LUD,
I am sorry to hear that some of the patients get you frustrated, but this is something I care very deeply about; hence, my post. I would like to find out more (if you are amenable) about which tests other than culture you might use to screen for acute or chronic bacterial infections, especially Lyme. We should probably move to this private messaging, but whatever works for you is fine with me.
You may recall that I suffered greatly for years with a “sub-clinical” bacterial infection (mycoplasma pneumonia). I saw more than 20 different types of doctors in a 2 year period. I finally learned about chronic bacterial infections and PCR (1st generation molecular diagnostics), which my PCP used to confirm the infection --which at that point was systemic. Why did I have to beg my doctor to consider PCR? If I didn’t, I’d probably be dead now. Or wish that I was. There's no way to describe the agony that affected every part of my body; cardiovascular, neuromuscular, skeletal, etc.
Unfortunately, I can relate to most Lyme patients and their suffering because of the constraints in the system – there’s a big reluctance to use PCR (and even more advanced) diagnostics on very sick patients. There’s even more of a problem recognizing chronic bacterial infections (primarily biofilms). I hope and pray that doctors move away from cultures into the “modern” world so that fewer patients fall through the cracks.
Lastly, there’s no question that many microbes can and do effect the nervous system -- including the brain. Some actually have a proclivity for neural tissue, as I learned in my research & interviews. Think about how Treponema pallidum causes syphilis, even neurosyphilis; which is similar to how Borrelia invades the human brain. This has since been well documented by Dr. Alan McDonald et al.
Hope these links are of interest or value to members:
- Why Lyme becomes hard to treat or “chronic:” Evaluation of in-vitro antibiotic suscept... [Infect Drug Resist. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI
- Off topic, but related: Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, there’s an article that proposes a link between Strep throat and behavioral issues: Does Strep Throat Trigger Serious Ills? - WSJ.com
- Solid documentary on Lyme disease: Under our Skin | An Infectious New Film