Saw Infectious Disease Doc Today

The appointment was ALL over the place. Phew.

THE BAD:

-She started by bad-mouthing a very reputable LLMD in the area. I really don't get what one professional gains by speaking ill of another. But I digress.

-From the beginning of the appointment, she was asking leading questions, trying to pigeon-hole me into an anxiety/depression dx.

-She referred to my labs as "borderline positive" when two other MDs and my ND have considered them to be an unequivocal positive. (Should I assume she's talking CDC standards?)

-She bad-mouthed the neurologist who referred me to her for giving me a clinical Lyme Meningitis dx without testing (LP) or knowing how to treat (abx other than doxy)

-She offered me an antidepressant, hinting that that alone might "cure" me.

-She wants to do the LP.

THE GOOD:

-The appt was 75 minutes, she never acted rushed, and listened way more than she talked.

-she asked me to paraphrase back to her what she had said at one point, to make sure I was getting everything she had said.

-She agreed that my MD was a boob for ignoring my question 3 weeks ago re whether doxy was the right protocol for me. (Not surprising given how much she enjoyed talking smack about the other docs, but...)

-She wants to treat me immediately with Ceftin, and was adamant about using probiotics along with it.

-Depending on the LP results (my instinct has been telling me that LP is a foregone conclusion in my case, and I have carefully considered pros and cons) she is completely willing to do IV abx.

-She asked me to weigh in on her two proposed treatment plans.

-She didn't say the words chronic Lyme, but did say something about treating differently "if your system has been fighting this for a long long time"

SOOOOOOO... she was kind of awful in many ways yet miraculously willing to treat. (See how useful it is to have deplorably low expectations of these MD's?)

It's a lot to digest, and I am still processing, but I thought I'd share the experience with my fellow Lymies.

If you choose to stay with this ID doc, I would highly encourage you to learn all you can to stay on top of everything to do with your treatment and the diseases you have. You will need to be sure that you are being treated with the right dosage, for the right amount of time, and so on.

In Dr. Joseph Burrascano's paper, 'Advanced Topics in Lyme Disease', starting at the bottom of page 16 and continuing on page 17, he talks about the best use of Ceftin in the treatment of Lyme disease. I would urge you to read that as well.

Even LLMD's get treatments wrong, since each of us needs something a bit different or totally different.