Posted 7/29/2016 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone! When I first came on this site, I was in complete agony. Newly pregnant after a miscarriage and had been diagnosed with chronic neuro Lyme just a few days before.
After one month of calming my neuro symptoms with Cymbalta and Gaba, I began my Abx protocol under the guidance of my LLMD, who works beneath Jemseck.
Unfortunately, we opted to have a medical termination for our much-wanted baby. My seizures were not being controlled, and the many OBs I visited offered absolutely no support- they would not admit that Lyme was a concern. Despite the seizures, the pain, the myriad of symptoms we are all too familiar with.
Despite our deep sadness at losing our baby, after we terminated, my husband and I set our sights on recovery. I took my first Abx on January 25th.
A few rounds of Azithromyocin, Minocycline and a few other Abx in combination with meds to reduce symptoms brought on a few months of a slow but mean Herx. It did not seem obvious then but it does now.
I gave up sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy and soy. I juiced twice a day. I took daily epsom salt baths. I am a writer and I worked from home, but I had to take on less assignments. Progress felt slow. My eyeballs hurt, my muscles twitched, my chest hurt, my heart pounded, I went through convulsions.
I went home to Vermont to relax, and felt better there under my parents care. I returned back to my life with my husband and started in on my Babesia and Biofilm protocol. I added Mepron, Artemisinin, Enula, Cipro, Lactofernin, Coartem and Septra DS to the mix. The babesia herx was obvious: air hunger, fevers, chostochondritis. My interstitial Cystitis came and went and came and went.
Weekly, and now every two weeks, I saw my brilliant acupuncturist who would take the pain away for days and replenish my resources. I added brain and nerve supporting supplements to the mix. I discovered that Tramadol was a very helpful pain med that did not make me feel 'high'.
I did one month straight of Pulsed Electro Magnetic Therapy. It was essentially a very uncomfortable detox and I believe that while it did not cure me, the intense cellular detox certainly sped the process considerably.
I drank lemon water, kombucha, and added immune boosters to the supplement mix. In the summer, I began to swim in fresh water swimming holes every single day. I began taking saunas a few times a week. I walked barefoot as much as possible, and bounced on a little trampoline for the rebound.
This summer I added a bit of dairy and even sugar back into my diet. It's been just fine. I don't recommend sugar of course, but having a piece of pie or an ice cream every now and then has made my spirit feel nourished and normal after all these many months.
I visited the eye doctor. Despite all the pain and loss of visual acuity, my eyeballs checked out healthy, my vision 20/20, and no sign of current or previous optic neuritis.
My best friend is in medical school. He does not believe in chronic lyme. Two days ago, after a long battle to figure out his own medical mystery, he was diagnosed by western blot with acute Lyme and he is on two months of doxy. How interesting for both of us to see him go through that.
My 'good days' now string 3,4,5 days in a row. I have swollen lymph nodes in my groin that worry me, but my LLMD is not worried and assumes my body is finally fighting with me. I take one or two tramadols a day, but I am weaning off the Cymbalta and barely take Gaba any more. No need for Klonopin. I still take sleep meds. I can now go out at night, go on short hikes, camp out at night, have a productive day, and feel happy.
I saw my LLMD two days ago. While I consider myself in 'the last 10%' she smiled and gently reminded me that we are halfway there. One more Babesia round (making 6 total, each one month long) because I was still herxing on my last one. And then four more months of 2 weeks on / 2 weeks off a protocol designed to kill Bartonella as well as more borrellia.
In September I travel to Vermont to try Biomagnetic Pairing therapy. It has been putting some of my friends into remission. I will report back.
I have added Japenese Knotweed (knotwood?) astragulus, cats claw and skullcap tinctures, and tablets of andrographis. I hope to be able to transition to herbals after my Abx are through. I hope to be in remission by Christmas and try for a baby in January.
I've found that juicing ginger root, diluting to 50% with water and freezing the cubes is an excellent trick in fighting nausea.
I have met a good friend here with Lyme, and we are in this together. I recently hosted a benefit at a local bar for people in the area with Lyme, it was a huge success. In two months I'm starting a positive psychology coaching class as my first step towards becoming a health coach to help other people.
That is my update for now. Still fighting, still sick, but improving and feeling confident. I wish a swift and healing road to every one of us!!