A good doctor to treat Lyme disease?

deer tick closeup cdcLaura asks via Facebook:

My husband was just diagnosed with Lyme disease after the ER doctor who saw him last week (when his temp reached nearly 105!!) spotted a tick bite that neither of us or his primary care physician noticed. We weren't such great fans of his PCP to begin with, but now we really want to find a better one. Not looking for infectious disease specialists, but a really good primary care or internal medicine physician who is especially Lyme literate would be a dream. ...
Anyone with Lyme have a doctor they really love?

This is an important question -- not only for Laura and her husband, but also because this region is part of zone along the East Coast where Lyme is particularly prevalent. And Lyme can be tricky to treat. (Chris Gibson is part of a group of elected officials pushing for increased federal funding for research and better testing for Lyme disease.)

Have a suggestion for Laura and her husband? Please share.

Earlier on AOA: The spread of Lyme disease

photo: CDC/Anna Perez

Comments

You might check out Dr. Ronald Stram in Delmar (Center for Integrative Health and Healing). Stram is both an alternative medicine doctor and a regular M.D. specializing in emergency medicine. Lately he has been giving workshops on Lyme Disease. The downside is that his office no longer takes insurance so you have to pay out of pocket. Still, it might be worth having a consultation visit with him.

So far I've dodged the Lyme Disease bullet, but I'm bit by ticks a couple of times a year. Good luck with your husband's treatment.

Not a doctor reply: But I want to give a recommendation for clothing to minimize tick issues. i got a tick bite 3 years ago and scoured the internet for clothing to protect me, and one of the North Carolina schools gave this clothing to their forestry people and got good results. I have not got a bite since, even though I did find a tick on the pants once. (Hoping with the clothing that they wouldn't go to my body and bite)
http://www.insectshield.com/

I don't have a doctor to recommend, but i did just read a well-written piece by Michael Specter in The New Yorker about Lyme. They profiled a woman from Saratoga Springs.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/07/01/130701fa_fact_specter

Sadly, there seem to be a lot more questions than answers when it comes to Lyme.

I just think it's odd that you don't have a visible link to your facebook page anywhere on this site. How are blog readers supposed to know it exists? I've been reading you sporadically for years and had no idea. Would have e-mailed you this privately, but I couldn't find a way of contacting you either. Am I missing something?

I would recommend my doctor, Grahame W. Fitz at Prime Care on Western Avenue. He has been my doctor (and my entire family's doctor) for well over 10 years. He diagnosed my mom's lyme disease without hesitation and very few signs. He is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. He actually talks to you and works with you on the best form of treatment and will listen to what you say and take it into consideration and not just think that he knows best.

I would recommend anyone at the Latham Med Peds clinic close to the airport. They are all Albany Med physicians and are personable as well as highly trained.

Dr. Steven Bock of Rhinebeck. He's a leading researcher in the field, using conventional and holistic practices. Only thing is that he doesn't take insurance (all out of pocket and it's pricey!)

Jennifer Baer-Enos. I register labwork from her all the time from tick-borne diseases and her patients really like her.

Dr. Stream doesn't participate in insurance.

Our pediatrician, Kari Bovenzi in Albany, knows a lot about Lyme Disease. She contracted it herself a few years ago, and this led to her doing tons of research and education on the matter. I will warn you that some of the treatment she and like-minded doctors provide for Lyme is controversial (Google her name and Lyme Disease). However, people contact her from miles and miles around because she knows so much. I don't know if she actually treats adults, but her office can probably provide a referral.

I've been looking for a dr that has knowledge on Lyme. I cant afford out of pocket so trying good luck in your search
I know I got it last year but don't know how ling I had it but I can tell you my ehole body aches. Fatigue My joints swell but my pcp states my lyme is gone. I wish there where more testing for this disease

I'm searching for a primary care physician who is able to diagnosis Lyme Disease. I really would prefer someone who takes insurance in the Schenectady/Albany area since treatment can be so expensive.

Dr. Elena Frid. A New York Neurologist specializes in autoimmune and Rick born illnesses. Out of insurances, but worth every penny. Saved my life and many others. Google her. There is a lot info about her

Good luck

Searching for a LYME LITERATE doctor in the Capital District, NY who accepts insurance. Have become increasingly ill over the last 3 years, and now have lost quality of life. My primary care doctor does not think I have lyme, and therefore has not tested for such. A myriad of other tests have come back negative. Recent research and symptom check lists places me in the category of very likely to have lyme. I understand it is difficult to diagnose and blood work often incorrect with many false negatives and positives. Any suggestions would be really appreciated, as I need to get a good evaluation while I can still walk. So exhausted and frustrated. Thank you !

Dr Stram is an LLMD just northeast of Albany. His name appears in a lot of the literature.
There are two Dr Bocks down near Delmar. Kenneth has listed some great educational credentials. I do not know Steven Bock.
I am tired of regular mainstream MDs. Neurologists, infectious disease, etc, if my first part of the le test comes back positive and the second part is equivocal, they consider it negative, per CDC guidelines.
I have heard that is a common reason why insurance companies fight paying, and many LLMDs don't accept insurance.

Many Lyme experts do not accept insurance, but some insurance companies will reburse you, at least in part, for care given by a non participating doctor if you submit a bill with the proper codes. It is not a guarantee, but it might help.

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