Hello all, I haven't been on the forum for quite awhile. At first it was because I was getting close to the end :( Couldn't even get on the computer anymore. I began to deteriorate rapidly and the pain and malnutrition were taking me out fast. My family got me to the Hansa center as a last hope and so I'm copying and pasting my letter to family/friends here so that if any of the details can help someone else out, there it is!
I found out that I'm very toxic for mercury and so am in the process of getting amalgams removed and then facing chelation. i will be using the Andy Cutler method. Also, google "mercury madness" for a very imformative website on this stuff...Lyme love mercury...
Another test I just got back was for nagalase, a genetic marker, I think. Mine was high and apparently it tends to be high in those with Lyme. It indicates an impaired immune system. I don't know much about it, just looking into it. There is a good article on a website called betterhealthguy.com (lyme site).
I am 50% better here over a month later, no more herxing. I consider it a miracle from where I started, there seemed no hope and it appeared at the rate I was losing weight I would soon be dead! Never give up, that's all I can say. I continue on my journey but continue to see improvements!
I am on the Jernigan protocol and am learning alot from his book.
Sorry for the long post but don't want to leave any details out:
10/25/13
I've been back from the Hansa clinic in Kansas now for about 3 weeks. I consider it a miracle that I am doing as well as I am! I've come to learn just how much I really do need God and how I wouldn't have gotten here without him. My family has been wonderfully supportive and caring and I am very fortunate they stuck by me through all the hard times. Still, in my deepest darkest suffering, only... Jesus could understand and stayed close holding my hand while I fought the pain and longing for it just to end. I totally did give it all to him and finally said "I trust you Jesus, you will see me through this till either my death or my healing. You will carry me through the darkness". Even in my pain, I felt the peace and felt acceptance, finally, at my situation.
Prior to leaving for Hansa, I was in so much pain and had episodes of blacking out from it. I really did not think I had long to live and wasn't sure I'd even get down there. I began to lose weight even more rapidly and could tell my body was "shutting down" and not absorbing any nutrients. No body could help me.
I'm going to share some details here for all my lyme friends. All my symptoms elevated in the end because my body could no longer detox the dead lyme (and other toxins)out. My detox systems were shutting down. My entire lymph system was swollen and non functional. My adrenals were done and exhausted. And I do have one of those mthrf gene mutations which surely doesn't help matters. At Hansa, the ST8-lymph machine was the greatest thing! After just one treatment, my lymphs swelling went down. After two weeks, I don't feel "posionous" anymore. I am trying to find a practioner that has one of these in WA state.
The other treatments that were most helpful were the herbal and homeopathic blends made based on my needs. Besides treating the lyme, microbes and viruses, my body needed organ support (primarily liver and kidney) and support for the mercury toxicity.The biggest obstacles for me were parasites and mercury.
Well I might as well tell since everyone seems to know anyway...I became infected with a bad tapeworm and it is likely that it was from when I cut myself badly while skinning a coyote. (Yes, I am giving up my taxidermy hobby. I guess I will have to start sewing or something.) This happened shortly after my tick bite!! Though almost all humans have parasites (and should periodically purge), I had a bad one in addition. Within a day of starting the treatment for this, my bad "ulcer" pain has not returned and my energy steadily continues to improve. I've also gained weight and my hair is growing back!
The mercury is the worst though. This is why all these bad things have thrived in my body. My symptoms elevated slightly after the last amalgam removal but extra detox and I seem to be doing better than the first appointment. Two more to go and then I will probably be looking at 2-3 years of chelation. Haven't decided which way to go but probably the Andy Cutler method is going to be the safest and most effective. A little nervous about it all but to regain total health you have to push the mercury out.
Also, if you are fighting candida, here is what I've learned along the way: If you have a low sugar/carb diet (healthy) and still have problems, it might be mercury or other metals. Candida increases to protect our bodies from the highly toxic metal. Although it causes a lot of bad symptoms, it's the lesser of the evils. My bio dentist told me, you can't reduce the candida until the mercury is gone. I think my treating candida agressively led to my sypmtoms increasing. Also using high doses of chlorella for herx was a bad move as it loosed more mercury. Shouldn't use any chelators with amalgams still in, including alpha lipolic acid (especially) the ALA almost killed me!
My goal is to get my body tempature to normal and train it to "sweat". I have never been able to sweat and didn't think much of it. Well come to find out it is a major detox pathway, especially for metal. No wonder! I am going to try and get an infrared sauna as I've tried this out and by the 3rd time had almost starting sweating!
The homeopathic adrenal support has helped with my adrenals. I also drink a 1/2 tspn of celtic sea salt water every day. They continue to improve (don't hurt as often) and bad fatigue is almost non existent now. It takes a long time for them to recover though and have to be real careful not to over exhert yourself. I'm not running any marathons yet but I'm taking walks, cooking, cleaning and have even been out wood cutting! This is amazing, I couldn't even walk to the bathroom before.
I don't feel the improvements day to day but rather week to week. Last week I was to weakly to lift this or walk that far or stay up that many hours...this week I can do that and more. My vertigo is gone gone, the buzzing in my head and limbs is gone, my joints don't ache, my brain fog is almost all gone, My anxiety is gone (this feels amazing!), I haven't had a killer migraine for weeks now! I am so excited! I enjoy my life day to day and appreciate every moment! I think about the future now and what I might do with my life! This is so exciting! A month ago, I wondered if I might still be here right now! I still have a lot of mountians to climb in this journey and the battle is not over yet, but I can finally see a light. I started out stuck in bed unable to care for myself, in pain and depression and now I am definately functioning well. I am so thankful, beyond words~Praise God!
--Heather