Posted 9/9/2016 3:52 PM (GMT 0)
I have been asked to tell my healing story, so here goes. Sorry this will be long and I have tried to break it up for easier reading.
I was bit April 29th, 2015 at a luncheon that was held on a concrete patio by a swimming pool. There was a little dog and a cat running around yard. The property outside of the yard is a forest and if a bear or deer had of walked by it would not have been shocking. So there are many critters in the properties next to the place we were eating.
I volunteered to help with the cleanup of the luncheon, so I gathered up the tablecloths off all of the tables and took them to the laundry room. I had a full load in my arms. I did a few other things and went to my car to go home.
A few hours later I took a shower and noticed a bite mark on my forearm. I have been bitten by spiders before and this was not a spider bite or a mosquito bite. I thought maybe it was a flea bite (having never been bitten by a flea). It did not itch and it was circular, but not a super definite bull’s eye. I knew nothing about lyme or a bull’s eye at this point.
After 3 weeks the mark was still there. I knew that something was very different about this bite. All I did was watch the bite mark intently. I had an antihistamine on hand in case I developed an allergic reaction. Finally it seemed to get lighter and lighter.
June 20th a girlfriend and I had to go buy some things for a fire department function. I complained that my neck hurt, like I had slept wrong. June 23rd I got a weird pain behind my ear. June 30th my knees were hurting. I have osteoarthritis in both knees and have had injections in them many times. Both knees have been scoped and they both are eventually going to be dealt with knee replacements. I went to the orthopedist and had him inject both knees. Steroids. I still knew nothing about lyme.
Meanwhile I now have a horrendous head pain. I never called it a headache because I had had those for years and this was not a headache. It was behind my ear on the right side and it was horrible. I took migraine meds and they did nothing. I took valium and it did nothing. I had hydrocodone and it did nothing. July 1st I went to the chiropractor to see what he could do. Meanwhile other symptoms were popping up one by one.
July 2nd I went to see my Internal Medicine (GP) doctor. I explained my symptoms, full ears, head pain, sore neck, swallowing was different and malaise. He diagnosed me with a sinus infection and gave me a Z-pac to take for 5 days. He also gave me narcotics for the head pain, which he said was a sinus headache……
Those meds did nothing and I complained some more. So July 14th my doctor ordered a brain scan to see if there was a tumor. It was negative. It is a funny thing when you have a brain scan and it says negative. I giggled thinking I had no brain.
I went and researched the internet. On July 23rd I talked my doctor into a lyme test. I got the test through Quest and it was negative. So, this made my doctor suspect something else and he had me go to a neurologist. On July 30th I saw the neurologist. His exact words were, when I asked him if it could be lyme, “you don’t get a headache with lyme.” He ordered 3 MRI’s.
August 18th I got in to see a LLMD. I cancelled the MRI’s. This LLMD started me on Ceftin (because I told him I was a huge outdoor person) and Biaxin was to be started 3 days later if I had no reaction to the Ceftin and I also got a blood test through Igenex.
Sept 10th I went back to the LLMD and my test results were IgM 31+ and 41+, IgG was 41+ and 58+. Silliest question I have ever heard from a doctor came next… He said, “What do you want to do now?” I knew this was not the doctor I should be seeing.
Sept 28th I got in to see another LLMD. I told him I had no change at all with antibiotics and would like an alternative. He started me on Beyond Balance – MC-BB1 and Tox Ease GL, both tinctures. He and his wife had both had lyme and she was unable to take antibiotics, so he went to a quickie school for Beyond Balance and also did a seminar for ILADS. It was fine with me.
Meanwhile, I have been scouring the internet and stumbled upon Buhner. Everywhere I turned it seemed to have healed people. There are more success rates on my table for Buhner, so I decided that Beyond Balance was not going fast enough for me and I am not a patient person. I decided to continue Beyond Balance and add in other herbs.
Oct 1st my heart was giving me some concern. I started Motherwort. I quickly got up to 1 dropper full, 3 times a day. I then added in Cat’s Claw. I had taken this before and knew I had no problems with it. I did capsules, 3 times a day. Then I added in Hawthorn for added help to my heart issues. I quickly went to 1 dropper, 3 times a day. By Nov. 8th I started Japanese Knotweed. I knew it was powerful so I did it a little slower and eventually got up to 2 droppers full, 3 times a day. That was my max for it.
Then I tried to introduce Elethrococcus and my heart went crazy so I stopped it. I tried to introduce Sida Acuta and my heart got flutters and that scared me so I stopped that. By this time I received the 2nd Edition of Buhner’s Healing Lyme. Chapter 8 gave his updated protocol and so I decided to add in his suggestions in the order he gave them. Cytokine remodulation was next. In his book it said combine tinctures, equal parts Red Sage and Skullcap. So being brain foggy that I was I did exactly that. I got a measuring cup and combined the two herbs and then poured the combination into bottles and had my mixture. I started slow and got to 2 droppers, 3 times a day. I later discovered my mistake in combining these two herbs. If I had of been allergic to one, I would have never known which one. Anyway, from there on out I did not mix them just because it was inconvenient.
Next I went on to Collagen protection. Biosil was recommended by the forum, so I invested in that. I also bought Great Lakes gelatin powder. I added Astragalus at this time also. I had taken it before so I just went with capsules and I did 2 caps, 3 times a day. And bone broth became a staple at our home. I eventually quit the Biosil and the Great Lakes. I found Protein Essentials hydrolyzed collagen to be better for me.
Next was Immune remodulation. I was already taking Cat’s Claw and a great mushroom complex - Host Defense® MyCommunity, a complex of 17 different mushrooms. I had no problem with sleeping, so I did not take Aswagangha. I also was leery of licorice (glycyrrhiza) so I did not do that.
My lymph nodes were still swollen so at this time I added in Red Root. My max for Red Root was 2 droppers, 3 times a day.
Then I added in Cryptolepis. My max for Crypto was 1 dropper, 3 times a day. Next I added in Houttuynia and my max for it was 1 dropper, 3 times a day. I then added in Gou Teng and I also got up to 1 dropper, 3 times a day. And then finally the big one, Andrographis… I could only get to 1 dropper, 3 times a day.
I did this all until March 12, 2016 and I got sick to my stomach. My body said I had enough. So I quit the Andro, Houtt and Gou Teng on Mar 14th. All symptoms had been gone for a week, so I was just doing the herbs to get to the 2 months without symptoms before I quit them all.
I slowly tapered off on all the herbs and by June 27th I quit everything.
It was a long journey for me, not compared to so many others. I sometimes feel guilty for healing as quickly as I did. I have been told that it was because I jumped on it so fast and that I was a huge detoxer way before lyme. I also had great eating habits. I still feel uncomfortable saying I am well. Now I am feeling fine, but cautious. I know lyme is still in me. I can feel it. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but I know it is there.
I had a very stressful situation come up in my life recently and I saw my lyme trying to come back. That was my warning. I cannot do stress or anything in excess. I have to go with moderation for everything for the rest of my life. And, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Now, I am slowly getting my physical body back in shape. Well, in as good as shape as it can be. LOL
If you take anything from my story, I would like it to be. Don’t copy me! Listen to your body and do it your way. That was what I knew to do so very well, listen to my body. I knew when I had enough or not enough. We are all so different and lyme goes for our weak parts. Help those weak parts get stronger. Help out your body to be able to fight the lyme. There isn’t a pill, tincture or antibiotic that will kill it, IMO. Your body has to figure out how to be stronger than lyme and that is the goal.
By the way, I never herxed. Unless you call that getting sick in March a herx - if that was a herx – gross! I never put my body through the stress of a herx. I could tell when I had gone too far and I pulled back before I stressed out my body with a herx. I have never thought the idea of herxing was a good sign.
Now remember, I am not a doctor. This is just my story. I am nobody special with any better information, education or insight into this lyme stuff than you.
I wish every one of you that waded through the reading of this long journey of mine good health. Oh, and did I mention laughter? Imperative!!! Laugh at those stupid symptoms, laugh at everything.