Please get her tested or consulted by an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor, you can go to ILADS.org, and e-mail them at contact at ILADS.org, and they will respond with the closest LLMD's in your area), the original course of antibiotics may have suppressed the Lyme, but many times it is not long enough, or some of the spirochetes will ball up into a cyst form to lie in dormancy, and come back to reproduce with a worsening of symptoms later.
I took 3 weeks of doxycycline, the recommended course of ABX by the CDC, 2-1/2 years ago when my doc saw the tell-tale bull's eye rash. He told me that this should take care of it, but if I noticed symptoms flaring later, I might have to live with Chronic Lyme the rest of my life. Apparently I hadn't caught it in time, since it can take 1-3 weeks for the rash to present.
Although some migrating joint pains and other less intrusive symptoms were there, by far the most invasive during flare-ups was the life-altering fatigue. Like her, during a flare-up (I knew it was flaring because of the rash coming back in a lightened form, but still knew practically nothing about
Lyme at that point), of which I had 5 or 6 before I found an LLMD, I would be okay til late afternoon for the most part, with some minor fatigue here and there. By the time 5:30 rolled around and it was time to drive home from work, there was nothing I could do to keep from falling asleep driving home the fatigue was so bad. When I got home and ate dinner, I had to take at least an hour nap to be able to function enough to get ready for bed or spend time with my family til 10 or 11 or so. If I didn't, I was in bed by around 8.
This kind of fatigue ain't no joke. Imagine how you feel the first 5 minutes after you woke up, on top of that you've just worked out for hours, and you have the flu. Its what lands some people in wheelchairs or bedridden, only to walk again after months of IV antibiotics.
I'm not saying she definitely has Chronic Lyme, it just sounds like a high probability. She will probably feel better if she stays away from all refined sugars, alcohol, gluten or bread of any kind, and dairy other than sour cream, full fat cottage cheese, or Plain Greek yogurt. It won't solve the problem, but its a good place to start since the Lyme spirochete's favorite fuel is sugar. Even high sugar fruit probably isn't good at this point. I would definitely get some testing done and get her to an LLMD.
Also, aerobic exercise isn't good for her, as it will lower the T-cell count in the body for 3 to 4 days, allowing the infection to thrive easier. A good place to learn even more is going to Youtube and watching Under Our Skin, the full length PBS documentary, and reading Dr. Burrascano's Treatment Guidelines.
Post Edited (RobNOrl) : 11/2/2014 10:10:36 PM (GMT-7)