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bartonella changed to babesia?

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Posted 2/24/2013 4:08 AM (GMT 0)
Trying to understand what's going on with me based on my symptoms...

5 months ago it was pretty clear to me that I was bartonella-dominant... My symptoms were fatigue, very painful soles of my feet especially in the morning (limped around to walk), serious cognitive stuff (wrong words coming out, difficulty speaking at all, difficulty thinking straight), gastrointestinal problems.

Now it seems like a lot of those symptoms are gone... my feet don't hurt anymore, I don't say wrong words, my tummy is a bit better.

But now it seems like I have bebesia!! I get that pin prick rash every day on some new part of my body, I'm gasping for air all day long (even when I'm lying down, or in the bath, I'm gasping right now come to think of it), my temperature feels strange, especially super-hot during the night.

So far I've been treated for lyme and bartonella (with byron white's a-l and a-bart). Did I make progress with the bartonella so now babesia is flaring? Is there another explanation I'm not thinking of?

I've been off all the killers for a week because I was trying to stabilize after my last effort at treatment resulted in a flare of dormant measles... Then when I felt a little stronger I was going to start a-l, a-bart, and a-bab... More slowly this time so I don't spiral into crisis again. But this week of "stabilizing" has felt more like coming down with babesia!

One more question... I thought my bart symptoms sucked but this air-huger is pretty freaky and immobilizing...And it's emotionally distressing to feel like I can't breathe. Does anyone have any tricks for preventing or dealing with it? Breathing a lot doesn't seem to help lol.
Posted 2/24/2013 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
Marigold,

Sounds like you have answered your own question - yes according to a well known LLNP your body is now prioritising Babesia as the main infection hence the switch in symptoms. Your next move would be to back of on the abart and ramp up on Abab. Hopefully the Babesia symptoms will improve with this treatment including the air hunger, which I agree is horrible and completely incapacitating and demoralising.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Hugh
Posted 2/24/2013 5:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hugh,
Thanks for the note. So does this mean I made some progress in killing the bart infection? Or does the body just switch priority more randomly than that? (I think I want to feel like I've made progress! But of course mostly I just want to understand what's going on!!)
I will start the a-bab asap, and hope it doesn't cause more dye-off than I can handle right now.
Thanks
Posted 2/24/2013 10:47 AM (GMT 0)
Yes it means you have made some progress - but it doesn't mean it's gone, just that the Babesia is a bigger issue for you at the moment hence the symptoms. I believe the process is referred to as 'whittling' - so you gradually bring down the pathogen levels and it is gentler on the body - the key is recognising the shifts in symptom patterns. Are of with an LLMD who can help you do this? Sounds like you are going a great job but may need to hit it with abx to clear the remnants of the infections at the end of treatment!

Well done!

Hugh
Posted 2/25/2013 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
My LLMD said that as you treat and eliminate/decrease one infection, sometimes another one will "rear it's ugly head". It sounds like that's what happened with you. It does sound like you made progress w/ treating the Bart since those symptoms are subsiding. Now it's time to treat Babs!
Posted 2/26/2013 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
I've had to retreat my infections too. I had to knock down some of the intense symptoms so that I could live with them, but didn't stay on one treatment long enough to actually conquer the infection - only to reduce the symptoms. It's the only way I could get through it all!!

As for your Babs symptoms, do you have a recliner? If so, try staying/sleeping in it for now. If not, "create" a reclined position in your bed with pillows and even blankets! If you need to do this in your bed, you will also want to have a decent sized pillow to put under your knees as you sleep so that you won't just slide down on the pillows so that you are sleeping flat again.

Don't try to "force" yourself to breath deep or fast, but keep your breathing slow and comfortable. I found when I fought with my breathing it was a lot harder to get a breath and I would soon work myself up into feeling like I wasn't getting enough air to live on!! eyes Anxiety at a time like that is a killer! blush

It does sound like you are making progress though, Marigold! turn Woohoo!!! yeah Congratulations on that!
Posted 2/26/2013 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. I think I'm understanding this whittling concept now.

I'm in between drs right now but have an appointment for a couple weeks from now.

Traveler, by reclining you mean having your feet higher than your head? What does this do for Babs symptoms?
Posted 2/26/2013 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Laying in a recliner, or propping yourself up in bed helps with air hunger for some people. When I was dealing with the worst of my air hunger, it seemed to particularly haunt me at night - keeping me from sleeping. By propping myself up, it seemed to help me breath easier which helped with the air hunger. It was all trial and error all the way through with each infection for me.
Posted 3/2/2013 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys,
After being off all the killers for a few weeks (not a great idea maybe... But I was so unstable I thought I had to just level out) I started a-bab 3 days ago. 1 drop for 2 days, then 2 drops as of last night. I'm surprised but I think I'm already having a big reaction... Wild night sweats last night (woke up drenched and feeling gross... hard to explain), nausea, dizziness, and sort of emotional, emotionally impulsive if that makes any sense. Anxious. Could I be herxing already? I thought it took a few days for the bacteria to die, and I've never experienced a herx on so little of the killers before (I was up to 15 drops of the a-l and a-bart).
Posted 3/2/2013 11:23 AM (GMT 0)
Short answer is yes. Babesia can cause massive herxes and the Byron white products are very potent - some docs start people on fractions of a drop! So well done, I think you might have hit on a rather big infection for you :)

Hugh
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