I have three brothers. Wanna trade? I have 2 will gladly trade off. Shoot I forgot, I have 5 brothers! One I will keep, the others...well...

Pickling works! We were working on that in Boston weren't we! LOL!

Greta, bees on their way! You can hear them coming!

*going to market for pickles*


Kosher???

Greta, I also have a problem brother- he is an argumentative lawyer brother! We avoid each other, he has to win every verbal exchange, even hello!

Erin, there is not a single LLMD in Nebraska, you are however in the territory of one of the best LLMDs there is- the estimable Dr. Charles Crist of Missouri!
I am terrrible at geography. I have no clue how far that is- Dr Charles Crist in Springfield, MO!! The very best in the Midwest. I have read his work. He is a smart, great doc. He is one of the Top Ten LLMDs.


Dr Crist- website!!!
http://www.drcharlescrist.com

Best wishes,
Sarah

Yeah, I already looked up Dr. C in MO. I dont have the money to travel down there and see him. I suppose I could probably email or snail mail him my MS records and the WB's that I had done for Lyme and see what he says.

If I am ever successful in proving that this is Lyme and not MS, I'm not so keen on taking antibiotics for months or years. I had a LOT of antibiotics last year for a bunch of UTI's, a MRSA infection, 2 cases of bronchitis, and then one round of oral prednisone for severe vertigo. After all of that, I ended up with a raging yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis that doesnt seem to want to leave me. (well, the BV isnt bugging me, but the raging YI keeps coming back...sorry guys, if that's TMI)

I also just found out that I'm sensitive to antibiotics like levaquin and cipro. Apparently those abx's have a tendency to cause tendon ruptures. My left ankle that I ruptured the achilles tendon to in 2001 (working at WalMart, squatted down to pick up some trash and my tendon went POP! Customers 2 aisles away heard it) and my left shoulder that I've get chronic tendonitis in at least twice a year is killing me.

If this did turn out to be Lyme, I would hope they've got some abx's that dont make you susceptible to yeast infections and hopefully they wont make my tendons all rupture.

I would so much rather be back to the mostly healthy that I was before all this stuff started.

Erin, Levaquin and cirpo are quinolines- they are not used in treatment for Lyme although they are used for the TBD Bartonella. Yes quinolines are known to do that for some people!! What a LLMD would likely put any MS Lymie on is IV Rocephin or IM Bicillin neither of which are quinolines. IV Rocephin has very few side effects and it is off patent now- you can get the generic Ceftriaxone for $412 a month. That is cheap now!!! (Mine cost $50,000 cash because my insurance wouldn't pay and IV Rocephin was on-patent then still and very $!!! CT and RI have MANDATORY IV Rocephin for lyme laws if I remember right because the insurance companies try to squeeze out of paying so much!) I have been a support group leader for 8 years and I can say that a Lyme doctor pretty much always treats MS Lyme with IV Rocephin or IM BIcillin rather than orals. IM Bicillin shots are in the penicillin family, are shots once a week in the buttocks area, you can giev it to yourself or have a friend or family member do it. IV or IM Rocephin is the bestest for neuro Lyme- that is what I had- 9 months of it. Then you transition to orals and don't go off unless you have 3 months symotom free!

Well, whatever works. I don't know how your MS treatment is going or your story. I just know that we have had MSers who were in wheelchairs get out of them and do way better with abx than they did with MS meds, so if you get that progressed in MS then it may be time to check out Lyme & Doc C. The nice thing about Lyme is that you can get so much better most of the time. Dr. Fallon says there is rarely DAMAGE even with gross impairment and I have found htat to be true (unless you have been treated with steroids which destroy responsivity to Lyme tx). I myself have been on abx for 9 years now. I have never had a yeast infection. I take prophylactic probiotics and anti-fungals and anti-c diff. I am just like normal as long as I stay on them and before IV I had no longer been able to walk normally, talk normally, think normally. Pre-abx I could no longer feel below my knees, could no longer walk wihtout falling, walking into walls, doorways, lurched on furniture, had clawhand, movement disorder, encephaloapthy, etc. For 7+ years I have been like normal again. I get very grateful for that because I was very very bad.

Anyway, take care, I wanted to give a heads up to you Greta & didn't mean to sideswipe the thread!!! Greta, I do believe you have Lyme since you had it- and clearly you do as well Erin!! EM is diagnostic. If you ever need resources you can call me at 1-831-662-2895 & I'll do my best to help- (daylight west coast hours because I have little kids)-
Take care all &
Best wishes,
Sarah

Sarah-
I don't care about sideswiping - I truly hope your info will help Erin - it sounds like she can really use some Lyme support! Thanks for the support offer!