Lyme Dr in Australia

RustyJ

RustyJ

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I live in Brisbane. Is anyone being successfully treated by a doctor for Lyme in Brisbane or Australia in general?
 
heapsreal

heapsreal

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dr deed at cooparoo could be of some help, he sort of specialises in cfs. He has also had some patients in the past use the marshall protocol which involves different antibiotics, so he would be familiar with the meds needed to treat lyme. He's at mediwell on old cleveland rd.

cheers!!!
 
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taniaaust1

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Ive heard that lyme isnt in Australia so not something we have to worry about. (let me know if that was wrong).

There are thou other tick bourne things here thou eg Rickettsia and you should be tested for that. My CFS specialist found that half of his CFS patients have Rickettsia (im in Sth Australia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickettsia
.........

I just looked up what tests my specialist ordered for that for anyone else who wants to ask their doctors.
It was "Rickettsial serology" this tested for .. Spotted fever group (R ricketsii), Typhus group (R. prowazekii) as well as Scrub typhus (O. tsutsugamushi)
 
Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard

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taniaaust1 said:
Ive heard that lyme isnt in Australia so not something we have to worry about. (let me know if that was wrong).
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On the other hand, some of us have lived overseas in far flung places such as New London, CT. ;)

I never had the rash and have tested negative on serology (once, though I'm not sure how great the Aussie tests are), so I probably don't have it, but it was certainly possible.
 
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taniaaust1

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Andrew1 said:
On the other hand, some of us have lived overseas in far flung places such as New London, CT. ;)
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:p yeah.. my comment was meant in regards to catching it in Australia. There are bound to be some in Australia with Lyme due to catching it overseas.. and chronic lyme may be in the body for decades
 
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taniaaust1

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jonc said:
This article appeared in the SMH earlier this week. It seems that some people do think Lyme is in Australia. It also references a GP who says he is treating several Lyme cases.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/court-grants-lyme-disease-autopsy-20100719-10hyx.html
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Interesting article thanks for sharing. Those lyme rumors have been about for at least 10 years but its yet to be ever confirmed a case of someone actually catching it in Australia.

That guy in the article who died of something.. it doesnt say if he's ever been overseas. And if you research lyme.. The way his illness went.. isnt how (if you research) lyme is said to go. He had no symptoms by the sounds of it before he started to get paralyses.. and that paralyses happened only 6 weeks after the bite. Paralyses dont happen till late stage lyme and I cant find anything online saying that late stage lyme can happen after only 6 weeks. (late stage lyme can occur after several months at the quickest time).

Stage 1: Early localized infection

Common bullseye rash pattern associated with Lyme disease
Characteristic "bulls-eye" rash caused by Lyme diseaseThe classic sign of early local infection with Lyme disease is a circular, outwardly expanding rash called erythema chronicum migrans (also erythema migrans or EM), which occurs at the site of the tick bite three to thirty days after the tick bite.[20][21] The rash is red, and may be warm, but is generally painless. Classically, the innermost portion remains dark red and becomes indurated; the outer edge remains red; and the portion in between clears, giving the appearance of a bullseye. However, partial clearing is uncommon, and the bullseye pattern more often involves central redness.[22]

Erythema migrans is thought to occur in about 80% of infected patients.[21] Patients can also experience flu-like symptoms such as headache, muscle soreness, fever, and malaise.[23] Lyme disease can progress to later stages even in patients who do not develop a rash.[24]

[edit] Stage 2: Early disseminated infection
Within days to weeks after the onset of local infection, the borrelia bacteria may begin to spread through the bloodstream. Erythema chronicum migrans may develop at sites across the body that bear no relation to the original tick bite.[25] Another skin condition, which is apparently absent in North American patients but occurs in Europe, is borrelial lymphocytoma, a purplish lump that develops on the ear lobe, nipple, or scrotum.[26] Other discrete symptoms include migrating pain in muscles, joint, and tendons, and heart palpitations and dizziness caused by changes in heartbeat.

Acute neurological problems, which appear in 15% of untreated patients, encompass a spectrum of disorders.[23] These include facial palsy, which is the loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face, as well as meningitis, which involves severe headaches, neck stiffness, and sensitivity to light. Radiculoneuritis causes shooting pains that may interfere with sleep as well as abnormal skin sensations. Mild encephalitis may lead to memory loss, sleep disturbances, or mood changes. In addition, some case reports have described altered mental status as the only symptom seen in a few cases of early neuroborreliosis.[27]

[edit] Stage 3: Late persistent infection

After several months, untreated or inadequately treated patients may go on to develop severe and chronic symptoms that affect many parts of the body, including the brain, nerves, eyes, joints and heart. Myriad disabling symptoms can occur, including permanent paraplegia in the most extreme cases.[28]

Chronic neurologic symptoms occur in up to 5% of untreated patients.[23] A polyneuropathy that involves shooting pains, numbness, and tingling in the hands or feet may develop. A neurologic syndrome called Lyme encephalopathy is associated with subtle cognitive problems, such as difficulties with concentration and short-term memory. These patients may also experience profound fatigue.[29] However, other problems such as depression and fibromyalgia are no more common in people who have been infected with Lyme than in the general population.[29][30] Chronic encephalomyelitis, which may be progressive, can involve cognitive impairment, weakness in the legs, awkward gait, facial palsy, bladder problems, vertigo, and back pain. In rare cases untreated Lyme disease may cause frank psychosis, which has been mis-diagnosed as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Panic attack and anxiety can occur, also delusional behavior, including somatoform delusions, sometimes accompanied by a depersonalization or derealization syndrome, where the person begins to feel detached from themselves or from reality.[31][32]

Lyme arthritis usually affects the knees.[33] In a minority of patients arthritis can occur in other joints, including the ankles, elbows, wrist, hips, and shoulders. Pain is often mild or moderate, usually with swelling at the involved joint. Baker's cysts may form and rupture. In some cases joint erosion occurs.
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Im not sure if you realise but false postives sometimes occur in lyme (I cant remember why now but i was reading about that in past when ive researched this illness... contamination?? or the agents reacting to something other than lyme?). There is also a common issue with people reading lyme tests wrong, ive heard a few times of doctors doing that in America and thinking that one bar on a lyme test is a postive result when it isnt (one needs a certain number of bars to indicate it's positive). Maybe this guys partner dont know how to read the lyme test which came back?

That other guy mentioned in the article who has a few lyme patients.. who knows but maybe they've come from overseas. Ive also heard of some diagnosing lyme just on symptoms rather then proper tests.. shrugs.. maybe he's doing that?

I'll believe it when a case of lyme which has been caught in Australia is actually confirmed. Why even thou this story has been going about for years that it is in Australia.. why hasnt our health authorities been able to confirm a case which was definately from here yet thou they've investigated them.

(im a sceptic :p )
 
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