Thinking About Co-Infections: Erlichia

Sooo...I have just been thinking and noticing I haven't had any ice pick like feelings in my head that I normally get when I feel exhausted and tired. They are jabs throughout my brain and even when I got sick this past week I didn't get them. I am going to be getting some blood drawn this next week and usually after a blood draw I feel them. Which makes me wonder - did I have another co-infection that I didn't test positive for on the tests and we didn't know I had? Doxycycline, I believe treats erlichia and erlichia causes knife like headaches. Erlichia typically is eradicated quite quickly through taking Doxycycline. Bartonella suppresses immune function so did I not even test positive to Erlichia even though I was. These are the symptoms of Erlichia per Dr. Burrascano's 2008 Lyme Disease Guidelines:

EHRLICHIA/ANAPLASMA-

• · Rapid onset of initial illness with fever, headache, prostration.

• · Headaches are sharp, knife-like, and often behind the eyes.

• · Muscle pain, not joint pain, and can be mild or severe.

• · Low WBC count, elevated liver enzymes, and (rarely) inclusions seen in the WBCs.

• · Rarely see diffuse vasculitic rash, including palms and soles (less than 10%).

• · Rapid response to treatment.

  
  

  I don't have any of the other symptoms but the knife like headaches and a rapid response to treatment. Hmmmm....will have to read more on this. If I did indeed have it, good thing I took Doxy as it is a first line treatment. Maybe I have whacked off one co-infection already. Now if in the future, I get those headaches again...well, then I'll know I most likely never had it. Interesting stuff!!!!!

  
  

  I'm adding to this post because I just realized that I may have had the first symptom which is rapid onset with fever and prostration. In May of 2007 I became really sick. We were getting ready for a cross country trip where we would move from New York State to California. My mother in law flew out to help us move but because I had been so sick I hadn't gotten a thing packed. A ton of people from our church helped us pack up all our stuff. I was bone tired. Prostrate. I felt hit by a Mac truck and I couldn't lift a finger. Mi had never, ever felt that way with another sickness. Just the intense total weakness to not lift a finger. I am thinking...that may have been Erlichia. Maybe not but thinking it through it is a possibility.