Robert Whitfield MD explains that Lyme disease often comes with co-infections like bartonella and babesiosis, collectively called "the three Bs." Cats can carry bartonella. Symptoms range from joint pain to unexplained fatigue, and presentations vary widely between patients.
When we think of Lyme.
Disease, right. We traditionally think of joint pain, muscle pain after a tick bite and a rash. Okay. But what we know is that it's bigger than Lyme disease.
We call it more.
Complex chronic illness because you're thinking about multiple different infections. The primary vector that we know is a tick bite. Okay. Um, but we are finding out that cats are also a vector of one of the CO infections, bartonella. All right. And then you also have babesiosis. We have Borrelia, which is what we traditionally learned about in school, and other CO infections as well. All right.
But most commonly.
In my practice, I call it the three Bs. So that's Borrelia, burdorferi, bartonella, and babesiosis.
Now, the good thing about these organisms is that they.
Cause different kind of physical symptoms as well as systemic symptoms.
So sometimes.
Patients who have chronic tick borne diseases, they might present with pain.
But they also might just present.
With nebulous fatigue.
Or by the time they've come to my office, man, they've been seen by so many.
Other doctors misdiagnosed as anxiety.
