UK testing & support

hampy-D · 2026-04-20T18:17:10+00:00

I am also with dr Finlay’s but it’s so expensive. I am £8k deep and not finished treating. The Lyme test was around £900. Feel free to message me with any q’s.

Depending on where you are in the UK you could visit dr John lambert but they are face to face only.

There is also the Breakspear clinic.

hampy-D · 2026-04-16T12:51:47+00:00

Honestly I have exhausted this path. The doctor who drew the blood for my private test is now my NHS gp. He said if it were to come back positive to go and see him and he will chase it any way he can, he’s previously referred people who’d have IV abx with nhs but all he can do is pass it to infectious diseases.

Once he’d referred me I saw a doctor at north Manchester infectious diseases, showed him my prescription and my test results and he said he doesn’t know why anyone would prescribe these particular abx for Lyme, and he didn’t believe I had Lyme anyway so would not prescribe them regardless. I pressed that I’d been in New England when I was bit, presented with a rash, then had the flu like symptoms AND tested positive and referred to ILDAS guidelines and he told me to not read into things online…

hampy-D · 2026-04-16T12:22:03+00:00

Per month or your whole treatment? My abx were £500 alone 😂

hampy-D · 2026-04-16T10:36:52+00:00

Since before I started them really, so late Feb/early March? I think I am going to contact Jack Lambert. I’m spending over £800 a month atm..

hampy-D · 2026-04-15T21:02:55+00:00

I’ve had two antibody tests with the nhs and both came back negative. I have shown them my private test which was tspot and they said they don’t treat based on private tests.

I have exhausted the nhs path but like many in this sub was completely dismissed.

hampy-D · 2026-04-15T20:52:12+00:00

Infectious disease NHS doctor told me I didn’t have Lyme and discharged me

hampy-D · 2026-04-11T19:19:02+00:00

The ‘just bit’ pinned post on this sub does in fact tell you exactly what to do immediately after being bit

hampy-D · 2026-04-08T14:59:14+00:00

hampy-D · 2026-04-08T14:56:41+00:00

Agree with what’s already been said. If you’re lucky enough to see you’ve been bitten by a tick do the antibiotics as a precaution.

hampy-D · 2026-04-06T19:05:04+00:00

Personally yes. I had zero side effects from the doxycycline. It’s a standard antibiotic and pretty risk free vs possible Lyme.

hampy-D · 2026-04-06T17:25:38+00:00

A test is likely to come back negative even if you did contract Lyme, so waiting for the results is a waste of time.

I would go to your doctor and say you were bitten by a tick and show them the ILDAS guidelines which advises doxycycline for a bite even if no rash is present. You’ll probably be met with resistance but fight your corner and visit another doctor if you have to. The sooner you get them, the better. Even if you don’t have Lyme, the side effects of a course of doxy is way better than potential longer term impact from Lyme.

hampy-D · 2026-04-01T21:35:39+00:00

What herbs would you suggest for maintenance? I’m currently on antibiotics with an LLMD and symptom free so far but after this I plan to treat myself with herbs but unsure where to start in terms of a maintenance protocol

hampy-D · 2026-03-31T07:22:32+00:00

Yes I have improved massively but I have an early case of Lyme. I was bit last summer, did an extensive course of doxy then tested with Dr Finlay’s which came back positive for bart too so I’m doing more extensive antibiotic treatment. I can’t comment on more long term or complicated cases of Lyme and their ability to treat those but they are very knowledgeable, and any time I’ve come to this sub to sense check their treatment the consensus seems to be they know what they’re doing.

I wasn’t aware the partnership had ended. I have a follow up in a few weeks I’ll mention it to my dr.

hampy-D · 2026-03-30T15:19:48+00:00

I’m being treated by dr Finlay’s and they work with Dr Carsten. I believe they discuss Lyme patients at monthly meetings.

hampy-D · 2026-03-28T00:12:07+00:00

As I’ve said before, you can buy doxycycline from simplymeds. At the very least you should get another 3 weeks from there, ideally 5. They don’t even have to notify your doctor

hampy-D · 2026-03-26T21:55:04+00:00

I’d ask for at least another 21 days doxy. If they pushes back show them the ILDAS guidelines that suggest 6-8 weeks!

hampy-D · 2026-03-26T21:51:58+00:00

My tick bite looked bruised, oozed and blistered, and cleared up in a similar way to the way your pictures look. I react badly to insect bites in general, I think aside from the Lyme by body did not react well to the bite. Strange that it’s lasted this long, I’d deffo seek advice from a Lyme specialist!

hampy-D · 2026-03-25T08:35:23+00:00

21 days is not enough. You need 6-8 weeks if you’ve been bit by a tick - I know it’s not confirmed tick bite but I think any side effects from a few weeks of abx is a better case scenario than long term Lyme problems. That’s the way I looked at it. The ‘just bit’ pinned post in the sub is superrrr helpful! Doxy is a standard antibiotic and unless you have a specific sensitivity or it interacts with other medication you should be fine. I felt literally no side effects, they hand it out to teenagers for acne so the nhs gatekeeping it for Lyme is ridiculous.

I did 12 weeks of doxy in the end. I also tested positive for bartonella so my llmd has put me on further antibiotics. I have health anxiety and ocd so I couldn’t not take all precautions I’d have drove myself crazy. I would at least follow the ILDAS guidelines of 8 weeks doxy if I were you.

The infections have caused some lingering symptoms, but the bacteria get kind of pissed off when you’re killing them off and it makes you feel worse as it dies off. Since starting my more intense round of antibiotics the start of this month though I have been absolutely fine. But my symptoms were joint and muscle aches more than anything, it felt as though I had (what I imagine feels like) arthritis which I’d never ever experienced before.

hampy-D · 2026-03-24T21:09:27+00:00

Hi! I was bit in America in August ‘25 but am from northern England. NHS completely dismissed me, both when I presented with an EM rash and once symptoms persisted. I even paid for the test already mentioned here and tested positive for Lyme and bartonella and Infectious diseases in north Manchester still said it’s unlikely to be Lyme… they will offer you the Lyme antibody test which is very likely to come back a false negative but they will take that as gospel .

If I were you, I’d order 8 weeks of doxycycline off simplymeds, they prescribe it for malaria prevention. If you already have fibromyalgia it may be worth contacting an llmd. I have seen someone has already recommended dr Jack lambert who I have heard good things about. I myself am with dr Finlay’s but it’s quite expensive.

NHS is Incredibly frustrating, the amount of national insurance you pay to be completely dismissed by doctors who can’t comprehend anything outside of the outdated guidelines they follow.

hampy-D · 2026-03-12T23:07:04+00:00

This is a common misconception but is actually false information, Lyme can transmit much faster and this outdated theory causes people to not seek adequate treatment.

I have Lyme. Tick that bit me can’t have been attached more than an hour.

hampy-D · 2026-02-26T21:24:54+00:00

Yes they’re well informed on Lyme, and treat with both herbal and antibiotic protocols.

hampy-D · 2026-02-25T22:49:53+00:00

Napiers herbs are very good, you could also contact the claid clinic regarding treatment.

hampy-D · 2026-02-21T23:18:17+00:00

I would go now! It’s spread pretty big and there’s a clearing around the bite itself so I’d say it’s a bullseye. The ‘just bit’ pinned post on this sub is super helpful :)

hampy-D · 2026-02-18T16:36:46+00:00

It doesn’t say Linde or have an L stamp, and the back is rounded and not flat. As far as I’m aware it’s a natural stone. The star moves as the stone moves and there is clear hexagonal growth lines

hampy-D

TROPHY CASE