Is anyone 50% better?

Most of us feel worse after starting our initial treatment because of toxicity created from the dieoff.

For me, I was sick for a good 3-4 weeks with severe flu-like symptoms. Only after about 2 months of ABXs did my energy levels eventually return, which only peaked after 2-3 months of use. However, it took a good 6-8+ months on oral and IV ABXs before I noticed any improvement in my brain fog and memory loss. So your body should get better before your mind (if ever) does. I wanted to mention, that my anti-parastic drugs played a CRITICAL role in my return to health and I can not overstate it enough.

Right now, I am 90% better, 99% of the time, but I need to stay on ABXs, vitamins and herbs constantly. Any disruption in anything results in an immediate debilitating relapse. Its SCARY if you ask me.

Im probably a perfect candidate for proof of persistent Lyme. Im strongly positive on just about every band of IgG and these bands only get stronger every time they take me off drugs.

Its reproducible and undeniable proof if you ask me.

There are many, many people on this forum who are 50%+ better.

Most people seem to hit a strong plateau around 80-90%. That's about where I am.

Parasite meds treat the parasites and worms we ALL have in your body. Mine I probably got from raw food like sushi or Kimchi or water. However, I was stationed overseas with the Army so who knows. I had the infamous Giardia amongst other things and that could have literally some from anywhere.. Anyway, the drugs that killed these buggers were fantastic. I felt like 200% better just after taking them.

Anyway, Ive been on ABXs for about 3-4 years now. No, I cant go off them without my symptoms returning. At first it would only take a few weeks before I would relapse, now it can take up to a month or two.

You'll get there, Utahgal - just keep on doing those things that you know you need to do, and never stop learning about these infections! We have new research that is ongoing most of the time, and fortunately most of it will get shared on this forum as it comes out.

And please remember that you were not simply "an unproductive burden" - you were quite ill. There's a big difference between the two!! If you had any of the conditions that are used for comparison to these infections - like the pain that we have is comparable to post-op patients and fatigue as severe as MS patients- no one would say that you were just being unproductive.

The mind set of those that heal is something that we must make sure we do - don't beat yourself up for being sick. Find things that can make you smile - even if just for a few moments. Learn to laugh - especially at all the crazy things that these infections can make us go through!

Lastly, hang on!! And don't ever give up on your healing. All you have to do is find what your body needs to heal - which can be quite difficult sometimes for sure - but not necessarily impossible. Even in the darkest of nights, the dawn always comes.

I'm about 95% now. I say 95% because I have virtually no symptoms at all and feel almost completely like my normal self again. I got to 90% and it took me just 6 weeks. I only herxed for 4 weeks. I have sort of plateaued there at around 90% for a good 4 mkntns! My bartobella relapsed and then I lost some gains. Now that I got Bart under control again I feel much much better!

Girlie --- this is what I did:

Minocycline (since being infected 3 days after!) - 1 month
Minocycline + banderol + samento + Houttuynia - 1 month
Minocycline + rifampin + samento + banderol - 1 month
Minocycline + septra DS + tinidazole - 2 weeks
Minocycline + septra DS + tinidazole + Plaquenil (1 month)
Minocycline + septra DS + Plaquenil + grapefruit seed extract - (1 month)
Amoxicillin + Houttuynia ( 1 week)
Amoxicillin + septra DS + Houttuynia (1 week)
Amoxicillin + minocycline + tinidazole (2 weeks... Cured twice protocol of 1000 mg amoxi, 100 mg mino, 250 mg tind PULSED every other day... Worked superb for Lyme symptoms but bartonella relapsed on me)
Clarithromycin + minocycline + septra DS + Plaquenil ( last 2 months)

Now... Adding in the buhner Bart/myco herbs from woodland essence that I just got in the mail today.
-Japanese knotweed
-Houttuynia
-greater celandine
-red root
-kudzu
-cordyceps
-sida Acuta
-Alchornea
-Chinese skullcap
-mother wort
-isatis
-Hawthorne

I got 2 4 oz bottles of each. I take 30 drops of each 3 times daily now.

And I also ordered Stephania just to use as insurance that Lyme is cleared out of my eyes.

Although there is still improvement to be had, and it can be difficult at times to look at how far you've come thus far vs. how far you still have to go, I've been tracking and rating symptoms. And, even though I feel like I have a ways to go, my overall symptom count (25 major symptoms rated at 1 being mildest and 10 being worst they've ever been) two months ago was at 96. Today, it's at 35. So I guess that's better than 50% improvement!!!

You'll get there. Advice I have to give myself as well as anyone else who would ask me is: appreciate the progress you've made and all the work you've put in to getting this far (make no mistake, it is HARD WORK treating Lyme & Co!) Look forward to additional gains in the future because they're there to be had, but don't lament the fact that you're not there yet. Slow and steady definitely wins this race...

Best wishes!

I am at nearly 100%. I collapsed in August of last year. On Doxy for 5 months. Had to stop working in the middle on January after a horrid reaction to Azithromycin. Could not do abx anymore so started silver and was on it for about a month. During this time I decided I was going to a clinic. I read up about Sponaugle and started colonics 2x weekly. Then my local LLMD prescribed EDTA chelation and I did 10 rounds. Locally I was doing following IVs: vitamin C, UVBI, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione. At Sponaugle I did ALA, vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide, and a number of other things that were either proprietary or according to my labs. After I got home from Sponaugle at the beginning of May I did 2 months of gut yeast supplements and Purify tincture for parasites. So basically I have been of all meds for TBI since the beginning of May. I also had Protomyxzoa which was treated by Purify. I went from barely crawling around my house in February to holding a rather physical full time job in June. In July I was so broke that I had to stop most of my supplements. It was a good thing because I have improved without them. Right now I am on B complex, D3, Magnesium, Zinc, Cholestyramine, and Armour. I think that that's very good considering how horribly ill I was just 6 months ago. I have the HLA and MTHFR mutations. If you have not been tested for those I highly recommend you do so. Labcorp does the testing and it is covered by insurance in most cases. I would also get tested for organic solvents because many people at Sponaugle had high levels of benzene or toluene and they had NO idea how they got exposed. There is something that brought your immune system down and that's why you are ill. If you find out what that is I can almost promise you that you will be fine. If you have HLA you will need to be treated for biotoxin mold illness. If you have MTHFR you will need to be on methylated B9 and B12 for the rest of your life. If you have these and don't take care of these you will never get better. That's how important it is to know if your immune system is compromised by any of the above. Good luck and keep us posted!

Utahgal and Roxie - you're welcome! I'm glad I could help in some small way!

Also, realize I failed to mention that I was completely symptom free
from Lyme for 3 years before being reinfected several months ago. I had been infected for 40+ years the first time around.

And here are some more success stories:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3069820&p=1

Hi Mister Mike - sorry you aren't feeling good. Buhner says his antibiotics can be taken with abx. Did you consider taking the herbs with a light antibiotic like for example azithromycin?

Ya the diet is tough!!! It took me 7 months to finally have myself completely disciplined enough to completely follow the diet! But now I got it down and I'm not even tempted to eat anything I shouldn't eat.

As for the pom juice... I'm drinking 100% no added sugar pom juice. I always mix like 90% water with the Pom juice, and about 10% actual juice. Since I have to take these herbs 3 times a day. I will need to mix my afternoon dose in a water bottle and take that to work.

Ya I'm mixing them ... To be honest not sure it's the best way, but I can drink it. We will see. Maybe next weekend when I have time I will attempt taking them one by one.