RE: Re: Dr. Jemsek's license suspended for 1 year

[Guest guest]

Barb,

Just to add another piece of the puzzle –

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina has decided it will not pay for

longterm antibiotics for Lyme patients. This means that even if Jemsek backs

off on IV antibiotics, which he said he only used on worst cases, he will not

be able to prescribe the antibiotics needed for any of us unless we have our

own money. BC/BS is the insurance company that covers all state employees in

North and South Carolina.

I keep thinking there has to be some way

to protest this. It’s bigger than Jemsek getting his license suspended. Trouble

is, all the patients in the south with Lyme look like cfs, fms, MS, ALS, or

Alzheimers – needless to say, those groups of sick people are too sick to

protest or even think. Borrelia is a brain disease and we are losing ours.

a

Article said in part:

QUOTE

The decision came after two days of hearing testimony from patients

and medical experts before the 12-member board, which had accused the

Huntersville doctor of misdiagnosing at least 10 patients with Lyme

disease and inappropriately treating them antibiotics for months or

years.

END QUOTE... and that's even with and Fallon testifying on

his behalf. This is very sad. And it will effect how other Lyme

Drs. practice.

Soooooooo I ask myself...

Then why can't the Docs be prosecuted who misdiagnosed me

with 'Chomplex autoimmune Disorder " and would have inappropriately

treated me with steriods?

And I answer myself........

Because the medical community has established strict protocols for

diagnosis, safety rules AND treatment for their brand of diagnosis

which results in the protection THEMSELVES more than their patients.

We have one size fits all diagnoses and treatment -

which may work for some percentage of people, but an enormously

large portion fall out side that group ( the very old, the chronicly

infected- and the ones they can't figure out what's wrong).

it's to hell with them (or any one who helps them) - give 'em prozac

and send in the next patient.

Jaded as always,

Barb

[Guest guest]

All we have to remember is that Barb was vomiting sh*t

before her docs would actually listen to her.

penny

--- jellybelly92008 <herranenb@...> wrote:

> I too find this a sad state of affairs. Really,

> really a

> disappointment. It sounds that there may have been

> some issues with

> one of his patients and that is unfortunate, but

> that happens ALL

> the time and doctors don't get their licenses taken

> away because of

> it.

>

> Doctors in Hawaii under an HMO failed miserablly to

> diagnose my

> mom's bladder cancer. She finally went out side of

> the HMO, paid

> cash to another doc to finally get the diagnosis she

> was suspecting.

> Doctors still in practice.

>

> My husband spent a month with appendicitis without

> his doc being

> able to diagnose it. He didn't even try, prefered to

> talk about

> cars. Even recommended an enema in what turned out

> to be

> appendecitis. NEVER even did a WBC. Result husband

> ended up in

> hospital for 30 days with 2 major surgeries to clean

> up the

> infection mess when the appendix perferated. We

> attempted a lawsuit

> which turned up nothing and doctor is still in

> practice.

>

> No other doctors or specialists out there screaming

> to bring these

> doctors down.

>

> The reason this is happening goes far beyond a

> handful of doctors

> treating Lyme with long term ABX and having someone

> get an infection

> from the IVs.

>

>

>

>

> >

> >

> >

> > This time the south did not need the north to

> defeat them. They

> have

> > destroyed themselves. Some of you may recall that

> Dr.

> Lapp, a world

> > famous doctor in Charlotte, NC told me at the 2004

> AACFS

> conference that

> > Jemsek would go down.

> >

> >

> >

> > Why? Because the CDC refuses to admit and face up

> to the reality

> that there

> > is a massive epidemic of an infectious disease in

> the south.

> People there

> > who get " Lyme " disease are labeled with cfids and

> fms. Then they

> are placed

> > on klonopin and graded exercise a la Cheney and

> Lapp, or, if they

> can afford

> > it, they are told to join a local pool and buy a

> $1,000 chair to

> bounce in

> > to increase their blood flow. Antibiotics are

> anathema.

> >

> >

> >

> > If Dr. Jemsek had not written me a prescription

> for an antibiotic

> for

> > mycoplasma years before I knew I had borrelia, and

> years before

> Jemsek knew

> > people in the south had Lyme I would still be

> completely

> incapacitated but

> > still wandering around in my daffodil garden

> getting tick bites.

> >

> >

> >

> > My best friend in South Carolina cannot get up off

> her sofa. She

> has been

> > sick with fms for 20 years. Finally her

> rheumatologist decided to

> try her on

> > minocycline. For the first time in years the

> swelling in her hands

> went

> > down. We lived in a town of 10,000 if you count

> the farm folks. At

> fms

> > support group meetings 100 women would show up.

> There were dozens

> of cases

> > of MS.

> >

> >

> >

> > Have I mentioned that at that same AACFS

> conference the CDC

> representatives

> > smirked and stated that the borrelia infection

> found in the south

> causes a

> > mild, self-limiting disease that only lasts 3

> weeks? Of course,

> the Quest

> > lab tests are never positive for borrelia in these

> cases. Makes

> one wonder

> > where Jemsek was getting all his patients, doesn't

> it? Well, one

> would

> > wonder if one had the capacity to wonder.

> >

> >

> >

> > Dr. Jemsek is a hero, and we have just crucified

> him. I wonder

> what will

> > happen in " three days " this time? This is the end

> only if we allow

> it to be.

> >

> >

> >

> > a Carnes

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > http://www.charlott

> >

>

<http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/14830962.htm>

> > e.com/mld/observer/news/local/14830962.htm

> >

> >

> > Dr. Jemsek's license suspended for 1 year

> > Medical board cites problems with conduct, consent

> in Lyme cases

> > KAREN GARLOCH KGARLOCH@CHARLOTTEO

> <mailto:KGARLOCH@...>

> > BSERVER.COM

> > RALEIGH - The N.C. Medical Board decided Thursday

> to suspend for

> one year

> > the license of Dr. ph Jemsek, determining he

> acted

> unprofessionally in

> > his treatment of Lyme disease patients.

> >

> > The decision came after two days of hearing

> testimony from

> patients and

> > medical experts before the 12-member board, which

> had accused the

> > Huntersville doctor of misdiagnosing at least 10

> patients with

> Lyme disease

> > and inappropriately treating them antibiotics for

> months or years.

> >

> > But the board said that Jemsek, who's also known

> for his treatment

> of AIDS

> > patients, will maintain medical privileges until

> July, when he

> meets with

> > the board.

> >

> > Jemsek committed unprofessional conduct in the

> manner in which he

> treated

> > the 10 patients whose cases the board reviewed and

> also by

> breaching

> > informed consent, the decision said.

> >

> > Jemsek has practiced in the Charlotte area since

> 1979, first at

> the Nalle

> > Clinic in Charlotte and since 2000 at the Jemsek

> Clinic in

> Huntersville.

> >

> > At the hearing Thursday, Jemsek, 57, defended his

> approach to

> diagnosis and

> > treatment. His lawyer called two Lyme disease

> specialists from New

> York and

> > Connecticut who supported Jemsek's contention that

> standard tests

> for Lyme

> > disease are not reliable and that long-term

> antibiotic treatment is

> > necessary for patients with chronic Lyme symptoms.

> >

> > During his testimony, Jemsek acknowledged that his

> practice has

> evolved over

> > the years and that his office recently began using

> a new four-page

> form to

> > explain to patients that his practice differs from

> the standard

> used by

> > other N.C. physicians.

> >

> > He also acknowledged, under questioning by

> Charlotte board member

> Dr. Art

> > McCulloch, that his office could have done a

> better job of taking

> care of

> > one of the 10 patients, , when she

> called to

> complain about

> > symptoms that turned out to be a sepsis infection.

> >

> > , 32 of Huntersville, testified Wednesday

> that, while she

> was under

> > Jemsek's care, she developed five infections as a

> result of having

> catheters

> > in her arm and chest for delivering intravenous

> antibiotics for a

> year and a

> > half. When she called Jemsek's office about the

> last infection,

> she said a

> > nurse told her to take some antibiotics that were

> left from a

> previous

> > infection. She was later hospitalized with sepsis,

> and said she

> nearly died.

> >

> > " I'm disturbed about that too, " Jemsek told

> McCulloch on

> Thursday. " That's

> > not acceptable. " He said the clinic has a better

> system now.

> >

> > He also testified that, based on experience

> treating Lyme patients

> since

> > 2000, he would no longer continue patients on IV

> antibiotics if

> they have

> > developed one or two infections.

> >

> > The board heard from six patients -- both pleased

> and angered by

> Jemsek's

> > care -- and six physicians, including Jemsek.

> >

> > On Thursday, Dr. , a Connecticut

> internist who

> specializes in

> > Lyme disease, told the board he had reviewed the

> records of the 10

> Jemsek

> > patients in question, and he agreed with Jemsek's

> diagnosis of all

> 10.

> >

> > also said he agreed with Jemsek's use of

> long-term

> antibiotic

> > therapy in all 10 cases. But he added that he

> doesn't prescribe

> intravenous

> > antibiotics in his practice, partly because of the

> risk of

> infection. When

> > asked about ' case, said he would

> not have

> prescribed IV

> > antibiotics for her, especially because " it's not

> clear to me how

> much

> > better she was getting. "

> >

> > is a past president of the International

> Lyme and

> Associated

> > Diseases Society, a group of several hundred

> doctors, including

> Jemsek, who

> > specialize in Lyme disease and who believe

> patients should be

> treated with

> > antibiotics for longer than the four weeks

> recommended in the

> guidelines of

> > the larger and older Infectious Diseases Society

> of America.

> >

> > Also Thursday, Dr. Fallon, director of the

> Lyme disease

> research

> > program at Columbia University, described his

> recent research to

> determine

> > the effectiveness of long-term antibiotics for

> patients who

> continue to have

> > symptoms after a short-term treatment for Lyme

> disease.

> >

> > On average, he said, patients who took antibiotics

> for 10 weeks

> showed

> > significant improvement over those who took a

> placebo.

> >

> > Both and Fallon agreed with Jemsek's

> testimony that

> standard tests

> > for diagnosing Lyme are not reliable. That's why,

> they said, a Lyme

> > diagnosis should also be based on the presence of

> certain

> symptoms, such as

> > headache, joint pain, memory loss and confusion.

> >

> > Afterward, Fallon told the Observer that, as a

> physician, " your

> goal is to

> > help patients. If longer courses of treatment are

> helpful, then

> physicians

> > need to have the clinical freedom to provide

> that. "

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jelly, I have BC/BS and have all my

antibiotics covered – no questions asked ever. I am covered under a state

policy from South Carolina.

This denial of coverage is new and is, so far, only in North Carolina. I expect any day to find my

current antibiotic denied. We shall see.

a

Wonder if NOT calling it Lyme to get treatment would

work. I have

never had any problem getting any tests or ABX, antifungals, etc.

long term with Blue Shield in CA. When last I was in CA, I was

treated for systemic yeast and mycoplasma. I don't know if my doc

used FM as a diagnosis or mycoplasma, but they don't seem to have

the stigma that they used to, well at least FM is recognized,

although I don't know that ABX therapy is looked upon all that

highly.

This unfortunatly wouldn't help in getting Lyme recognized though.

[Guest guest]

I don't agree. Once the word starts spreading about

how many people are actually ill because of

infections, people would start looking more closely at

all kinds of infections, including the more difficult

to dx.

You're the exception if your doc is ordering testing &

abx tx. It's not the norm anywhere.

penny

--- jellybelly92008 <herranenb@...> wrote:

> Wonder if NOT calling it Lyme to get treatment would

> work. I have

> never had any problem getting any tests or ABX,

> antifungals, etc.

> long term with Blue Shield in CA. When last I was in

> CA, I was

> treated for systemic yeast and mycoplasma. I don't

> know if my doc

> used FM as a diagnosis or mycoplasma, but they don't

> seem to have

> the stigma that they used to, well at least FM is

> recognized,

> although I don't know that ABX therapy is looked

> upon all that

> highly.

>

> This unfortunatly wouldn't help in getting Lyme

> recognized though.

>

>

>

> >

> > Barb,

> >

> > Just to add another piece of the puzzle - Blue

> Cross/Blue Shield

> of North

> > Carolina has decided it will not pay for longterm

> antibiotics for

> Lyme

> > patients. This means that even if Jemsek backs off

> on IV

> antibiotics, which

> > he said he only used on worst cases, he will not

> be able to

> prescribe the

> > antibiotics needed for any of us unless we have

> our own money.

> BC/BS is the

> > insurance company that covers all state employees

> in North and

> South

> > Carolina.

> >

> >

> >

> > I keep thinking there has to be some way to

> protest this. It's

> bigger than

> > Jemsek getting his license suspended. Trouble is,

> all the patients

> in the

> > south with Lyme look like cfs, fms, MS, ALS, or

> Alzheimers -

> needless to

> > say, those groups of sick people are too sick to

> protest or even

> think.

> > Borrelia is a brain disease and we are losing

> ours.

> >

> >

> >

> > a

> >

> > Article said in part:

> > QUOTE

> > The decision came after two days of hearing

> testimony from

> patients

> > and medical experts before the 12-member board,

> which had accused

> the

> > Huntersville doctor of misdiagnosing at least 10

> patients with

> Lyme

> > disease and inappropriately treating them

> antibiotics for months

> or

> > years.

> > END QUOTE... and that's even with and

> Fallon testifying

> on

> > his behalf. This is very sad. And it will effect

> how other Lyme

> > Drs. practice.

> >

> > Soooooooo I ask myself...

> > Then why can't the Docs be prosecuted who

> misdiagnosed me

> > with 'Chomplex autoimmune Disorder " and would have

> inappropriately

> > treated me with steriods?

> >

> > And I answer myself........

> > Because the medical community has established

> strict protocols for

> > diagnosis, safety rules AND treatment for their

> brand of diagnosis

> > which results in the protection THEMSELVES more

> than their

> patients.

> >

> > We have one size fits all diagnoses and treatment

> -

> > which may work for some percentage of people, but

> an enormously

> > large portion fall out side that group ( the very

> old, the

> chronicly

> > infected- and the ones they can't figure out

> what's wrong).

> > it's to hell with them (or any one who helps them)

> - give 'em

> prozac

> > and send in the next patient.

> >

> > Jaded as always,

> > Barb

> >

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Barb,

On the positive side, you have helped a

lot of people. Your life was meant to continue – the flip side of “jaded.”

a

Penny's right.

in 1975, when I was 28, I had adhesions from a previous operation

loop 2 sections of my intestine. It doubled me over & had 4 trips to

the ER in 4 days..

lost 28 lbs in 4 days, stomach distended out to looking 9 months

pregnant, throwing up and no bowel sounds....

And they were mis- reading the Xrays.. and the Docs told me I had

***hysterical pregnancy*** and sent me home..

That night I vomited up sh*t.. had an out of body experience, and was

rushed back to the ER... I was in very bad shape for 6 weeks after

that.

So I have reason to be jaded.

Barb

..

[Guest guest]

Tony,

This will not be a problem for me as I

have a son who does business in China

on a regular basis. But the thousands of folks in the the US who depend

on Blue Cross for their drug coverage are going to be in trouble. Obviously

North Carolinians already are.

Do you know anything about purchase of

melanocyte stimulating hormone or alpha MSH? I understand it is about to be

sold in Australia

and is already available in Chine.

a

Well a

You should make arrangements to get your drugs from outside of your

insurance company. When insurance is involved cheap old drugs that

have been around forever are still way overpriced in the USA.I made

sure that I got all my drugs outsuide the system cause I hjust

wanted a gurarnteed supply with no hang ups. Drugs that are 23

dollars thru the insurabnce, govt medicine plan I have negotiated

privately for 10 dollars a script without insurance govt

susbidy.Plus I get private scriptss that remain between me and my

doctor so there's no chance of anyone knocking on his or my door.

tony

[Guest guest]

Can I hear an AMEN???

penny

--- a Carnes <pj7@...> wrote:

> Barb,

>

> On the positive side, you have helped a lot of

> people. Your life was meant

> to continue - the flip side of " jaded. "

>

[Guest guest]

So are you going to buy some? Try some? Will you

please keep us posted, or can you find a way to

connect some locals to a Chinese supplier?

thx,

penny

--- a Carnes <pj7@...> wrote:

> Tony,

>

> This will not be a problem for me as I have a son

> who does business in China

> on a regular basis. But the thousands of folks in

> the the US who depend on

> Blue Cross for their drug coverage are going to be

> in trouble. Obviously

> North Carolinians already are.

>

>

>

> Do you know anything about purchase of melanocyte

> stimulating hormone or

> alpha MSH? I understand it is about to be sold in

> Australia and is already

> available in Chine.

>

>

>

> a

>

>

>

> Well a

> You should make arrangements to get your drugs from

> outside of your

> insurance company. When insurance is involved cheap

> old drugs that

> have been around forever are still way overpriced in

> the USA.I made

> sure that I got all my drugs outsuide the system

> cause I hjust

> wanted a gurarnteed supply with no hang ups. Drugs

> that are 23

> dollars thru the insurabnce, govt medicine plan I

> have negotiated

> privately for 10 dollars a script without insurance

> govt

> susbidy.Plus I get private scriptss that remain

> between me and my

> doctor so there's no chance of anyone knocking on

> his or my door.

> tony

>

>

>

>