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Posted 6/26/2014 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
So even though I got a negative bartonella test through igenix my llmd is suspecting bartonella and had put me on rifampin.

It's been a week and a half and my symptoms have been increasing and I have new ones. My neuropathy has spread from my thighs only to my arms, stomach, calves, and ankles. Every morning I wake up with my skin burning. I'm getting a lot more muscle twitches as well. When my symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks my anxiety and depression go through the roof.

Last night I called the suicide hotline in a desperate attempt to calm myself down which helped. This is not me and I would never hurt myself but these feelings keep happening.

I'm hoping this all points to the fact that I do have bartonella since I'm reacting so strongly to the rifampin.

How long before this herxing decreases in duration and intensity?
Posted 6/26/2014 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
Joey

Last fall I took a rif, plaq and mino combo that put me thru hell for eight weeks or so before seeing good improvements. This was after a long treatment for babs that we though was mepron resistant.

Hang in there. Take a break if it gets too bad.
Posted 6/26/2014 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Joeyphoenix,
I can't answer your question because I have not experienced much herxing yet... I am sure my time will come next month when I see a LLMD...

I am so sorry you are experiencing such bad pain. Please hang in there!!! Remember you will get better and this will eventually pass. I hope soon for your sake! We are here for you!! Did you try calling your doctor and telling him or her your symptoms? They might have some answers.

Please hang in there! Nothing last forever, this will pass.
Posted 6/26/2014 1:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Joey,

I am not suicidal at all. I got admitted at hospital in February for a severe infection and got high dosed IV abx for 6 days.

I think that it was during the 4th night that I started loosing it, just like that. The lights were already out, and all of a sudden I got suicidal. Getting practical, if you now what I mean. I was crying like a little child, couldn't stop. For several (4-5 hours) hours. I think that the only thing that saved me was getting out of bed, and walking back and forth from my bed to the bathroom, all the time (with an infected knee). Splashing cold water on my face. For hours. I never experienced something like that.

I couldn't go to the nurses cause the treating dr didn't believe in Lyme. I thought they would drug me or get me admitted to the psych ward if I was telling them what was going on.

I got calm again towards the morning. It was only afterwards that I realized I must have been herxing on those IV abx.

Sadly, one can not predict how long a herx will last for. The only thing you can do is having someone around and detoxing. Keeping in mind that it is not you but the disease speaking. You had a good reaction calling the suicide hotline!! Thank god you did!

Bartonella can cause some serious mental disturbances: anger, anxiety, severe depression. I think your dr might be right in thinking you have Bartonella, reading what you have been going through these last weeks and yesterday night.

Please come on to get it off your chest, and calling the hotline was the best you could do in a very stressful moment. Best decission ever.

MarieLS

Posted 6/26/2014 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks tickbite, can't wait to get to the point where this is all worth the trouble!

Icurseticks, I truly appreciate the support and encouragement :)
Good luck on your healing journey!! I emailed my doctor telling her what is happening, she's off until Monday...

Wow MarieLS sounds like you went through quite the ordeal!
Thanks for the support :)

I am detoxing as much as I can while having to work full time. I'm thinking of taking some time off next week to rest and detox more.
Posted 6/26/2014 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
Joey,

I can't tell you how long the herx will last, because I'm not through the woods myself yet. 2 weeks ago I was suicidal as well. It's a horrible, horrible feeling. You just feel like nothing will ever be good again in your life. Then, one morning I woke up and I felt hopeful. This has lasted 10 days now. But I've been through it before--the suicidal feelings that go away and come back. So I'm only cautiously optimistic right now. Have you been checked for Candida? I had a furry tongue when I was suicidal and my doc gave me Nystatin. I think that might have helped to brighten my mood a bit. The abx leave us so vulnerable to yeast infections, and Candida alone can really mess with your head. But so can Bart, obviously. Hang in there--these diseases run in cycles. Both of my suicidal periods lasted about 2 weeks, but were followed by really good weeks.
Posted 6/26/2014 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reply soscared :)

My llmd does not believe I have candida issues. However, we did send my labs out for heavy metals, and some DNA test so I should get those results in a week or so...
Posted 6/27/2014 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry. It can be awful. When I was treated for C. Diff. with abx, I thought I was having some sort of horrible allergic reaction to the drugs that was causing me to become delirious.

Then someone suggested I might be herxing . . . .

Margaret
Posted 6/27/2014 6:45 AM (GMT 0)
Please find comfort in *knowing that these feelings are NOT you and just the herx. Bartonella is by far the worst when it comes to the pshyciatric symptoms of a herx. To be honest, my first from rifampin lasted about a month... Everyone is different though. Its like no matter how hard I tried to distract myself, this very dark cloud was hanging over my head mentally. When I say dark cloud, it had me envisioning how I was going to do it and how my funeral was going to look. This is NOT me either....but its something about the bartonella die-off that messes with your head. Here is a copy from some research I have come across:

""Patients treated for a Bartonella infection have toxic die-off reactions, too
Bartonella is another tick borne infection that can be transmitted by tick bites, and through bites and scratches of infected animals. This infection can produces symptoms of burning pain, electrical zapping sensations, brain fog, or streak like rashes. One of the unusual signs of a Bartonella die-off reaction is a sudden increase in feelings of anxiety or a panic attack. These symptoms are known to increase when patients take antibiotics which implies that toxins are being released by the dead bacteria. The specific types of Bartonella toxins have yet to be identified.""
Posted 6/27/2014 6:48 AM (GMT 0)
Also remember...'This too shall pass' ....or if "You're going through hell, keep going" (meaning dont stop at hell...get to the other side!!)

Imperative that you using all your detox routes of your body to rid of the toxins! DETOX DETOX DETOX!

xx's-Courtney
Posted 6/27/2014 7:09 AM (GMT 0)
One more thing, only because I was just there and I so recently KNOW how you feel. Def pick up the phone and call someone who cares or the suicide hotline was wise as well. I had to call one of my sisters and just talk to her for a good while.

But also, if it gets too bad where the dark cloud just will not leave like it did with me, I ended up having my doctor call me in some anti-anxiety medication just to get through it. It had hit me extremely hard mentally.

Hope you feel better soon

xx's
-Courtney

p.s. you can call me if ya want! It helps to talk to 'someone'-I know*. My email address is under my profile. Email me and Ill give you my number :)
Posted 6/27/2014 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Margaret! I appreciate you're response as usual :)

Thank you Courtney!! You made me feel so much better, just knowing that I'm not alone in these thoughts is so helpful. I'm going to email you :)
Posted 6/27/2014 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry you had to go through such an awful time. I am glad that you made that call and got some help and I'm glad you found this forum so you get the support you need while going through treatments. I hope there will be brighter days ahead for you. Hang in there!
Posted 6/27/2014 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Garden Peace :)

So far today the clouds have cleared and I feel like myself again for the first time in two weeks. Hopefully it lasts!! :)
Posted 6/29/2014 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
I recently started treatment for Bartonella as well and have a lot of anxiety. Man, this herx is so tough to get through. I feel so unhappy and can't stop thinking and dwelling. I finally took an herbal calming supplement and feel a little better... I even laughed with the kids a bit. I'm gong to keep taking that purple meant until this herx passes. It's been so hard to be around people feeling this way. I've been getting treated for a little over two weeks. I really hope it passes soon! I'm so glad your mental herx eased up! I hope you just keep feeling better and better!
Posted 6/29/2014 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks inspiredby3 :)

I'm still feeling better mentally. My other symptoms (burning skin, muscle twitches, tendon pain) have increased and moved to new areas though. I guess that means it's working!!

Just going to detox as much as possible and ride it out.

Wishing you the best in your journey back to health :)
Posted 8/17/2015 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
Grateful to read this as I went through this today. Suicidal, impulses that were not like me!!
Is it possible to have Bart from a car scratch from childhood and have it come out with Lyme as an adult?
I was hallucinating and so scared. Talked to another Lyme person who prayed with me. Got me through the worst. Started having focal seizures and lots of convulsions... All this while only on supplements. I was on abx one week ago for two weeks. I do pulsing abx

I'm concerned about my marriage holding on through this and my family staying in tact.

I found it hard to talk to anyone who didn't have bartonella because they think you can snap out of it, that it's just depression.

Thanks
Posted 8/17/2015 6:51 AM (GMT 0)
Definitely. All I can do to fight off the impulses, some days.

Glad things have been a bit better though, Joey, at least as far as your noggin goes. Sure, the physical stuff sucks, ruining, but, coupled with the mental stuff, it's game over.

I hope a lot of it is just herxing, that you're healing.

Guess we'll see.

Lymeandacoconut, I feel like it could be possible, but not really an expert. You hear about people being in remission for years, then the symptoms just surging, huh?

Dunno.
Posted 8/17/2015 11:47 AM (GMT 0)

LymeandaCoconut said...

Is it possible to have Bart from a car scratch from childhood and have it come out with Lyme as an adult?

Most definitely! I was just reading about this in Buhner's books on coinfections. Many, many people have asymptomatic bart that manifests when the immune system is challenged with Lyme. Same deal with babs.

Sorry you had such a rough, rough time LymeandaCoconut! (((hugs)))

Hope you feel better soon and know that we are here for you!
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