Hi Bullrock!!
LOL! Not many of us "do" sick very well!! None of us
wants to be here, but here we find ourselves, and so we are determined to help each other get through this!
So, welcome to our little community! If you haven't already, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,
"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists (as Lyme rarely occurs by itself), helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, and a list of questions that you can ask any doctor that you are seeking treatment from!
We also have a pretty good search function on this forum to help you narrow down your search for information from past posts. We must be our own health advocates now and the best thing to arm yourself with is knowledge about
our infections and the different ways to treat them!
For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you can start a new thread titled something like:"Looking for LLMD in the _______ area." Although you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.
You can also email our long time member, Dan's Mother at:
[email protected] You can also email Stephanie at:
[email protected] You can also go to:
www.turnthecorner.org/ if you want to learn a little bit more about
Lyme Disease.
You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:
www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74 You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. The ILADS site is another great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey.
www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines_clearing_ilads.html You should know that Amoxicillin alone isn't enough to kill off the Lyme bacteria. Most knowledgeable LLMD's add probenecid and other abx that will target the other form of the bacteria.
Herxing is a response to an overload of toxins in the blood stream. During treatment for these infections (and a couple of others) an increase in symptoms or even new symptoms appearing after starting or increasing any anti-infective treatment is known as a herx.
As the bacteria dies, it 'gives off' toxins in the blood and this is what drives the herx - although if a person is able to detox well enough, herxes can be maintained quite well. Sometimes treatments need to have the doses reduced or even stopped to help control herxing, as it can become life threatening for some.
Herxing isn't something anyone should desire - first of all, who wants to feel even worse!! Secondly, as I said, herxing can become life threatening for some, but the more a person herxes, or the harder a person herxes, the less healing that will take place. The body just can't handle both at the same time.
And I wanted to explain that we don't post LLMD's names on the forum, as we need to protect the few that are brave enough to treat us. That information is best shared by email, which is why we ask that you list an email address. If you are uncomfortable using your own personal email, you can sign up for an email address with "healingwell.com" instead. Just click on the link up at the top of the page that says "email".
Both posts were edited because I'm goofy!!!!
