Lyme Disease Refferal For Treatment

One problem as I understand it is that the standard diagnostic test in Ontario has a much narrower group of antibodies detected and if you're not positive for all 5 you're considered negative, where the more comprehensive tests in the U.S. test for 25-30 antibodies and you can have many combinations of a minimum number of positives and the test is considered positive. So problem 1 is a much narrower diagnostic criterion leading to a lot of false negative tests.
Problem 2 as I understand is that the "standard of Care" according to the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons for positive cases is 30 days of antibiotics. Doctors who specialize in Lyme treatment in other jurisdictions generally will treat lyme with a variety of antibiotics depending on response and until the symptoms start to improve which can be many months.
The result of this "Standard of Care" is that Ontario docs who deviate from it can be disciplined by the College, leading to many docs not wanting to treat Lyme cases or only towing the line of 30 days of treatment which for chronic cases is not going to be successful.
What needs to change is the understanding of Ontario/Canadian doctors and the position of the College of Physicians
 
The Doctors here will say that the American Test Labs are in it for the profit and the more positives they get the more people will send in their blood and money.
It's possible some tests are too broad, but the fact is the standard test's and the mental aptitude when it comes to on the fly or outside of the box decision making is embarrassing. Something needs to change in the education of our doctors, they should be adding to the knowledge base of healing not towing some line.
 
About 10 years ago i had a sudden "breakdown". went to the doctor and told him what i thought it was. I used to hunt A LOT, and ticks were a part of the game.
I was told "You know, lyme disease is vector bourne, and we dont have the vectors for it here!"
I felt like snapping my doctor in half forspeaking in such an ignorant tone to me. I've seen the migratory birds in spring absolutely LITTERED with ticks....
They are fools, and have NO idea what they might be dealing with.
I still dont feel myself, and have yet to gain back the 60 lbs of muscle I lost in a matter of a few months.

Its a ####ty deal.
You need to take it seriously on a personal level, and PUSH. If you get no help, you must do something for yourself.
 
be2man said:
A couple of good support, advocacy and information groups.

http://lymeontario.com/

https://canlyme.com/
Click to expand...

Good advise from be2man. Use the above links and also do a google search for Lyme literate doctors. You will not find the care you need unless your doc is Lyme literate. You may find better support from a naturopath, they seem to be given more latitude in their treatments than MDs. The good ones will still prescribe antibiotics as required. Research the hell out of it and push for adequate treament. Good luck, as per above it can be a real battle.
 
My wife picked up a tick, perhaps in our garden. She went to the local ER, where the tick was removed. The doctor immediately prescribed a course of antibiotics, just in case.
 
I had an insect bite on my forearm in late October in the area south of Peterborough. Scratched it a lot unconsciously before I realized what had happened. Did not find the insect but was it was strange enough I started taking daily pics and making notes on how it felt. After a week, bullseye rash appeared.

Was in to see my doctor two days later. Did say anything.....just showed the bite location and the pics. Her first reaction was "Lymes.....we need to get you on antibiotics now". Started the treatment that day. She didn't wait the three weeks for the results of the blood sample back from the lab in Winnipeg.

BTW, I have picked 1000's of ticks off myself and my clothing over the years. I'm no longer casual about them.
 
You cannot be casual about them. Any given tick is probably not carrying Lyme, but it might be. No reason to take chances.
 
"Under Our Skins", documentary on Lyme. Well worth watching for anyone who ventures off tarmac & concrete.

Then get yourself a copy of this

And to understand the background you'll need a copy of this [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Cure-That-Worked-Suppression/dp/0982513860]this[/URL]

Might as well get it before you need it when every day counts.
 
It's only black leg ticks that carry Lyme. What's hilarious is Vetrinarians know more about Lyme than these real doctors.

How come we have preventative medications for dogs and yearly shots to prevent it but nothing for humans?

Funny the bullseye rash they say only shows in some cases but not all. That's the best case scenario and seems to be the only scenarios that our doctors are trained to deal with.
 
Exactly. That's what I found to be ridiculous when my co-workers wife could pay a fee and get a result on a tick faster through her vet clinic than through a doctor.
 
Wow sounds like some of you have had to deal with some stubborn docs.

My experience was completely different.
I was out turkey hunting spring 2015 and then about 2 weeks later I find this red welt about the size of a toonie on my hip, it was itchy and hot as hell but that was it.
I ignored it, thinnking it was a spider bite of some kind and I felt fine otherwise... no fever, no nausea, nothing.

Fast forward to late July and I think I'm losing my mind, forgetting how to do every day simple things like tie my shoes, couldn't do it for the life of me.
So I'm getting scared thinking it was Alzheimer's or something ... but I ignore it, then it gets worse

Mid August I'm sitting at a red light and light turns green, and i'm sitting there ????..... my brain wasn't telling my foot to let go of the brake and step on the gas.
So now I'm scared to death and I go see my doc, he says cant be Alzheimer's because if it was I wouldn't know I was forgetting.
So he sends me in for blood tests and all come back fine....but he's trying to figure it out.

Now it's early September and I'm getting worse I'm exhausted, can barely keep my eyes open and in a fog most of the time.

Happen to be at a friends place and we're talking about mosquito's and bugs that summer and I mention this spider bite, and he says that's Lyme disease.... DOH, did I feel stupid.
I've seen that picture a million times in magazines and hunting forums but just never thought I would get it.
Next morning I call my doc and explain this all to him he says get in here now, gives me a prescription and sends me in for blood test, it came back positive 2 days later.

I'm in Belleville and he says 20 years ago it was unheard of, now he gets about 20 patients a year with Lyme and that's just one family doc.

I'm 52 years old now and I'm still not 100% back to where I was before the infection and I've been told I never will be.???

JJ
 
Get on it! Finding the right cocktail of drugs to treat a case takes time, experience, patience and knowledge on the doctors part. And if the virus crosses the blood / brain barrier it's even more difficult to treat with potentially life changing consequences.
 
Winchested said:
It's only black leg ticks that carry Lyme. What's hilarious is Vetrinarians know more about Lyme than these real doctors.

How come we have preventative medications for dogs and yearly shots to prevent it but nothing for humans?

Funny the bullseye rash they say only shows in some cases but not all. That's the best case scenario and seems to be the only scenarios that our doctors are trained to deal with.
Click to expand...


Actually the "Lone Star" Tick can also carry Lyme and is headed to a neighbourhood near you. This nasty US Migrant will spread into Ontario much faster than the Black legged deer tick and is already in NY State

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/maps/lone_star_tick.pdf
 
jimmyjazz said:
Wow sounds like some of you have had to deal with some stubborn docs.

My experience was completely different.
I was out turkey hunting spring 2015 and then about 2 weeks later I find this red welt about the size of a toonie on my hip, it was itchy and hot as hell but that was it.
I ignored it, thinnking it was a spider bite of some kind and I felt fine otherwise... no fever, no nausea, nothing.

Fast forward to late July and I think I'm losing my mind, forgetting how to do every day simple things like tie my shoes, couldn't do it for the life of me.
So I'm getting scared thinking it was Alzheimer's or something ... but I ignore it, then it gets worse

Mid August I'm sitting at a red light and light turns green, and i'm sitting there ????..... my brain wasn't telling my foot to let go of the brake and step on the gas.
So now I'm scared to death and I go see my doc, he says cant be Alzheimer's because if it was I wouldn't know I was forgetting.
So he sends me in for blood tests and all come back fine....but he's trying to figure it out.

Now it's early September and I'm getting worse I'm exhausted, can barely keep my eyes open and in a fog most of the time.

Happen to be at a friends place and we're talking about mosquito's and bugs that summer and I mention this spider bite, and he says that's Lyme disease.... DOH, did I feel stupid.
I've seen that picture a million times in magazines and hunting forums but just never thought I would get it.
Next morning I call my doc and explain this all to him he says get in here now, gives me a prescription and sends me in for blood test, it came back positive 2 days later.

I'm in Belleville and he says 20 years ago it was unheard of, now he gets about 20 patients a year with Lyme and that's just one family doc.

I'm 52 years old now and I'm still not 100% back to where I was before the infection and I've been told I never will be.???

JJ
Click to expand...

Did your memory and foggy feeling come and go? I've had weeks where I couldn't remember a thing. I've gotta look into this further.
 
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