I had a tick bite in November, took 14 days of doxycycline and was mostly better. But then in early March, I started developing leg cramps, muscle tenderness, and hot/cold feet, and very bad foot pain. For a while I couldn't stand and walk around, but I've improved to the point of being able to walk for ~10 mins before needing to rest.

I also had a rash that kind of looks like stretch marks, so that makes me suspect Bartonellosis.

My tick illness tests have all come back negative, except for one "equivocal" test. Still waiting on the western blot results.

I've read in several threads on this sub that foot pain is often linked to Bartonellosis. I'd like to take this theory to my doctor, but a reddit thread doesn't seem like very strong evidence. Are there any more official sources linking Bartonella to let/foot pain?

Started herbal treatment for Lyme on Tuesday, if it’s gonna help. How long would it take. I’m seeing a kinesiologist who expects me to see some benefits within 4 to 6 months of a fairly hefty herb and vitamin regime.

Also if I’m gonna herx, when does it usually start?

Hi. I am pretty sure most of my symptoms are driven by Bart. However, I was negative for Bart on my Igenex Immunoblot and FISH. Pretty much all of my symptoms are neuro-psychiatric. Severe depression, depersonalization, rage/ irritability, anxiety, and ADD. I have wrecked so many relationships due to my mood swings, and no psych meds are helping. I am unable to work. I have no prior history of these issues (except for mild anxiety) before getting sick with Lyme. My vision is also really messed up, making reading difficult; I used to have perfect vision. I have terrible deficits with my memory, learning, attention/ concentration, and executive functioning. Other symptoms: extreme fatigue, insomnia, head pressure, muscle spasms, neuropathy (mainly hands and feet), creepy/ crawly sensations, dizziness/ disorientation (drunk feeling), feeling like I have a fever but I do not actually have a fever. I also have a prior diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome) - I now know that tickborne illnesses can cause this.

With all of this in mind, I need to see a doctor who is willing to make a clinical diagnosis and not rely exclusively on testing (I don’t way to pay more $$$ than I already have). Does anyone have recommendations for doctors who are good with treating neuro-psych Lyme and bartonella? I prefer integrative MDs and DOs who use herbals + antibiotics. Any other advise would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I split my time between MA and TX, but I’m willing to travel anywhere honestly. I need a quality LLMD. I have already treated w/ minocycline and azithromycin (pulsed) with little success.

Can some of you describe what your brain fog is like with Lyme?

hello reddit

today, I want to share my experience in hope someone could benefit from it.

September 2023, life was well, I was going through a breakup and sequels of physiological violence. I thought life went down the drain, but I still had my cats at home. We were happy together, getting trough the bad times with them. I’m 26, male, live alone with my cats. One day I started feeling a little dizzy, I felt vertigo or even drunk. Ok, maybe it’s just my crappy lifestyle and bad eating habits. Blood test done, nothing abnormal. Continued with my life, until one day around December I notice I was becoming depersonalized, and I felt I was the protagonist of a movie, seeing everything through a tunnel. Anyways, I started taking vitamins, supplements, which surprisingly helped. February 2024, I woke up with tingling in my arms. The tingling spread to the rest of my body in a matter of days and I was left with pins and needles all over. I ran some blood test again, looking for vitamin deficiency etc. All good. Visited several doctors, got B shots, meds etc. May 2024, started developing constant tachycardias, I saw spots in my visions, black and white flashes. My vision was like I had jello somewhere in my eyes. My mind is broken, I’m frustrated. Sad. Thinking I had HIV or some other deadly disease. Spent hours searching for viruses, bacterias, mold toxicity. I would think to my self “ all these doctors say I’m fine, an I’m going crazy? Is this the start of psychosis for me ?

After searching endlessly I decided to get a bartonella Igg blood test. But Fuck, it won’t be 21 days till I get the result. More anxiety and suffering. Posted several times of Reddit only to be ignored. Fuck it, I will spend $300 for a tick born test, even though I’ve been been bitten by one. Doubting if I should even spend that much or just wait to cure my self without doing nothing. Done, got it done Friday evening.

Today I have been officially diagnosed via PCR positive for bartonella ssp.

Finally it’s the start of the end. Ready for months of antibiotics. I don’t know if the infection came from fleas which have in fact bitten me, or just rough play with my cats. Any ways, I’ll probably delete my account soon, but bless Reddit for helping me solve the puzzle.

Stay safe yall

Hello. I'm currently in day 4 of the 6 week treatment with doxycycline. My question is : I have been reading a lot these days, but I can't find some symptoms that I m experiencing. Sometimes I get a strange tingling in my chest, but not superfecial like on the skin. Like a tingling warming sensation from inside. Something similar would be like, when you are a little child and get scared and feel a really horribly feeling from above your stomach. Does this sound like Lyme disease and maybe a co infection with something else ? Maybe bartonella? Other symptoms that I had from the beginning: -Horrible back pain -Finger pinky spasm -Furnication ( I feel like spider walk on my skin sometimes, on different locations )

• (I have been bitten on the right calf ) Right hip pain
• I had a swollen lymf node near the right hip joint

I’ve been being treated for Covid associated cystitis by a functional medicine NP for about a year, had symptoms for a year prior to that but got jerked around by my old primary care and a jerk urologist. It’s basically like interstitial cystitis except caused by Covid, like having a forever UTI. Totally sucks. Throughout the last two years I’ve also had numbness in fingers/lips/left leg, shortness of breath bad for 3.5 months. Now my left foot has been absolutely killing me, not the sole but like the top left area of my left foot, for about three months. When I first had my cystitis symptoms in Aug 2022 my PCP let me take a Lyme AB test and a babesia test but they showed neg, it’s been two years and although I am pretty confident in the covid cystitis root cause, I’d like to talk to my NP this week about some more detailed Lyme/babesiosis/bartonella testing. Never found a tick embedded per se but I live in Maine and work in the woods, pull them off me all the time. Don’t remember anything really embedded bad though or the bullseye rash.

Question for this group, what’s the best place to get testing, and what tests? Thanks!

Hi , I’m really struggling and looking for some advice / encouragement

Backstory on Lyme - 10 months ago I got stomach pain had a rash took a couple weeks and it turned to flu like symptoms. I was pretty sick but just flu like aches pains ect. Western blot came back glowing. Took doxy for 30 days was back to work in 2 weeks feeling pretty normal

Fast forward to the last few months - it started with mental symptoms in February had body anxiety edginess , March turned to fatigue rollercoaster ups and downs and I thought Lyme now test 3-25 negative only 4 positive igg western blot. Symptoms progressed leading to er visit 4-11 for low heart rate all blood looked good , western blot came back positive. Started treating with doxy for 10 days brain fog improved in 2 days Then the throat started acting up from doxy to where I couldn’t take it went three days off waiting to start iv rocephin then I couldn’t walk

Landed me in hospital for 6 days - I now can walk

I just did 14 days of 2g of rocephin (just finished last one 3 hours ago) to chest picc and I still feel horrible Bedsides use of my legs I’m still exhausted , fatigued aches , pains , dizzy short of breath and can’t function

I’m seeing a specialist Monday but I’m wonding if the rocephin itself can be making me sick as I notice worse symptoms for long time after dose I’m going to take 2 -3 days off

Any thoughts would be appreciated My mri was clear It I was diagnosed with meningitis and nuero Lyme

hi! does anyone have doctor recommendations in the midwest area? i found a few doctors and clinics on projectlyme.com but many of them don’t have reviews when i look them up.

does anyone have a specific clinic or doctor they recommend for treatments?

I live in the New England area where Lyme is endemic, and I have had neighbors, friends, and co-workers get Lyme or know someone who gets Lyme.

Most of them did not even know about Lyme or ticks dangers until they got quite sick or had a rash, which is due to a lack of education.

It is frequently referenced that a 4-week course of doxy is the gold standard of treatment; if caught early and given 4 weeks of doxy, will it prevent PTLDS or any other long-term outcomes of Lyme, or can you still get the negative prognosis even with proper treatment?

Most people I saw here on this subreddit were untreated for years and months.

I mostly suffer from neurological problems, especially from depersonalization, disconnected from world, foggy/heavy head to the point where I stare at one point majority of the day.

I was tested positive with elispot for borrelia and IGG, but not for babesia and bart (I know, test are not reliable).

Was this lyme, babesia, bartonella for you? How you got rid of it?

https://somahealthcenter.com/blog/f/hydrogen-water-and-chronic-lyme

I found this short post about potentially incorporating hydrogen water as a cheap effective option to incorporate in chronic lyme treatment for its antioxidant potential and anti inflammatory effects. Worth considering

Hello. How long after I finish the tratament for doxy (4 weeks tratament)

1. I can start going in the sun?
2. The upset stomach recovers ?

Thank you

I would encourage you to watch these chapters by Ren, detailing his 8-10y battle with lyme, misdiagnosis, psychosis, spending years in bed, anxiety, depression etc..

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHbj3Gti2ieNb6dboCdpxYUiNTNK9eT9w

Anyone here with heavy metals?

Because i just checked simptoms from other diagnostics and are the same.

sorry for bad english. i susspect i have lyme desease. it all started after a tick bite in september. no bullseye rash. blood test negatieve. i have a lot of neurological symtoms. headace, vission problems, neuropathy, at some pont i had trouble moving, tremor, muscle twitches, pain everywhere, extreme fatigue, depersonalisation, memory loss and alot of other symptoms.

i can not function anymore and dont recognize myself anymore and i just want to step out of my body. i can't take it anymore.

my docters think it is anxiety and nobody belives me. not even my parents. i also went to a neurologist to maybe do a spinal tap but wouldnt listen. i live in the netherlands so it not possible for me to find a LLDR.

i dont now what to do anymore.

The area around the bite which was my foot is dry looking the bite itself still looks moist and scabby. And today I feel wonky like skin is prickly. I don’t have a rash that I or anyone law can see. Am I over reacting or should I see a doctor ?

I was diagnosed with Lyme (IGM 23,39, IGG 41) over the holidays with your help. I found a LLMD, also with your help. I’ve been on doxycycline since then - 5 months. Now on 200mg twice a day. Added Ceftin about two months ago. The day after I started the ceftin I got a horrible rash on my hands, thought to be a very bad case of excema, but steroids arent helping. Stopping for 4 days didn’t clear it and it was helping a lot so I didn’t want to stop. Also on stevia as biofilm buster, probiotics and lots of additional supportive supplements. I had been on tick ease herbal for awhile but it was making me sick and we decided to remove them for now.

Have not tested for co-infections aside from quest labs. Suspect babesia and bart possible. Also confirmed reactivated cmv, EBV and long covid. Saving up for a vibrant panel.

I have seen a huge improvement in many of my symptoms on antibiotics. My neuro symptoms are almost completely gone (brain fog, ear ringing, pressure, numb areas), my face is almost back (it was so puffy and sick, plus Bell’s palsy, so I didn’t even recognize myself), and my joint pain is almost completely gone.

I am still very tired and extremely weak, struggling to walk and breathe at times and have intense double vision. I’m also currently being evaluated for a neuromuscular disorder called lambert Eaton that I have tested positive for. I had hoped the Lyme treatment would help, but the weakness has gotten worse so this diagnosis is likely. Emg to confirm in 2 weeks.

My LLMD who I loved just left the practice and I have a new one. I think she is knowledgeable and I trust the practice, but she can be indecisive and is concerned about how sensitive I am. I like that she is open and collaborative about the direction, but I am not sure where I should go from here, and I would love your thoughts.

She had said last appt that bicillin injections might be next step. I feel like coming off doxy and ceftin. The sun sensitivity is getting harder as summer approaches and if this rash was caused by either I want to give my body a chance to heal.

TLDR: Should I take bicillin next? Should I stop doxy/ceftin? Should I add an additional abx? Should I stop abx completely? Should I add/replace with knotweed/cat’s claw, other herbals etc.?

I had RMSF 2 years ago and survived 8 weeks without treatment was in the worst pain ever and almost wanted to die to end it.

2 years later and still in pain almost constantly.

Some days I wake up and don't have full control over my arms and legs and at the same time feel like I'm being ripped apart inside out and crushed by thousands of pounds. (Best way to explain it since it's a strange kind of pain)

Fell like my mind is trapped most days.

Still have my physical strength but lost the energy to use it.

Almost completely lost hand coordination.

Unable to swallow anything some days from lose of control.

Feel like my entire body just doesn't want to work right inside and out.

Other days just extremely weak and have zero energy and can't function physically and mentally.

Became allergic to beef and pork along with food in cans.

Previously had a great memory and have always had a very sharp mind and was always mentally busy some way or another and now can't focus on even the slightest thing for very long without shutting down.

Was also previously very healthy, pain free, and always busy with something and now unable to do half of what I've always done.

hello! i know they’re not always completely accurate, but has anyone gotten alse negatives on vibrant wellness/igenex that they found were positive later? i’m at a loss. i’ve been so sick and in pain for months with countless scans and tests. i got my vibrant results and only tested in the yellow for IGG for borrelia, which i assume could be from the confirmed acute lyme infection i had as a child and treated. it seemed like so many of my symptoms pointed to bartonella and it showed as normal. as much as i know lyme is terrible to try to treat, i just wanted an answer 😭 i was on amoxicillin during the test, but my doctor said that wouldn’t have effected anything. i also tested strong positive for Strep and EBV which check out since i’ve had PANDAS and Mono, so i’m doubting even more that it could be a false neg since i’ve confirmed these in the past

thanks for any insight :)

South Eastern Washington in Normandy Park. Had a tick in my armpit. Fuck, I'm really nervous rn. I don't have any health insurance atm. Any suggestions?

https://imgur.com/gallery/42KVykF