
rheumatoid factor and ANA are often elevated in lyme and co patients also.
that said many if not most people with lyme and bart will get some form of muscle weakness and muscle wasting - mainly driven by the inflammation and immune dysregulation it causes - as well as the digestive issues that can interfere with nutrition - and combined with an understandable lack of exercise when a person becomes ill and fatigued.. auto-immune illness or auto-immune like symptoms are also very common.
i believe there is some form of elevated auto-immunity in all lyme/bart patients - but it doesn't necessarily have to be polymyositis to have the symptoms you describe and whereas that is usually a lifelong and degenerating condition - many infection triggered AI diseases or AI like symptoms will reverse when infection is addressed.
unfortunately its very unlikely that one can reverse auto-immunity if the driver for it is still needling the immune system and keeping the auto-immune trigger going, so i think its important to grasp that the most effective way to treat infection driven auto-immunity is usually to treat the infection first
i mean this as positive message though as it gives a clear direction on the way forward - and something that can be actioned
some things can lessen symptoms as a means of making treatment more tolerable - which is often an important step as often with auto-immune diseases triggered by infection, the auto-immune symptoms worsen as inflammation from herx while treating cause things to flare - and so can be the factor that governs how hard you can treat. but the goal is still treatment of the infection as primary and symptoms reduction mainly as a means of tolerating it.
things that can help
-the auto-immune diet is worth trying as that has some decent evidence behind it - others find a whole food ketogenic diet better ( my partner and i did - the single biggest improvement of al interventions i have tried) - and others do best on a GAPS type diet - so i would suggest trying a whole food keto diet for a month or 6 weeks and see how you feel at the end of that
i believe these all work by taking a load off the immune system by making the gut, where 70% of the immune system lives - mush less reactive.
anything else which is known to help balance the immune system is also likely to help
- focus on getting good sleep
- time in nature
- meditation - or other mind body techniques
- anything that lowers inflammation in the body - but each typically has only small effect so typically you need to do several of them to get appreciable effects
some people can reverse disease by these steps alone - but i think its rare
you mention that you are too far from LLMD's and too sick to travel - i can empathise with this - as there are no real LLMDs in my country and i was too sick to travel for several years
so in terms of antimicrobials for Bart - that are accessible without prescript
ion
-oil of oregano is very powerful - other essential oils also ( cinnamon,
-some herbs have been found to be helpful in higher doses ( Sida Acuta leaf, Cryptolepis root, Houttuynia leaf)
-garlic extracts with known allicin content ( there are many bogus pills) - or actual fresh garlic) shows promise
-methylene blue - but must be pharmaceutical grade due to impurities in manufacturing process otherwise
typically you need to combine 2or more of these and aim for relatively high but known safe doses - and to work up to these gradually over time.
its also possible to order pharmaceutical antibiotics directly from reliable international pharmacies
eg Buy-Pharma.md. AllDayChemist etc - but i would not advise this route unless you have thoroughly understood the - dose, protocol, contra indications, side effects etc
whichever route you take - self treating is a serious undertaking, likely to be the most challenging thing you will ever undertake - as you have likely already gathered - there will be trial and error - involving many missed steps and a steep learning curve - with a high pr
opensity to go around in circles - or being reactive and missing opportunities to learn and adjust.
As a result - to improve your ability to guide your own process - and have the best chance of success - i would highly recommend keeping some form of systematic record and treatment tracker - for example as is discussed here. ( starting half way down the page)
https:// https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=4333175