lyme negative test, but given Doxcycline which is causing strong Herxheimer

Digestive health
1

Hi

I've had a negative lyme test result but have been given Doxycyline.

Basically whilslt working in forestry 10 years ago i was bitten on the neck by a tick and developed a bulls eye rash (i thought it was a spider and the rash was so porminent my mates noticed and gave me a ribbing about it). I didnt realise at the time the seriousness of this. I have developed countless symptoms since, Atrial Fibrillation, numbness, unexplained fevers resulting in hospilisation, fatigue extreme rib pain cramps.ect.

Does some one have the knowledge to help answer these questions for me?

1, I've had 4 seperate courses of antibiotics over the ten years for unrelated things, tooth out, shoulder operation and 2 chest infections. Can having the antibiotics years or months before effect the Lyme test?

2, I pulled the tick off my neck with in 30 seconds of being bit, it came of in pieces, the infectous disease doc said it needs to be on for 24 hours? i thought the fact i squashed it in to my neck may over ride this.

3, I started taking the antibiotics 36hrs ago, im now experiencing extreme flu like symptoms,  joints aching, sweating, chest infection,confusion, feeling sick. Is this the HERX reactions? i.e if there was nothing the matter with me the antibiots should have little effect?

Basically the doc at the Infectouis disease clinic, does not believe i was bitten by a tick as the results came back negative and yet i know i was. When i asked what she belived it was if not Lyme she said i had Psycological problems caused by alchohol! I was devestated I'd gone prepared with print outs from the Lyme disaese association and she dissmissed it all saying they had a vested intreast and were just after my money. I explained they were none profit making, shejust shook her head.

I'm at my witts end can any one please advise.

Many thanks

steve

2

I had an attack of sleeping ticks in Australia, and they developed into small worms which infested my arms and head.  They eventually left my body thanks to a toxin injection into my brain. It was frightening but eventually parasites will part company with the host.  I would try and identify which kind of tick it is if you can remember it's appearance on your skin.

3

For real? thats sounds like hell mate. Although its different to what i've got it's quite nice to here the term 'parasites will part company'. i really hope so.

all the best

steve

4

keep an eye on your neck to see when the head of the tick will remove itself.  Then after the toxins go the tick should hopefully.

My ticks all resurfaced after the toxin injections.

5

Hi stephen17453

Have you had a blood test for an inflammatory disease?....it is called an ESR blood test...if the result is high sedimentation rate you do have an inflammatory disease which tick bites can cause.

When you have finished the ab's go back to your doc and ask for an ESR test for inflammatory disease.

The symptoms of inflammatory disease are aching joints, flu like symptoms, sweats and depending what inflammatory disease you have there are sweats and confusion as you are describing. There are various types of inflammatory diseases.....best wishes for a speedy diagnosis.......

6

If your flu like symptoms appeared 36 hours after taking antibiotics, you may be having a reaction to them.  This is a very powerful drug you are taking.  Since your doctor is demeaning you and saying you have psychological problems, I would make a complaint and change your doctor.

7

A bull's-eye rash is THE sign of borrelia (lyme) infection,

no matter if a blood test comes back positive or negative,

(routine blood tests can be false positive or false negative)

no matter how long the tick was in for, obviously you did get infected, maybe it was even a tick earlier or later at similar location, who knows.

But you do know, that you did get a bull's-eye rash and that is THE key.

You can brush off blood tests and duration of tick 'suckling'.

(You are kind of lucky since only 70% develope the typical rash and never know later why they get chronic fatigue syndrome or nerve related problems)

Anyone with an 'erythema migrans' needs antibiotic treatment no matter what a blood test says!!!

(unfortunately in Australia my mum's bull's eye rash was dismissed as 'we don't have borrelia b./lyme in Australia.' and sent home with topical cortisone cream. ??? What a load of rubbish! Even I argued, he would not prescribe her antibiotics!!!

At home back in Europe she got treated immediatly before blood results were in due to the still existing look of rash (and pics of fresh rash), and they were positive for lyme as well, fresh infection.

Also the lab testing is far more advanced in Europe/US than in Australia...one has to send blood to Germany from Australia to get a Westernblot and other more specific tests than IgG and IgM....anyhow. So it's a double battle here)

The problem:

treatment should occur asap and longer than usual treatments.

Hence other antibiotic treatments (for teeth...) usually do not cover that time space of e.g. 3 weeks continuous antibiotic treatment for fresh infection. (1 week is too little for lyme.)

The later lyme is treated, the longer and more aggressive the treatment has to be, we are talking months of antibiotic treatment and even i.v. for months if symptoms do not change.

You need someone really experienced in this field, if your symptoms now could be related to a previous untreated borrelia infection and you are not getting better on commenced treatment.

If you have reactions on doxycycline you need to call your physishian. Other antibiotics are available. You can swap! Side effects like diarrhoe will almost always occure due to extend of treatment.

please search the net for a more experienced doc in your area, even a rheumatologist, if you feel not treated or taken seriously enough.

Of course it is unclear if your symptoms you described are due to an old infection, but if you never got treated for borrelia as such, it is possible and rather should be trialed.

Pity you have no pic of your bull's eye rash. (I always make pics -nowadays with digital imaging really easily possible-, of rashes or skin changes, my own bull's-eye rash or my mum's - no one would believe later. Making a pic of a rash is a good idea as a proof - for later reference)

ALL THE BEST

and good luck with a sufficient treatment and that the side effects can be avoided with another antibiotic course and that this actually treats your symptoms!

8

injection into the brain? Which med was that? How was that done? There is skull all around. Now you make me really interested. Fascinated.

9

It had just been discovered by a Dr in Vienna who gave instructions I think to have my neck injected with sufficient toxin to kill or cause the host worms to die or escape through my digestive system.

As the parasite was from Oz I believe they are trialling the treatment with the aboriginees who frequently get the sleeping tick because they often go into the bush and catch them. They are called dreamweavers in Australia and no one really knew how to deal with them before I had it. So I was a guinea pig and survived.

10

ah, neck, not brain, more into the spine liquid around it I guess. Which toxin? Do you know? Very faszinating.

Was it at the tropical institute in Vienna? I don't think any borrelia late stage was treated like this. But your worms and they know how to get from epidural area back to digestive to be flushed out? I really am confused...as you didn't notice. haha. 

11

I am not an expert but i expect the worms broke down and were transported to the waste department via blood at a cellular level.

I think it was the University hospital in Vienna and also The University of Belfast helped to id the parasite.  I don't know the toxin but it had a numbing effect on my brain and caused the worms to resurface and be picked out as scabs on my scalp mainly.  The scabs were usually butterfly shaped with dark interiors to the 4 quadrants.

12

You puzzle me more and more, I cannot find any tick born worm infection; only of virus, bacterial, babesia or theileria zoonosis. ('paralysing tick' tick with a anti-venom treatment when paralysis is evident, but it's not a worm, not what you had. I also have trouble finding the sleeping tick's scientific name in order to scroll down that path of enlightenment. ;-))

I cannot find dream weaver infection at all? (what's happening with my internet search, I am in Australia)

Maybe it's another vector like 'mosquito' or 'fly' for your passed parasitic worm infection? There are so many creepy parasites around.

But with a "bull's-eye rash after tick bite", I think our poster has hopefully not gotten anything very unique like you had gotten. Good, that you got successfully treated whatever it was.

 

13

You get it in your scalp and lots of aboriginees get them in the bush.

it is  a parasite that changes in its second stage to a worm. Not much is known at the moment about it.

14

There is a study about the one and only human babesia patient in Australia in 2012, so I would have expected, that this second-stage-in-life-cycle-worm parasite, that seems more common than babesia, even little know about it (but you were successfully treated) would have made huge waves in the study pages, too since it effects humans.

hm.

without a definite parasite name other than 'dream weaver' I won't find it it seems. boohoo. Would have interested me, I am drawn to scientific puzzles. ;-)

Scabies is very common under indiginous people. But that's not it, I am sure.

15

sorry I was in hospital so had limited information from the staff on the ward.

16

Ah yes, the good hospitals, they are very reluctant to give anything to the patient (as to why if it was for sure me, I don't know, but I always ask upon discharge. I always get the summary at least in writing, that letter, that the doc would get)

but they need to pass on at least a summary (often single tests are not listed) to your GP....and even being from oversease you would need one too for your 'history' in GP's file.

Happy ending for you, that's the most important.

(I have a hole in my brain now.;-) with questions, questions, questionmarks what that possibly could have been)

17

another name I think was the sleeping tick if that helps you at all.