Hi Del, I live in northern California, the western Lyme capital, so I'm very familiar with Lyme disease and the protocols.
First, DON'T wait for a month til they do a test; if the health care providers you've contacted don't seem to know much about Lyme - they probably don't! The usual test is called the Western Blot test, and it's not particularly accurate, giving about 15% false negatives. Particularly if a person has been infected with the spirochete for less than three months it's about useless, the infection doesn't show up, and even after that it's easy to miss detection. So you're right, go after it right away, and don't count on the test results to tell you if she {still} has it. Also it isn't so common; not every tick bite will carry Lyme or Bartonella; no percentages on this, especially in that neck of the woods, but it's not a sure thing by a long shot. One of the best antibiotics recommended for Lyme (Borrelia Burgdorferii) is Bactrim DS (DS for double strength), another brand is Septra; its generic name is Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim, and there is a very small chance your wife may have a reaction to it. Not many do, but be aware that very occasionally someone will. It's possible to find sources for this antibiotic online without a prescription or you may be able to get it from a doc who is more familiar with the whole Lyme scene. If it were me - and it has been - I would take two Bactrim DS per day for AT LEAST ten days. If I'd shown the characteristic rash around the bite area I'd definitely do it for thirty days minimum. You can also take CS by mouth, about an ounce every couple of hours for the first day or so, then slow down to maybe three or four glugs a day and one more just before bed; This will help, but the ABX are critical. HTH, Malcolm On Sun, 2010-07-04 at 22:31 -0400, Del wrote: > Hi: > > My wife, Jane, was bitten by a tick while visiting her mother on Shelter > Island, one of the Lyme capitals of the world. > Anybody out there with knowledge of what should be done immediately to deal > with the possibility (probability?) of infection with Lyme? > My understanding is that if you catch it early, it is easier to eliminate, > but doctors here in Vermont don't know much about dealing with Lyme. > There is actually too much information on the web, if you can believe that, > she wants an answer fast and my head is spinning with the many Lyme articles > I have already read, none of which were targeted at what to do right away if > bitten. > > We were told here that you have to wait four weeks to test to see if you > have been exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme spirochete), and then the > test (not sure what test they are talking about) costs $200, is NOT covered > by Medicare or our health insurance, and may or may not be reliable. > Anybody know about that? > > Thanks, > Del > > > > > -- > The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. > Rules and Instructions: http://www.silverlist.org > > Unsubscribe: > <mailto:silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com?subject=unsubscribe> > Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/silver-list@eskimo.com/maillist.html > > Off-Topic discussions: <mailto:silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com> > List Owner: Mike Devour <mailto:mdev...@eskimo.com> > >