Does no herx mean an antibiotic isn't working?

Herxing - like everything else, it seems, is usually pretty unique to each person. With time you should be able to recognize your own pattern of herxing, whatever that means for your body.

For me it's rarely been an obvious herx the way I expected it to be. It just seemed like a worsening that lasted forever, without much improvement. I think, for me at least, in the beginning I was just so overwhelmed with toxins that they just kept circulating around, causing symptoms that never went away.

Depending on how long you've been sick/how much of a bacteria load you have, if you keep feeling worse and worse without feeling better, it might mean that your body isn't eliminating toxins as fast as you're killing the bacteria/releasing toxins. How long have you been on abx?

have u thought about getting one of those economical portable saunas?.....i told my husband about it after i had fallen....and he told me i jus needed to take long showers...and i reminded him...that he may have it and that i will be his caretaker and he needs to make me happy while he can...LOL

I have thought about it, but I HATE heat. I can't even take a shower with warm water. It makes my hands go numb and I feel like I'm being burned. I have to use cold water all the time and I keep my bedroom around 50 degrees.

I agree. I'm not expecting much progress, but I'm worried that I continue to decline. I consulted with several ND's and MD's about herbs for this and none of them felt comfortable doing only herbs for me at this time. I'm okay with doing antibiotics for now, I'm just not sure how I can tell if certain combos are working.

I do the dry skin brushing and lemon water.

My fear is that my CD57 and other tests will go up from another factor, I will be considered "cured" and end treatment and yet feel worse than I did when I started.

It seems different for everyone, here's how it's worked for me.
For me it's usually like... either I feel better, or I don't feel better. I have experienced maybe just a few herxes, but I'm still not even sure that's what they were. Maybe days here and there of excessive grumpiness or being super tired were my "herxes."

I've only had lyme for less than a year and I started treating maybe 3-5 months after the bite. Also, I know some people on here have taken larger doses of abx and herbs than I have. So I could understand if it's way different for people who have been sick for much longer, and taking more medication.

For me it's been difficult to tell whether it's side effects, herx, or the illness. But the main thing I use to gauge my progress and the effectiveness of my treatment is how I feel in general, and how I feel after a little alcohol (most people here know that alcohol intolerance is one of the strangest yet most obvious symptoms of the illness). I feel much better than I did before, less pain and soreness all throughout my body, and I can drink several alcoholic beverages again. I have more energy in general and my mood is improved. So I'd say I'm doing pretty well and my treatment is working. I'd worry more about how you feel in general than the exact pinpointing of herxes.

Post Edited (skBM) : 1/24/2012 4:07:25 PM (GMT-7)