Evaluating a Child for Lyme Disease

[PacificMama]

For those of you parents already on this journey, and for those of you who might be considering the possibility that lyme or related pathogen(s) play a role in your child's illness, here is an excellent article. It is a fairly lengthy interview with Dr. Ann Corson -- one of the few exclusively pediatric lyme doctors in the country.

 

The article discusses how she would clinically evaluate a child, testing, treatments, congenital considerations, etc. It is VERY THOROUGH and DETAILED description of very specific symptoms and evaluation.

 

She practices in Pennsylvania. Here is the opening paragraph, followed by the link:

 

 

Saving Our Children: Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Tick-Borne Diseases

 

Dr. Ann Corson had nearly twenty years of experience as a primary care doctor when she was faced with one

of her most complex and challenging medical cases. Her only child was literally dying from an unidentified illness without clear answers. It took three years for her to more fully understand the illness that was ravaging her son's body. It was at that time that Dr. Corson realized "how totally inadequate my 'ivory-tower' medical education had been regarding tick-borne diseases." As a result of her own son's personal struggles with Lyme disease, Dr. Corson has emerged as one of the most respected Lyme-literate medical doctors (LLMDs) in the field.

 

After discovering the etiology of her son's mysterious illness, Dr. Corson feverishly read the scientific literature and studied with respected Lyme clinicians Dr. Joseph Burrascano, MD, and Dr. Charles Ray Jones, MD. She started her own practice devoted solely to the treatment of tick-borne diseases. Her mission has become to help "those mothers who otherwise would have to watch their children slowly decay without knowledgeable doctors."

 

http://www.publichealthalert.org/pdf/2009_10.pdf

Edited October 11, 2010 by PacificMama

[sf_mom]

Wow, thanks... a lot of good information.

 

-Wendy

[sptcmom]

Thanks so much. That is fantastic info. We have an appt with Dr Corson next month and this helps me understand where she comes from. She sounded very grounded yet confident in her approach when I spoke to her on the phone a few weeks ago and I was inspired right away. Im nervous about what else she will find in DS but am ready to go ahead with the healing process.

[PacificMama]

I also was very interested in that she really approaches things on such a holistic level. And that she understands so much about how many layered infections may be present when the body's immune system is compromised by lyme/other.

 

And this quote was interesting as well (sort of buried near the end):

 

 

Neurological or neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms are often the first and only signs of infection. They are also the most common indication of persistent infection after inadequate treatment.

 

 

Spctmom: I'll be interested to hear how your appointment with her goes.

Edited October 11, 2010 by PacificMama

[philamom]

I also was very interested in that she really approaches things on such a holistic level. And that she understands so much about how many layered infections may be present when the body's immune system is compromised by lyme/other.

 

And this quote was interesting as well (sort of buried near the end):

 

 

Neurological or neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms are often the first and only signs of infection. They are also the most common indication of persistent infection after inadequate treatment.

 

 

Spctmom: I'll be interested to hear how your appointment with her goes.

"persistent infection after inadequate treatment" -- I'm thinking that's what's going on with us. She goes on to say "it becomes more difficult to treat".

 

Thanks for posting this article!

Edited October 11, 2010 by philamom

[Suzan]

Wow, my dd's are being evaluated for lyme. My youngest dd has hemangiomia birthmarks. I am amazed that this is indicating that this could be a sign of lyme. I had never heard that before. Thank you for sharing.

 

Susan

[matis_mom]

Good article indeed! Reading it I realize both ds12 and dd10 have Babesia... more testing on the horizon!

[lyme_mom]

For those of you parents already on this journey, and for those of you who might be considering the possibility that lyme or related pathogen(s) play a role in your child's illness, here is an excellent article. It is a fairly lengthy interview with Dr. Ann Corson -- one of the few exclusively pediatric lyme doctors in the country.

 

The article discusses how she would clinically evaluate a child, testing, treatments, congenital considerations, etc. It is VERY THOROUGH and DETAILED description of very specific symptoms and evaluation.

 

She practices in Pennsylvania. Here is the opening paragraph, followed by the link:

 

 

Saving Our Children: Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Tick-Borne Diseases

 

Dr. Ann Corson had nearly twenty years of experience as a primary care doctor when she was faced with one

of her most complex and challenging medical cases. Her only child was literally dying from an unidentified illness without clear answers. It took three years for her to more fully understand the illness that was ravaging her son's body. It was at that time that Dr. Corson realized "how totally inadequate my 'ivory-tower' medical education had been regarding tick-borne diseases." As a result of her own son's personal struggles with Lyme disease, Dr. Corson has emerged as one of the most respected Lyme-literate medical doctors (LLMDs) in the field.

 

After discovering the etiology of her son's mysterious illness, Dr. Corson feverishly read the scientific literature and studied with respected Lyme clinicians Dr. Joseph Burrascano, MD, and Dr. Charles Ray Jones, MD. She started her own practice devoted solely to the treatment of tick-borne diseases. Her mission has become to help "those mothers who otherwise would have to watch their children slowly decay without knowledgeable doctors."

 

http://www.publichealthalert.org/pdf/2009_10.pdf

This is an excellent article! Thanks for posting. It really brings together so many complementary treatments (all of which we have utilized along the way). She sounds like a wonderful doctor. Mold is a really important factor with lyme. My llmd urged my sister to have her house tested b/c she wasn't getting better on the antibiotics. She discovered that she two forms of toxic mold in her house that was circulating through the ac system. She feels a lot better now that this has been removed. A friend in California told me that her husband's lyme doctor says he won't treat anyone with mold b/c they simply will not get better. They could not get rid of their mold and they are moving. It is interesting that Dr Corson uses the cd57 test (maybe this is just for older children) and she recommends supplementing with vitamin D (as does my llmd). This was the subject of another thread about the marshall protocol. EMT testing and elimination is also very helpful for some patients. We discovered that my son who was most sick with lyme was sleeping in a place where the emfs are higher than any place in the house (4800 and anything over 1500 is considered highly abnormal). We turned off the power to his room when he sleeps and it reduced the levels to 500. My kids' rooms are on the side of the house by the power boxes (cable, hvac, etc.). I read that smart meters make this even worse. These are meters that constantly broadcast from your meter to the power company. They have them in parts of San Fransisco I read. All this "progress" may be killing us :-). What Corson does is what holistic mds do to heal anyone who is sick (lyme, cancer, autism, etc.) It is overwhelming for a new lyme patient but it offers so many possible ways to help your child. It is fascinating. This is the future of medicine, although insurance may not cover it unfortunately.

[PacificMama]

For those of you parents already on this journey, and for those of you who might be considering the possibility that lyme or related pathogen(s) play a role in your child's illness, here is an excellent article. It is a fairly lengthy interview with Dr. Ann Corson -- one of the few exclusively pediatric lyme doctors in the country.

 

The article discusses how she would clinically evaluate a child, testing, treatments, congenital considerations, etc. It is VERY THOROUGH and DETAILED description of very specific symptoms and evaluation.

 

She practices in Pennsylvania. Here is the opening paragraph, followed by the link:

 

 

Saving Our Children: Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Tick-Borne Diseases

 

Dr. Ann Corson had nearly twenty years of experience as a primary care doctor when she was faced with one

of her most complex and challenging medical cases. Her only child was literally dying from an unidentified illness without clear answers. It took three years for her to more fully understand the illness that was ravaging her son's body. It was at that time that Dr. Corson realized "how totally inadequate my 'ivory-tower' medical education had been regarding tick-borne diseases." As a result of her own son's personal struggles with Lyme disease, Dr. Corson has emerged as one of the most respected Lyme-literate medical doctors (LLMDs) in the field.

 

After discovering the etiology of her son's mysterious illness, Dr. Corson feverishly read the scientific literature and studied with respected Lyme clinicians Dr. Joseph Burrascano, MD, and Dr. Charles Ray Jones, MD. She started her own practice devoted solely to the treatment of tick-borne diseases. Her mission has become to help "those mothers who otherwise would have to watch their children slowly decay without knowledgeable doctors."

 

http://www.publichealthalert.org/pdf/2009_10.pdf

This is an excellent article! Thanks for posting. It really brings together so many complementary treatments (all of which we have utilized along the way). She sounds like a wonderful doctor. Mold is a really important factor with lyme. My llmd urged my sister to have her house tested b/c she wasn't getting better on the antibiotics. She discovered that she two forms of toxic mold in her house that was circulating through the ac system. She feels a lot better now that this has been removed. A friend in California told me that her husband's lyme doctor says he won't treat anyone with mold b/c they simply will not get better. They could not get rid of their mold and they are moving. It is interesting that Dr Corson uses the cd57 test (maybe this is just for older children) and she recommends supplementing with vitamin D (as does my llmd). This was the subject of another thread about the marshall protocol. EMT testing and elimination is also very helpful for some patients. We discovered that my son who was most sick with lyme was sleeping in a place where the emfs are higher than any place in the house (4800 and anything over 1500 is considered highly abnormal). We turned off the power to his room when he sleeps and it reduced the levels to 500. My kids' rooms are on the side of the house by the power boxes (cable, hvac, etc.). I read that smart meters make this even worse. These are meters that constantly broadcast from your meter to the power company. They have them in parts of San Fransisco I read. All this "progress" may be killing us :-). What Corson does is what holistic mds do to heal anyone who is sick (lyme, cancer, autism, etc.) It is overwhelming for a new lyme patient but it offers so many possible ways to help your child. It is fascinating. This is the future of medicine, although insurance may not cover it unfortunately.

 

I have known about her, but just saw the article link posted on the lyme parent board for someone trying to determine if congenital lyme. I've just never seen such a thorough explanation of a clinical evaluation for pediatric lyme and other related infections. And of course you have to love any doctor, who is a mother herself, and has dealt with the same disease with her child!

 

Mold! That's our next step. I'm afraid of what we'll find...

[philamom]

What is the best way to check your house for mold? Our finished basement was flooded twice. The first time we didn't remove the padding/carpet. The 2nd time we had it replaced but I didn't see any visible signs of mold. I often wonder if there's mold behind the sheetrock. Should I invest in a "do it yourself test" or call a professional?

-Thanks

[lyme_mom]

I had someone come called canine mold patrol and it cost 325. Two air sample tests were included and she went through every room in he house with a water meter and then she brought the dog through. He alerted in a couple spots but there was not a big problem. The air sample was fine. You could start with an air sample test but I dont know where you buy them. This mold inspector gave me the name of the association she belongs to where u can find a canine mold inspector near you. I can find it and post it later. These dogs are trained like bomb dogs and they only alert to bad mold and they know exactly where it is

[philamom]

I had someone come called canine mold patrol and it cost 325. Two air sample tests were included and she went through every room in he house with a water meter and then she brought the dog through. He alerted in a couple spots but there was not a big problem. The air sample was fine. You could start with an air sample test but I dont know where you buy them. This mold inspector gave me the name of the association she belongs to where u can find a canine mold inspector near you. I can find it and post it later. These dogs are trained like bomb dogs and they only alert to bad mold and they know exactly where it is

Thank you lyme mom -- that would be great.

[lyme_mom]

It's www.EsaAssociation.com or you can email them at info@EsaAssociation.com. Good luck!

[PacificMama]

Up for newcomers...

[JuliaFaith]

What is the best way to check your house for mold? Our finished basement was flooded twice. The first time we didn't remove the padding/carpet. The 2nd time we had it replaced but I didn't see any visible signs of mold. I often wonder if there's mold behind the sheetrock. Should I invest in a "do it yourself test" or call a professional?

-Thanks

We started with petri dishes from a home improvement store. We did several rooms and sent in only one that showed much on it. We thought there was not much problem but when ds kept testing for mold (ART) we did an ERMI test. That was a shocker! We thought there was no mold and the test kept back pretty high for mold. It also listed the types of mold and amounts. After speaking to the company we found a couple of them were pretty high and unhealthy. We thought all mold had been removed from our house. Now in the middle of cleaning the house top to bottom and replacing kitchen counters/sinks/floors and bathroom tub/sink/floors we have found a bit more that we were unaware of. It almost seems that you need to remodel both kitchen/baths every 10-15 years just to make sure there is none there because it cannot always be seen.