Hi M. Lowe -
Sorry about
all the fatigue - I've been there. Mine is mainly caused by high viral loads. EBV - epstein-barr virus causes mono illness). I hope you're on some antivirals for the EBV levels - they can cause the immune system unnecessarily when it needs to be focused and dedicated to treating Lyme & Co (there is no miracle tx out there that takes the place of our own immune system's impact on these infections.)
But the Lyme & Co infections AND the treatment process can also completely overwhelm the body and can cause that kind of fatigue... remember your body is a) under attack from the infections, which can overwhelm the body and b) the treatment itself can also be brutal and consumes every bit of energy available.
Additionally, the endocrine functions can be overwhelmed by the struggling immune function and the infections, as well. In a healthy body, these systems are all interdependent and rely upon each other for optimal functioning. In an ill body, they can all adversely affect each other as well.
So, for these reasons, it's really not a good idea to try to engage in "normal" activities - your body can only handle so much. Pushing the limits while you're sick with these kinds of viral loads and the Lyme & Co infections is just begging for a crash. ;) Your adrenals can keep you in "stress response" mode for only so long, artificially producing cortisol and other hormones and chemicals that keep you going... until they're depleted.
Additionally, yes, the Bb can affect heart function. I understand that most of the time these are identifiable through regular testing ---it's just that cardiologists are clueless as to what is causing the abnormal function and never suspect Lyme. But the information about
malfunction is there and measured. Although with Bb's erratic behavior, I wouldn't be suprirsed if this isn't true w/ Lyme.
I've always had an erratic heart beat like you described - skips every now and then. And then I had a Long QT on an EKG during a trip to the ER for bart GI attack. And while my father had a quintuple bypass at age 50 and his father suffered heart issues the last 20 yrs of his life and died from a heart attack at the same age... no issues were found in my tests with typical methodologies.
I would suspect the prior reasons for your fatigue but please, keep a close eye on any other heart symptoms that might show up. It's great that you have the baseline testing done - that will be handy for the future.
Hope that's helpful - if not, just keep asking questions.
-p
Post Edited (Pirouette) : 6/9/2017 8:02:02 PM (GMT-6)