Igenex Results

Well, Dear LLMD (Lymes Literate Medical Doctor) called today with the news on the recent Igenex (tick born disease specialty labs) tests and told me I have tested positive for Babesia, and Erlichiosis, but not for the Bartonella like we were thinking. One is treated with antibiotics and the other I have to be off antibiotics. So, we are dealing with the Lymes treatment first, and seeing how that goes for the next month or so. These things are normal in people with Lymes, and are called co-infections. Ticks are nasty little buggars and carry nasty (not so little) diseases. As most stories go, I do not remember EVER having a tick on me, but I used to go camping a lot as a child and was raised outdoors pretty much. You would not know it now, as I am an air conditioner (spoiled) baby these days!!

As for the headaches, I am still dealing with them. I called the neurologist today and he called me in a prescription for a pain/caffeine pill. It took some of the edge off, but the pressure is still there. I will give it a few days and call him back for a blood patch so I can get through this.

I still have no reports on the spinal tap or other 2 MRI's yet. I plan on calling then tomorrow and seeing if there are any results since my next appointment is not until next Wednesday.

Day 5......

Happy Memorial Day to those who are and have served in the services first of all!!

And on to the 5th day of spinal headache hell. I can't sit up for very long, as it starts to throb and feels like a freigh train's acomin'. It hurts my head to cough (and I still have congestion from the dang bronchitis), it hurts to bend over or lean in any direction, and to put any pressure like going to the bathroom. lifting myself out of the chair or off the couch, even sitting hurts trying to lower myself into a chair. I am afraid when I call tomorrow and talk to the Neuro, he is going to want me to go in and have a blood patch done. I do not want to do it because the cost, but life sucks when all you can do is sleep or lay down flat, especially when I have 2 small kids and homeschool them!!

That costs how much???

Well, it has been an expensive year so far. By the end of January I had already cleared my $500 deductible with the rheumatologist, and he did nothing for me but give me an NSAID (Mobic) that did nada for me and took a bunch of xrays that showed very little. (This was prior to me figuring out that mybe I was in a serious Lyme relapse.) He ran over $1000 of blood tests and told me eveything I had told him already.......go figure.



So, I go to the OB for a regular check up(on meds) and he gets into the Lyme stuff asking how I have been, and that is where this all started....... Boom, he says go get an MRI, it has been a few years. That was $300...the neuro follow up was $100, the meds from the OB were over $100 (for one month) plus all the supplements, which cost a bundle($$???), then 2 more MRI's and the spinal that were $200, and then the Igenex bill came(testing for co-infections)........$630. Yep, that one was straight outta our pockets, as Igenex is not on insurance. The poor Mastercard has taken a beating the past couple of months.

Today's appointment.....

went well. I mean I guess there was not much to talk about since the other MRIs are tomorrow. LLMD was just gauging how I was doing on my meds and supplements. I do not think I have seen much change yet, which it has only been 3 weeks on most of it so it is still early. He thinks I did have a "herx" reaction and that is good. Although it sucks when it is going on.....hard to deal with 2 kids when you do not want to get out of the bed because everything hurts and is tired. I was prodded at more today and more blood sucked out. He still has not heard from the last igenex test for the co-infections. That should come in any day.......

Tomorrow I will be poked (literally) for the spinal and prodded for more blood and more lovely shots of the neck and upper back.