lyme and addrenal defficiency

I have battled lyme since march of 2011 and the road to recovery has definitely been an up and down battle. I'm a male 33 years of age and for the last couple years have felt much better. I have been through multiple rounds of abx while combining herbal treatments, and a healthy diet. I feel compelled to post any treatment methods that have greatly aided in my recovery in hopes of helping others who still suffer.

Through proper testing, I learned from my doctor that I suffered from adrenal fatigue which contributed greatly to many of my symptoms. Nearly 2 years ago, she started me on a bio identical hormone called hydrocortisone. My dose is 7.5 mg taken 3 times per day. The med has helped relieve my fatigue and has allowed me to incorporate more physical activity into my life such as exercise. I believe that the oxygen that is created from exercise and or more physical activity greatly improves the recovery of chronic lyme sufferers as the organisms cannot thrive under an aerobic environment. I know first hand that physical activity is very difficult for people who suffer from this disease, but in my case the hydrocortisone has allowed me to be more active and overtime my brain fog has lifted. Any who might suffer from adrenal fatigue please check with your doctor to see if this is a viable option. I would not have posted this without having taken the bio-identical hormone for a long of enough period of time to allow for any adverse side effects, but so far the treatment has been a great success. Please know that there are no quick fixes to this disease and hydrocortisone is not one either; however, it has aided in my recovery and in my opinion it could help others who suffer as well.

My LLMD said hydrocortisone is okay. Much less powerful than prednisone. I asked because I believe I have a problem too. I'm waiting for the test kit.

My LLND also said a low dose of cortisone is something he could prescribe for me...but I went for the natural herbs instead. I think if it's a low amount, it's not enough to suppress the immune system - which is the concern with adding cortisone.

I remember reading a post from "Heather's Dad" - don't know if you're familiar with him...he is very educated (and very intelligent) in lyme disease - as his daughter had it...is now healed...but she is on a low dose of cortisone. She is a competitive swimmer and is doing very well.
He played an active role in her healing.

Great thread.

I am curious… A couple of years ago I was very near adrenal exhaustion/failure. I was at stage 6 or the 7 stages. Very scary time and I was taking all the supps I could take and ND kept advising me there was nothing more she could do until I could control my stress levels, etc. Eventually, I resigned from my job and that helped, as did addressing a whole host of other system failures—by this time I was FINALLY diagnosed with lyme (took 15 yrs) and on several antivirals, herbs, MTHFR support, GI/immune support.

My last test showed normal cortisol levels and I am finally getting 7 hrs of solid sleep most every night (vs. 2 hrs) except for the 4-5 day Babs cycles that throw it off. And I am feeling much better and have trouble walking but can ride my bike daily. But I am still feeling fatigue and nearly fall asleep in late afternoon. What also is becoming an issue is that my leg and arm muscles fatigue so quickly but my legs ache to no end —whether I am active or not and of course, this limits my bike riding which is becoming essential for my sanity and detoxing. I am wondering if hormone therapy would help me with the energy level, yes, but even more so—help me not be in so much pain. Thoughts?

-p

Thanks William—interesting post. I will definitely consider that.

-p