Hi JeanBean55 -
Those sx are not at all unusual for the Lymee or the yeasty crowd. Pretty common. But regular MDs will definitely be confused. Are you working w/ a naturopath or a Lyme specialist or a regular MD or nurse?
While Lyme tests are generally 50% accurate at best, I think your reactive bands are indicative of a Lyme infection. You can be infected without it dominating your immune system. Most people wait to seek treatment until they have unmanageable sx. Or they are aware of a new infection (EM rash or pull a tick off) and seek preventative treatment.
Anyway, I would set aside the Lyme question for now… and deal with two things first and then see which symptoms remain. It's really tough to know which issues (Lyme & Co or yeast/fungus or thyroid) is causing which symptoms because so many overlap. But there are a couple of issues easier to treat than Lyme & Co. So you can start w/ them first.
First and foremost, you should probably deal with the yeast/fungal overgrowth. It can cause a lot of damage in the gut if unchecked and that can lead to multiple serious problems that will disrupt any other treatment, since most of it we process through our guts. Plus, Lyme & Co treatment is reliant upon a functioning immune system, 70% of which is the mucosal lining of our guts. And people w/ yeast problems generally have a struggling immune system.
Everything on your list was on my symptom list and nothing on your list confirms absolutely systemic yeast (yet) so you might be lucky and only need to address a local issue in the gut. Here is a lot of info in this "New to Lyme?" thread on yeast/fungus - please check it out (so that I don't have to retype everything) and then you can post specific questions and we'll see if we can focus more on your issues.
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=1606610&g=3644275#m3644275A lot of the y/f issues going on in your gut will affect other areas of your body because
a) the yeast can grow up your throat and into your head, causing the eye and ear disturbances, possibly the vertigo; and
b) science finally proved the gut-brain connection through blood vessels that literally connect gut to brain so more and more, neurotransmitter and psychological issues are being linked to gut issues/disrupted micro biome of good/bad bacteria and of course, yeast overgrowth. This could very well be the issue causing brain fog, forgetfulness, and certainly neopathy.
Yeast produces byproducts, including ethanol and this can cause several problems, including the "drunkenness". They call it an internal brewing system - yeast overgrowth is one of the reasons alcoholics have such a hard time with recovery - their bodies are craving the sugar.
Antifungals
If you already have a yeast/fungal issue, you'll need more than just natural antifungals or probiotics to rebalance and deal with the overgrowth, especially if you're on antibiotics for Lyme & co. and you'll need a sugar-free, simple-carb-free diet. If not, the yeast strains can grow resistant to the antifungals and things can get really out of control.
The best I can recommend is PURE Nystatin powder. See that link for more info about
it.
Generally, antifungals act pretty quickly to kill the yeast/fungus and it's very helpful to also take binders that help remove the die off and toxins that can get trapped in your GI with slower bowel movements, and helps manage herxing. The die off from killing the yeast can get pretty intense.
I'd say if you are diligent w/ the antifungals and are strict about
no-sugar diet and aren't actively on antibiotics, you can do this in about
a month. Unless you have systemic yeast and maybe don't know it yet.
While you're treating the yeast/fungus, sounds like you also need to support your adrenals and perhaps your thyroid. There are good OTC herbs for adrenals but you might need more specific testing for the thyroid. Most of us Lymees are hypo-thyroid, meaning the thyroid gets a little sluggish but it often also comes w/ struggling adrenals. And of course, illnesses can stress the body and the adrenals and treating Lyme & Co can cause HUGE adrenal stress. So supporting these two functions should help w/ the fatigue.
Then you re-evaluate your symptoms to see if they match up w/ Lyme & Co. The only caveat to this is that yeast/fungus can also sometimes cause painful joints but that's not the same as RA. But things like Sciatica and palsy are neuropathy-related and are pretty common for Lyme & Co. My Lyme-friendly neurologist has suggested they are often due to inflammation, so that might be something to explore - I like Japanese Knotweed and turmeric and wobenzyme - there are other herbs and foods to try.
Hope this is helpful - let us know if you have other questions.
-p
Post Edited (Pirouette) : 4/12/2017 9:21:00 PM (GMT-6)