Glad to hear it ... and remember too that one of the effects of a Lyme infection is .... anxiety. It affects the whole endocrine system, including emotions. It will go away with treatment. Repeat as needed: "It's not me. It's the bugz." :)
Been there myself.
Great idea Jackie - I hadnt thought of that. Thanks so so so much ... your calm patience is infectious. I'm feeling better already :)
Sorry to hear you're left without a prescription. You might try contacting the Australian Lyme Disease association to see if there are any Lyme sympathetic doctors in your area.
You can also take some Samento and Banderol, assuming it won't take longer to receive a shipment than for your doctor to return from holiday.
I hope the Australian Health Service gets their act together very soon so you can get the treatment you need! (I am an American who got Lyme + Bartonella + Babesia in Oz.)
Sorry to hear that! It's a pity your MD in Melbourne doesn't have anyone on call in her absence. Perhaps that's not the common way to do things in Australia.
If it's any consolation, going a while without the abx isn't the end of the world, I would guess, at worst perhaps a minor setback, but all is not lost. Try not to worry.
(I'd still leave a voice mail or a message with your dr's answering service saying exactly what you need [drug name, dosage] and for how long [2 weeks or whatever] and the pharmacy's phone number, just in case your forgetful doc phones in.)
Again, try not to worry -- best wishes for the new year and life after Lyme!
Thanks so much Jackie, sadly the entire surgery is closed until early January. There are very few doctors treating lyme in Aus - one in Perth and another north of Sydney, but I live in Melbourne which is about 12 hours away from the nearest.
I am just looking for a doctor who might be open to understanding in the interim. Hoping someone out there knows of one.
I have visited a few but all with negative results. None are willing to give me the abx I need for a disease that "doesnt exist". :(
Welcome --
Sorry to hear you are dealing with Lyme, but we certainly understand.
Here in the US, a doctor normally has another MD 'take call' to cover for vacations etc. -- does your doc there not have anyone answering the phone at all? If you can leave a message for the doc on call, just ask for an extension of whatever you were on already, just long enough till the regular doc is back from holiday ... no need to get into it being Lyme or not, just the medication and dosage, and "oops my doc forgot to call in the refill, can you call in enough to cover till she's back?"
I just searched online for 'lyme disease australia association' and found some interesting links. Have you tried searching that way for a dr as a stop gap? I understand from comments elsewhere that Australia isn't exactly full of docs who understand Lyme, so it may be difficult to find, but thought I'd mention it.
Sorry not to be more helpful.
Let us know how you do! --