Re: Lyme update, appt. with Dr. Metzger--Tania

[Guest guest]

Hi Tania,

I am, of course, a novice at all this, but based on what I've read--and what

Hollis has

reported here--the Quest test is next to worthless; even results from specialty

labs like

Igenex aren't definitive, and diagnosis still needs to be made by a lyme

literate doc

according to clinical factors. Between the rash and the symptoms you describe,

it seems

like it would be worthwhile to resist the easy dismissals you've received thus

far, and seek

expert advice and more targeted testing. You might try posting on the yahoo

Lyme-Aid

list, asking who the knowledgeable physicians are in your area.

Also, FYI, in some cases, diagnosis isn't cemented until treatment, when clear

" die off "

symptoms occur--I took only one drop of the herb my doctor prescribed yesterday

and

promptly felt like I had the flu, a sign the lyme organism is dying and

releasing toxins.

This disease is, by any measure, terrible, so I truly hope you don't have it.

BUT, if you do,

it is treatable, offering hope that your symptoms may diminish and even

disappear. Chelle

inspired me some weeks ago when I was in the depths of a flare-up to " uncover

every

stone, " and I'm certainly grateful to have uncovered this one.

Take good care,

Glomer

> >

> > [long post--sorry for the formatting problems (any advice on how I can

remedy this?

)]

> >

> > I saw Dr. Metzger yesterday to discuss my my positive lyme test with Igenex.

She said

> 90%

> > of her endometriosis patients and 40% of her vulvar patients have lyme, and

is about

to

> > present a paper on the connection between lyme and pelvic pain. She has the

disease

> > herself and appears to be VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE about every aspect of its

treatment,

> both

> > conventional (antibiotics) and integrative (herbal medicine, energy work,

etc.). She said

> the

> > diagnosis was in fact *very good news*, as we'd run up against a wall

addressing my

> pain

> > from other angles. (For others who may suspect lyme, she said the fact that

I

constantly

> > teeter on the edge of a flare-up and that my flares often coincide with my

period

> suggest

> > lyme, as does the vulvar tingling that always precedes my pain. My other

clear lyme

> > symptoms are interstitial cystitis; fatigue; " brain fog " ; difficulty

concentrating,

especially

> > when reading and writing; tingling in the limbs; susceptibility to

infection; and joint

> > inflammation.)

> >

> > In her view, lyme is but one part of the larger problem of immune

dysfunction. In light

of

> > my struggle with candida and mold allergies, she had no problem eschewing

the

> > antibiotic route in favor of cat's claw, artemesinin for coinfections, detox

measures,

and

> > weekly acupuncture/massage to help support the immune system. She also told

me to

> > continue with my desensitization drops; stay on my low-glycemic,

anti-allergy, and

> > gluten-free diet; get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night; make sure I'm

meeting

a

> > number of nutritional requirements; and follow my intuition, especially

pursuing

> whatever

> > practices and therapies " feel good. " She has had many patients improve

rapidly and

> > dramatically on this protocol--one woman's vulvar pain disappeared after

working up

to

> > only two drops of cat's claw (out of an eventual 15), so I am very hopeful.

Because of

the

> > limitations of current testing methods, she gauges patients' progress

clinically, and

will

> > add other herbs and even intravenous colloidal silver and garlic later, if

symptoms

> warrant.

> > She said that in other states where lyme docs are more persecuted (and

prosecuted)

> they

> > often test again and again to legitimate their prescribed courses of

treatment, but

with

> > lyme at epidemic levels in California, she and other specialists have an

easier time and

> can

> > spare patients' pocketbooks.

> >

> > Overall, I felt I was in very good hands and am *praying* that this piece of

the puzzle

is

> a

> > crucial--and tide-changing--one. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to stick to

the two

> primary

> > herbs she prescribed or if I'll add others from Buhner's protocol. I will

definitely let

folks

> > know my results!

> >

> > Wishing everyone pain-free days,

> > Glomer

> >

>