(no subject)
Well..I...uh... Well, huh.
So a couple of months ago, my internist started talking about maybe treating me for Lyme disease. She says after the initial infection, sometimes Lyme can get into the cells and hide from blood tests. Treating it involves taking doxycycline for a long time. Blood tests, as expected, come back negative for Lyme. I figure this is a shot in the dark, but hey, may as well try it...nothing else is working. Right?
She sends me for a different test, one that tests for antibodies against Lyme (I think?)
Rheumatologist at Mayo Clinic literally bites himself trying not to say anything negative when I tell him the internist's proposal, says, "well, why don't you at least wait until you get the results of the 2nd blood test." Has me change a few things with other medication, which incidentally hasn't had any effect (darn, we were hoping). But I put off trying the doxycycline, waiting to hear back about the 2nd blood test.
Today I got the results of the 2nd blood test. "Your white blood count, specifically a selective lymphocyte associated with Lyme disease, is severely low."
I am gobsmacked. Maybe it's not a shot in the dark.
So a couple of months ago, my internist started talking about maybe treating me for Lyme disease. She says after the initial infection, sometimes Lyme can get into the cells and hide from blood tests. Treating it involves taking doxycycline for a long time. Blood tests, as expected, come back negative for Lyme. I figure this is a shot in the dark, but hey, may as well try it...nothing else is working. Right?
She sends me for a different test, one that tests for antibodies against Lyme (I think?)
Rheumatologist at Mayo Clinic literally bites himself trying not to say anything negative when I tell him the internist's proposal, says, "well, why don't you at least wait until you get the results of the 2nd blood test." Has me change a few things with other medication, which incidentally hasn't had any effect (darn, we were hoping). But I put off trying the doxycycline, waiting to hear back about the 2nd blood test.
Today I got the results of the 2nd blood test. "Your white blood count, specifically a selective lymphocyte associated with Lyme disease, is severely low."
I am gobsmacked. Maybe it's not a shot in the dark.