Aggie103c Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 Can anyone tell me a little more about the stretch mark looking lines that may be indicative of lyme? My ds has them on his chest and back near his armpits. He was bench pressing for a short whilevand thought it was from that. He also has had a headache for one year along with intermittent joint pain, debilitating fatigue, depression , anxiety. He has appointment with LLMD on Thursday. Any info is appreciated. Thanks, Aggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfran Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 That kind of stretch mark is usually indicative of bartonella. You can google pictures of bartonella to see what others have reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfarrell Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 My daughter has stretch marks like that (and many of the symptoms you mentioned your son having) and was diagnosed with Bartonella a month ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdmom Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 All of the symptoms you mentioned are indicative of Bartonella. My LLMD diagnosed my daughter with Bartonella just because of her red "stretch" marks. They are the hallmark feature of Bart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeskneesmommy Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 It does sound like Bartonella. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowingmom Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 (edited) I agree, a classic symptom of bartonella. Although DD has never had them, she did test positive for bartonella hensalae. Headaches can also be a symptom. I think people need to stop focusing so much on lyme results and concentrate on the coinfections (babesia, bartonella, mycoplasma, ehrlichia, RMSF etc). These are the bacteria that are causing the real problems, JMHO. Glad you're seeing a LLMD. Edited October 25, 2013 by rowingmom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowPow Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 How do you differentiate between normal and bartonella stretch marks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowingmom Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 (edited) Here are some good examples: http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php/resources/medical-photos/category/27-bartonella Normal "stretch marks" can be found in areas that have stretched significantly - ie, expanding belly or thighs of someone who has put on large amounts of weight or girth through pregnancy or weight gain. I wouldn't think having stretch marks on the upper back, for example, would be usual. And I don't think they would be normally found in chidren. Bartonella stretch marks are usually a red - dark red colour and look like blood is trapped under the skin. Normal stretch marks resolve to a silver colour, while bartonella stretch marks just come and go. Here are some pregnancy stretch marks for comparison: http://pregnancy.about.com/od/stretchmarks/ig/Stretch-Marks-Photo-Gallery/ The main consideration would probably be, has the area of skin stretched enough to produce the tissue damage you are observing, or are the marks in an atypical area? Edited October 25, 2013 by rowingmom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie103c Posted October 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 Thank you rowingmom! The pics #3 and #5 look exactly like what my ds has. Can't wait for that appointment. How long to see relief of symptoms given the corect antibiotics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowingmom Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 I won't kid you. It is a long haul. Many different abx combos and protocols. We tried to wean twice during the 2 years DD was in treatment and relapsed both times. It wasn't until our LLMD suggested treating for babesia along with bartonella that DD found real healing. DD had tested negative for babesia, but perhaps the malaria abx addressed some other protozoan infection that we hadn't tested for. We saw real improvements after about 6 months, but weren't able to hold onto them until 2 years worth of abx treatment, some of which was trial and error on the part of the LLMD. Pay attention to detox/MTHFR and inflammation. Proper dosing of Japanese knotweed was very helpful with herxing and just general healing for DD. Probiotics are essential. Having a visual chart of symptoms vs protocol is EXTREMELY helpful for both yourself and the doctors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie103c Posted October 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 I understand rowingmom as he has been very sick for one year - missed school for one year so far. I believe he has had PANDAS/PANS for 4 years though. It would be nice to get him back to life in the real world. Just to have that glimmer of hope that something is on the horizon is very uplifting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trintiybella Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 I am a bit confused. Rowingmom...the website you posted has stretch marks on pregnant women, that I can see. Not sure why Aggie is saying that it is what she is seeing on her child and that she can't wait for doctors appointment. (I am probably missing something.) The stretch marks on those pregnant bellies look my daughters (exactly) and Dr. J. said they were bartonella rash. Now I am not so sure. Perhaps they are just from gaining a bit of weight. They are on back of her legs, just below her bumm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeny Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Aggie it has taken us a good 1.5 years of treatment, and a bit of changing it up to find the right combos. It is a bit bumpy but you can get it under control. My advice is start slow. I waited about 5-6 months to add supplements, partially out of fear of using them and partially because I thought giving the abx time to work alone would give me a better chance with the supplements. I did see a lot of improvement after adding supps, and it's hard to know if I had the right approach or not. Our LLD likened it to a marathon, you start slow and then pick up the pace as you get further in. Bart takes a good long while to get at, and strong medication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowingmom Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 I am a bit confused. Rowingmom...the website you posted has stretch marks on pregnant women, that I can see. Not sure why Aggie is saying that it is what she is seeing on her child and that she can't wait for doctors appointment. (I am probably missing something.) The stretch marks on those pregnant bellies look my daughters (exactly) and Dr. J. said they were bartonella rash. Now I am not so sure. Perhaps they are just from gaining a bit of weight. They are on back of her legs, just below her bumm. Trinitiybella, they do look similar in the pictures. The first website was pictures of bartonella marks, the second of pregnancy stretch marks. What I mentioned was that stretch marks in areas of the body that haven't stretched significantly (like a pregnant belly does while expanding quickly) may be indicative of bartonella. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfarrell Posted October 26, 2013 Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 It seems really tough to tell the difference with the stretch marks. My daughter's are on her lower belly and her arms. They are quite prominent. She's had them for years, and our pediatrician and our dermatologist told me they were just stretch marks. It wasn't until we finally got to Dr. B that he told us they were Bart. My daughter has been on two different ABX for about two months. Many of her ADD symptoms have significantly subsided. She still has major aches and pains and anxiety. Janny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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