lyme disease

Neurologic lyme disease can cause symptoms that mimmick CIDP or are often mis-diagnosed as CIDP. If that is the case, then CIDP symptoms that are actually lyme disease will with resolve with high dose long term IV antibiotics.

I have chronic lyme, and was treated for a while with Iv and oral antibiotics and was getting better, in many ways. My balance continued to deteriorate, and my reflexes did not return, so I was referred to a neurologist by my lyme dr. I went through an extensive series of testing that you are all too familiar with, and was Dx’ed with CIDP in addition to lyme.

Scientist are finding in cases of chronic lyme disease that the lyme bacteria is continuously changing, or morphing in the body to avoid the host immune system, and one of the things that it does to to alter it’s outer surface protein. It has been recently found that one alteration of the outer surface protein has a very close reesmblence to myelin. It has been suggested in the scientific community that when this happens the immune system attacks it’s own myelin while trying to get rid of the chronic lyme.

So, this may be why I have CIDP… I had untreated lyme disease for many years and even when treated, the bacteria had become so savy that they morphed their outer surface protein into something very similar to my myelin.

I have known other with lyme disease and bartonella( a bacterial infection that frequently accompanies lyme) who have had CIDP symptoms that decrease and resolve with IV antibiotics.

All this said, I’m not Ryan’s doctor or mother…. Just sharing ideas.

Each time I see your posts I pray for Ryan and your family. I hope you find answers, and Ryan heals.

Erin