Went to get tested for lyme today

September 7, 2011

Thanks for the suggestion to be tested for lyme. I had the blood draw today,

and the P.A. I saw (my primary is a PITA she is never around, I'd rather see the

PA) was not at all surpised I was asking for a lyme test, he seems to have seen

a lot of lyme. He did an EKG because he said one of the first symptoms can be

" heart block. " I actually had some shortness of breathe a couple months ago

that was freaking me out. Gone now though.

Feeling extremely creepy crawly today. He wouldn't give me oral ivermectin. He

said it's very harsh stuff and without evidence of burrows no way would he give

it to me. Looked at my skin and didn't see anything. I feel things crawling on

my face and head.

This is depressing me because over the weekend I got a dehumidifer for the

upstairs and I thought the cats were itching less, and me too. But I also gave

the cats sulfur bathes last week. I am supposed to do it weekly which would mean

I would have done it again last night but I didn't. I didn't see immediately

improvement in them, it was a horrible mess, I couldn't keep them from licking

it off and getting sick so I'm afraid of what it might do to them from

ingestion, and also I had a reaction to it myself that lasted several days. Not

such a big deal but contactj dermatitis all over my torso where I'd held the wet

cat next to me and it didn't go away for like, 6 days.

I was hoping keeping the humidity at 40% would reduce their activity, but today

we are ALL itching like crazy again. It's been raining outside and when I got

home the humidifier was full and the humidity was over 80%. It's back down to

45% now but omg we are all feeling the crawling.

I can't use toxic stuff because of them. I got a new washer and drying over the

weekend too because my dryer was broken and I was having to lug laundry blocks

to the laundramat. So now it's more convenient to do daily laundry, but I can't

do the couch cushions daily. I'm wondering if I should throw the couch out or

at least put it in the basement. How long can these things live without

something to feed on?

Theoretically if it is scabies like I had before my cats should not be attacked

like this.

I don't want to keep giving them Revolution (selamectin, an ivermectin

derivative) because it, too, failed to work after 3 treatments. I don't want to

give systemic drugs to them if it won't work.

I am wondering if I could find someone with a very big magnifying glass to

actually see what these things are and give us a definitive diagnosis.

In the thick of it here.

Stefani

September 7, 2011

Stefani-Lyme is a clinical diagnosis, half the time tests come out negative and you still have it. Shortness of breath is Babesia, the skin sensations Bartonella. A Lyme literate doc can treat those infections. Aandraya On Sep 7, 2011, at 9:57 PM, KarmaWillGetYou <stefani@...> wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion to be tested for lyme. I had the blood draw today, and the P.A. I saw (my primary is a PITA she is never around, I'd rather see the PA) was not at all surpised I was asking for a lyme test, he seems to have seen a lot of lyme. He did an EKG because he said one of the first symptoms can be "heart block." I actually had some shortness of breathe a couple months ago that was freaking me out. Gone now though.

Feeling extremely creepy crawly today. He wouldn't give me oral ivermectin. He said it's very harsh stuff and without evidence of burrows no way would he give it to me. Looked at my skin and didn't see anything. I feel things crawling on my face and head.

This is depressing me because over the weekend I got a dehumidifer for the upstairs and I thought the cats were itching less, and me too. But I also gave the cats sulfur bathes last week. I am supposed to do it weekly which would mean I would have done it again last night but I didn't. I didn't see immediately improvement in them, it was a horrible mess, I couldn't keep them from licking it off and getting sick so I'm afraid of what it might do to them from ingestion, and also I had a reaction to it myself that lasted several days. Not such a big deal but contactj dermatitis all over my torso where I'd held the wet cat next to me and it didn't go away for like, 6 days.

I was hoping keeping the humidity at 40% would reduce their activity, but today we are ALL itching like crazy again. It's been raining outside and when I got home the humidifier was full and the humidity was over 80%. It's back down to 45% now but omg we are all feeling the crawling.

I can't use toxic stuff because of them. I got a new washer and drying over the weekend too because my dryer was broken and I was having to lug laundry blocks to the laundramat. So now it's more convenient to do daily laundry, but I can't do the couch cushions daily. I'm wondering if I should throw the couch out or at least put it in the basement. How long can these things live without something to feed on?

Theoretically if it is scabies like I had before my cats should not be attacked like this.

I don't want to keep giving them Revolution (selamectin, an ivermectin derivative) because it, too, failed to work after 3 treatments. I don't want to give systemic drugs to them if it won't work.

I am wondering if I could find someone with a very big magnifying glass to actually see what these things are and give us a definitive diagnosis.

In the thick of it here.

Stefani

September 7, 2011

OK I hear you. Can you guys post the name of the Washington DC area lyme

literate doctor again? I'm sorry I know you did that before for me.

I will contact them.

I am really not insane; I am worried about people thinking I am imagining it.

ly, if it were just me I might doubt my sanity, but the cats are licking

and biting their fur off their feet and ears, and scratching relentlessly so

they are validating my own sensations through objective observation.

I'm desperate to help them too.

stefani

Stefani

>

> > Thanks for the suggestion to be tested for lyme. I had the blood

> > draw today, and the P.A. I saw (my primary is a PITA she is never

> > around, I'd rather see the PA) was not at all surpised I was asking

> > for a lyme test, he seems to have seen a lot of lyme. He did an EKG

> > because he said one of the first symptoms can be " heart block. " I

> > actually had some shortness of breathe a couple months ago that was

> > freaking me out. Gone now though.

> >

> > Feeling extremely creepy crawly today. He wouldn't give me oral

> > ivermectin. He said it's very harsh stuff and without evidence of

> > burrows no way would he give it to me. Looked at my skin and didn't

> > see anything. I feel things crawling on my face and head.

> >

> > This is depressing me because over the weekend I got a dehumidifer

> > for the upstairs and I thought the cats were itching less, and me

> > too. But I also gave the cats sulfur bathes last week. I am supposed

> > to do it weekly which would mean I would have done it again last

> > night but I didn't. I didn't see immediately improvement in them, it

> > was a horrible mess, I couldn't keep them from licking it off and

> > getting sick so I'm afraid of what it might do to them from

> > ingestion, and also I had a reaction to it myself that lasted

> > several days. Not such a big deal but contactj dermatitis all over

> > my torso where I'd held the wet cat next to me and it didn't go away

> > for like, 6 days.

> >

> > I was hoping keeping the humidity at 40% would reduce their

> > activity, but today we are ALL itching like crazy again. It's been

> > raining outside and when I got home the humidifier was full and the

> > humidity was over 80%. It's back down to 45% now but omg we are all

> > feeling the crawling.

> >

> > I can't use toxic stuff because of them. I got a new washer and

> > drying over the weekend too because my dryer was broken and I was

> > having to lug laundry blocks to the laundramat. So now it's more

> > convenient to do daily laundry, but I can't do the couch cushions

> > daily. I'm wondering if I should throw the couch out or at least put

> > it in the basement. How long can these things live without something

> > to feed on?

> >

> > Theoretically if it is scabies like I had before my cats should not

> > be attacked like this.

> >

> > I don't want to keep giving them Revolution (selamectin, an

> > ivermectin derivative) because it, too, failed to work after 3

> > treatments. I don't want to give systemic drugs to them if it won't

> > work.

> >

> > I am wondering if I could find someone with a very big magnifying

> > glass to actually see what these things are and give us a definitive

> > diagnosis.

> >

> > In the thick of it here.

> >

> > Stefani

> >

>

September 7, 2011

You're in DC?! You have one of the best Lyme docs in the world- Dr. Jemsek. I know people here in Minnesota who fly out to see him. He's very comitted, will stick with you until you're fully recovered. The Jemsek Clinic. Watch the movie Under Our Skin, it's an amazing movie about Lyme. He's in there. I think you can still view it for free on Hulu.com.AandrayaOn Sep 7, 2011, at 11:30 PM, KarmaWillGetYou <stefani@...> wrote:

OK I hear you. Can you guys post the name of the Washington DC area lyme literate doctor again? I'm sorry I know you did that before for me.

I will contact them.

I am really not insane; I am worried about people thinking I am imagining it. ly, if it were just me I might doubt my sanity, but the cats are licking and biting their fur off their feet and ears, and scratching relentlessly so they are validating my own sensations through objective observation.

I'm desperate to help them too.

stefani

Stefani

>

> > Thanks for the suggestion to be tested for lyme. I had the blood

> > draw today, and the P.A. I saw (my primary is a PITA she is never

> > around, I'd rather see the PA) was not at all surpised I was asking

> > for a lyme test, he seems to have seen a lot of lyme. He did an EKG

> > because he said one of the first symptoms can be "heart block." I