Eugene OR and doctors and Lyme disease (dermatologists, university)

[cave76]

Good town. Weather could be a little less rainy, but I found out that the rain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

But----- if you have Lyme disease or think you might have it----- do not expect to receive proper treatment in Eugene (or in the rest of OR).

It's written into the Oregon Medical Board that doctor's are REQUIRED to report a doctor that is 'putting a patient's health at risk'.
That can mean that a doctor might be intoxicated while treating a patient or writing a prescription for too large a dose of a potentially dangerous (but necessary) medication---- all good reasons for reporting another doctor.

http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/676.html
See 676.150(1)(d) & 676.150(2)

In the case of Lyme disease it just means giving a person with Lyme disease 'long term' antibiotics. Doctors are forced to follow the Infectious Disease Society of America's too stringent protocol (often just 30 days) for treating Lyme. That would be acceptable and probably effective if the patient had been bitten by an infected tick only a few days before starting antibiotics. But not for those who have, for one reason or another, had to wait months or years before being treated.

So doctors in OR (even those who probably know how ineffective that is) are afraid to even utter the word 'Lyme' for fear of being reported by their colleagues and lose their license. Pretty picture, isn't it?

So, if you have Lyme disease and want to move to this nice town----- be sure you can afford to travel out of state for treatment as so many have to.

Or go untreated.

[cave76]

More information about Oregon and Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease in the state of Oregon

Oregon ranks as one of the worst states in the nation to get help for Lyme disease. Over one-fourth of the state’s population is enrolled in HMO’s and standards of care seem to be determined by these entities, Kaiser in particular, and their financial influence on the state’s medical university, Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners, which includes two members who are not even doctors or in any way involved in medicine, appears to be compliant to their wishes.

Moderator cut: copyright issues

[cave76]

A tip I found out about, by accident.
If you've been bitten by an infected tick (and yes they are in OR) AND you're lucky enough to get the classic bulls eye rash (only about 50% do) then get to a dermatologist right away while the rash is still showing; when making the appointment, be sure to stress that you at least be seen for verification of the rash---- not put off for several weeks.

The two dermatologists that I've talked to WILL treat you with about 30 days of antibiotics which MAY be long enough if treated right away.

Of course if the tick that bit you also passed on Bartonella and Babesia, they need different treatment. And lots of luck getting anyone in OR to even know what those two diseases are.

[JohnPaul]

Interesting.

[Larry Caldwell]

I have been looking into this recently because I have a dog with lyme. I rescued him when he was 7 years old, and he apparently had been infected for some time before that, because he has atypical arthritis. It's not hard to find a veterinarian who is competent to treat lyme, but veterinary medicine has always been years ahead of human medicine. They do all the tests on animals first, so a dog can get effective medical treatments that are years away from approval in humans.

[cave76]

@Larry-----Yes, a vet will usually treat a dog for Lyme much more readily than humans can get treated. In Oregon a human can hardly get treated at all unless (exaggeration here) they go in with a tick attached and a bulls eye rash around it!

We can thank the IDSA for nationwide non- or too-minimal-to-do-any-good-treatment. Moderator cut: inappropriete

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

I have been looking into this recently because I have a dog with lyme. I rescued him when he was 7 years old, and he apparently had been infected for some time before that, because he has atypical arthritis. It's not hard to find a veterinarian who is competent to treat lyme, but veterinary medicine has always been years ahead of human medicine. They do all the tests on animals first, so a dog can get effective medical treatments that are years away from approval in humans.