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How to treat CO-INFECTIONS? I'm overwhelmed.

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Posted 7/28/2015 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
IS there a way to naturally treat / check for co-infections? I hear it's really hard to treat the actual lyme infection without first ridding your body of those. I can not afford the $600 CO infection test and I heard that it's a bit more unreliable to check for those antibodies.

However, I still would like to make 100% sure that this high dose of antibiotics is going to work before paying and suffering through them. Should I be taking any natural medicine of any kind to kill the co-infections? Is that even possible, and what ones should I focus on? Sorry, kind of lost here. I was just diagnosed via IGENEX this week and am a bit overwhelmed as there is so much to do.


Does anyone here have trouble speaking and swallowing (tongue and jaw movement seems off). I really hope it's due to the lyme or something. For a while I was thinking it was ALS, with my test results I have a new hope it's not.
Posted 7/28/2015 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
When I have a bad flare ( usually about once every couple weeks here lately) among my bad symptoms is problems with my face and jaw like you are describing. I too was tested for everything known to man including als. All mine were normal also. Lyme and co infections can produce some bad symptoms!!! As for co-infections my llmd didnt bother with the test because it is so expensive. She just treated for them anyways.
Posted 7/28/2015 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
st0rch,
I understand wanting to test for co infections so you know what you are truly dealing with but save that money for treatment. The tests are not good enough yet. That's simply a fact. When I started treatment just a little over a year ago I was going to the practice run by the brother who is the head of Igenex. In effect my Dr was one of the chairman of Igenex and they treat co infections based on symptoms, not test results.

IMO the tongue and jaw issues are caused by the crazy inflammation that Lyme causes. While I haven't had those specific issues I have had issues swallowing and some bizarre spasm in my neck/throat that is really freaky and it's always when I first start on new meds.

Before I realized I had Lyme I justified so many symptoms away.

The best advice is find an LLMD or ND you feel comfortable with and confident in and let them lead the way. It is confusing and overwhelming but once you start to feel a bit better you will have a bit of clarity.

We are all so relieved at first to have a diagnosis and than reality settles in that we don't want this diagnosis.
We are all in the same boat and we are all here for each other.
Janet
Posted 7/28/2015 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
The tests are not reliable anyway, so don't waiste your money. Assume you have both Babs and Bart. Are you planning to see an LLMD or self treat with herbal?

Your could follow an abbreviated version of Cowden's condensed protocol substituting Samento with Cat's Claw, to save some $$$ and cut back on some of the detox herbs. His program is designs to treat the big 3.

Or look at Buhner's core protocols for Lyme, Babs and Bart and see that Japanese Knotweed and a few others work across all three B's. Then add from there based on symptoms.


Herbs tend to be more costly than pharma Rx depending on your script co-pay coverage. A lot of folks here can help out with more details.
Posted 7/28/2015 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, there are ways to naturally treat all of these infections. Buhner has a pretty well laid out protocol for each one:
buhnerhealinglyme.com/the-protocols/

Those that choose to do both herbal and abx usually do better than those that do abx alone, although everyone is different.

You've been given good advice so far, especially about the testing for these infections - the testing for co-infections is actually worse than for Lyme!!

And everyone has different "loads" of each infection, there's no way to know which one to go after first, other than by symptoms. For me it was necessary to start with Lyme treatment, but within 3 months it became quite obvious that I had to treat Bartonella immediately - so I added in treatment for Bart and 9 months after that, I was healed of both infections and could move on to the next.

"We are all so relieved at first to have a diagnosis and than reality settles in that we don't want this diagnosis.
We are all in the same boat and we are all here for each other. "

So true, Janet, so true!!!
Posted 7/28/2015 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
Fantastic information, thank you all so much. My impression was exactly that the test wasn't accurate enough with the info I read, and I want to treat for it either way anyway.

I'm planning on going to a LLMD soon if I can find one, and I will be taking abx + herbs but was wondering if I should do them together or try and treat the co-infections first.

Thank you all for taking the time to help me. I literally can barely swallow, and slurr almost every word now. it's an effort to speak. Could this really be lyme? I'm 24 so ALS seems odd but still terrifying.
Posted 7/28/2015 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it most certainly could be all Lyme - or Lyme and co-infections. I had severe cognitive symptoms and still managed to heal really well in a relatively short period of time - no more slurring of words, stuttering, word & name finding issues, issues following patterns, written and oral instructions (well mostly, only when they get complicated!) and so much more.

Treatment and detoxing is the key to getting better!!!
Posted 7/28/2015 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
St0rch - you've been given a lot of great information here.

I just wanted to add that I (and many of us here on the forum) know how scarey it is to wonder if you have ALS.
When I was sent to the Neurologist by my GP, it was because of all the nervous system issues I had. I had muscle twitching all over my body, I had the sensation of a lump in my throat...and at times i was choking on my spit...I had vibrations in my body, and for a two week period, I had to stop driving because my legs were so weak and shaky that I couldn't press the brake long enough...and it wasn't safe. My left arm/shoulder were also weak and had lost muscle mass in the arm and also my left hand.

I sat in the Neurologist waiting room...and prayed that I would have MS. Yup - you know somethin's wrong with you when you want an MS diagnosis. I was so scared that I would be diagnosed with ALS.

But, you've have a positive test for lyme disease...so focus on that and get to a LLMD for treatment.

Yes, you can add herbals for lyme to the antibiotics...or you can add herbals for bartonella to the antibiotics...

I find Buhner to be easy to follow and not too expensive. But, you really should buy the herbs from one of the recommended sources.
Posted 7/28/2015 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
Girlie - Pretty much the same symptoms. My entire body, every single muscle is twitching 24/7, and at one point It was an effort to keep my foot on the gas pedal. I also prayed that I had MS at one point and thought the exact same thing "am I really doing this?". ALS is a terrible, terrible disease... Or should I say lyme is?

I'm just worried because most "speech problems" from lyme seem to be "brain fog" related as many have described, where as mine feels completely muscular.

Are the recommended sources more reliable than say, Amazon (are these sources listed on a different post)? Also, can I treat EVERYTHING at once? I took a look at Buhner and it looks very simple.

Thanks again, you have all been very helpful.
Posted 7/28/2015 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
Btw my twitching is almost gone - in fact it was gone but I had to go off antibiotics for 2 1/2 months and some twitching came back.
I tried taking extra magnesium initially and it didn't help - but it has helped others. I think the distinction may be whether your twitching is muscular or nervous system related. I think mine was/is nerve related.
Treatment was the only thing that worked for me.

I remember laying in bed on my back with my arms, stomach, and back twitching; my right leg jerking every few minutes, my left side of my jaw and cheek going numb and tingling, my left arm sore with nerve pain, my right leg "buzzing", thinking how the heck am I supposed to fall asleep and then when I finally did fall asleep to be woken in a panic two hours later gasping for air, sweating, choking on phlegm in my throat.
Some very dark days that I won't soon forget.
I think I could have PTSD from the those days.
Posted 7/28/2015 11:00 PM (GMT 0)
Re: ordering herbs for Buhners protocol.

If you prefer capsules you can order from Green Dragon Botanicals.
I get my Japanese Knotweed and Cats Claw and Eleutheros from them.

If you want tinctures - you can order from either Woodland Essence or Sage woman Herbs.

I get my cryptolepis, Sida Acuta, Houttuynia and Hawthorne from Woodland Essence.

I have ordered a few tinctures from Sage Woman herbs when Woodland Essence was out of stock.

I believe there are other sources - those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Posted 7/28/2015 11:20 PM (GMT 0)

st0rch said...
. My entire body, every single muscle is twitching 24/7, and at one point It was an effort to keep my foot on the gas pedal.

I had this too - my whole body would shake and shudder uncontrollably- and bounce me right off of whatever I was on. There was no way I could drive or hardly walk safely while I had that happen. It was a period of almost 12 years that I lived with that.

st0rch said...
I'm just worried because most "speech problems" from lyme seem to be "brain fog" related as many have described, where as mine feels completely muscular.

Another thing that I experienced as well. My tongue/jaw both seemed to not respond so that I could speak. I started hiding out in my home so that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone other than my husband.

Yet I have recovered from all of that, unbelievably! It took a lot of dedication to detoxing and to my protocols, but healing DID take place, and a LOT of it!! I don't think that I'm that special of a case, only that I was really sick yet determined to find a better life.
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