LLMD in Monmouth County NJ

So I took a break from the ABX, I will restart the ABX tonight. It seems most of the stiffness subsided a bit with the ABX out of the mix. I'm walking much better but don't have the range of motion in the right leg yet. I only have 7 more days and the 30 day abx run is finished. I would like to get good nights sleep tonight without too much Herx pain. So I perceive that once the ABX is completely finished it will take some time but the recovery phase should start that is if we are clear of the Lyme. I will say this, a better blood test for lyme needs to be developed. Many people are going un-diagnosed for long periods of time due to the elusive nature of this bacteria, and in this day and age that's just wrong.

I go back to my doctor on the 28th. He may want me to stay on the ABX for a while longer. We'll see when the time comes. Just got to get some relief from the Herxing and I can deal with some of the other stuff. I agree though, makes sense to stay on ABX until clear of all symptoms.

So, basically when these issues finally go away while taking the ABX you are for the most part clear of infection? What I can't understand is that Monday was good not so much pain or stiffness and looked like progress was made. Kept up with the ABX and Tuesday and Wednesday was just as bad as before. So after a short break (missed one day abx but did a lot of detox) I'm back on abx and the pain and stiffness are nearly the same. I will probably need another 30 days of abx. I agree though, need to keep on the abx till clear then perhaps a bit longer.

Post Edited (MrJones) : 6/17/2017 5:51:04 PM (GMT-6)

So, added an antioxidant (curcumin) and that helped a great deal with detox. I have noticed a change and some of the issues are finally subsiding after 4 weeks of ABX. However, both my lower legs are giving me pain after I lay down for a few hours to try and sleep and its preventing any type of meaningful rest. Could this be the sign of a Co-Infection ? Anyway, any suggestions from anybody else that was having the sleep issues?

So went back to LLMD to see if they had a suggestion for some of night time lower leg pain. We looked at the blood work taken from the first of the month. The blood was taken after being treated for about 2 weeks on ABX. So surprisingly only one other band showed positive, from what the doctor said that its a common band etc. The white cell count was high etc. However, there was a figure that was high, I'm not sure which one as I should have asked to have it written down, but, according to the Dr. its associated with Diverticulitis. Anybody else have a similar result on their blood work. I'm a bit confused now. I have no abdominal pain or trouble with bowels etc. I take fiber everyday. No Diarrhea or problems like that. I'm wondering if that the Anti-Inflammatorys and the ABX is causing a high reading right now because of treatment?

MrJones, hopefully you are taking a good probiotic to replenish the good bacteria in your gut. Antiobiotics will kill the good bacteria. Maybe go to a health food store and buy the refrigerated ones and take 100 billion
cfu's daily at least 2 hours after antibiotic use. VERY important.

You can take alka-seltzer gold twice a day. Use only pure lemon.

Are you on a sugar free, low carb, no gluten diet? Lyme bacteria feeds on sugar. Carbs process down to sugar. Many also stay dairy free as it can cause inflammation.

We never get rid of lyme bacteria. Our immune system, once the bacterial load is down, will be able to keep it at bay. Some people do relapse when under stress, eating poorly and any unfavorable conditions.

You need to treat lyme and possibly other co-infections until you no longer have symptoms. They say to treat for at least 2 months after symptoms resolve. For some this can be many months or years.

Antibiotics tend to make you fell worse from the die-off of the bacteria hence the importance of de-toxing. You want to move these toxins out if the body which will/may make you feel a bit better. I love activated charcoal. I usually take it during the middle of the night so it doesn't interfere with antibiotics or supplements. Epsom salt and hydrogen peroxide baths is great for detoxing and will help with your pain. Please look at the detoxing protocols for more info. Traveler linked you to a good de-toxing site.

Wishing you much success on your journey.

Patty

Post Edited (summer16) : 6/24/2017 3:34:43 PM (GMT-6)

Alka Seltzer gold and lemon juice I'm using for Detox along with 1500mg Curcumin and daily Epsom Salt Baths and etc. I have eliminated 99% of the sugar from my diet. So, I go back on Wednesday to speak with the Doctor. Since the test was done 24 days ago, they will probably draw blood again and we'll look at the results. One thing I can say is that the usual 6pm fever is gone. If I could just start getting a decent nights sleep I know I would feel much better overall.

Have a doctors appointment tomorrow, I'm writing up a bunch of questions to ask. Still not sleeping well, I've lost over 18lbs in 6 weeks. Still have problems with muscle strength and range of motion in both legs. Both wrists are sensitive and don't have the strength they once did. Been on this treatment for over 1 month and I'm not seeing any real results. Maybe its not lyme?

MrJones said...
Have a doctors appointment tomorrow, I'm writing up a bunch of questions to ask. Still not sleeping well, I've lost over 18lbs in 6 weeks. Still have problems with muscle strength and range of motion in both legs. Both wrists are sensitive and don't have the strength they once did. Been on this treatment for over 1 month and I'm not seeing any real results. Maybe its not lyme?

Given the symptoms you're having one month isn't even close to sufficient treatment. It can take several months at least to start seeing improvement. These infections are extremely difficult to treat and when you do start seeing improvement it generally isn't linear, i.e.: ups & downs before you'll see steady improvement. I started treatment early - six weeks after the bite - and still had to treat long term to achieve remission. I'm really sorry to say but this is the reality. I also lost about 20 lbs and muscle mass rather quickly and it's taken about a year to put it back on. When I started treating I also questioned whether I really had Lyme but as treatment progressed I could tell it was working, just glacially slowly. We aren't doctors here, just very experienced patients. I wouldn't wish this on anyone & if your case turned out not to be tickborne then your symptoms are still concerning but if it is then you should know it can take some time. Hope you start to see some progress soon.

MrJones said...
Well, thanks that gives some insight on how long the healing process is and something to go on. One thing though, why after 2 weeks of treatment didn't the blood test show more in the way of antibodies present? I would have figured that it would have been more pronounced. I'm still on the ABX by the way, so I expect to be on it for some time more. I'm just getting very worn out by the whole ordeal. Every joint in my body clicks now which wasn't the case 2 months ago. So, I will keep putting one foot in front of the other as best I can for now. I'm going to see if my Doctor can help in some way with a sleep aid etc. I have a feeling I will taking ABX for ninety days or more at this point.

I have read that when you are on antibiotics, sometimes the immune system doesn't have to 'work' as the job is being done for it.....so it gets 'lazy' and then if you test...there isn't the immune response required to get a positive test result.

Was there a change in antibiotics...or just extended the current one? What are you taking?

Taking Doxcylene for the ABX. Doing Alkaseltzer Gold and lemon juice for detox. One thing that has gone away is the 6pm low grade fever (99.5). So it looks like I'm in for a real roller coaster ride. Trying to stay in a positive frame of mind but its tough.

I read that Doxy can give you inflammation of the joints and muscles on the Drugs.com site. Anyway, do you think it might be beneficial to switch to Amoxicillin instead? Perhaps I'm not tolerating the Dox very well? I know I can tolerate Moxicillin very well.

By the way, the blood parameter that the doctor was concerned with was the C-Reactive protein. Normal is 0.0 to 4.9 my reading was 39.7. It has to do with inflammation which I have plenty of right now, they seem to think it might be something else driving it up.

By the way, thanks to all who have posted here and shared their advice and experiences, its very much appreciated. And I thank you.

Post Edited (MrJones) : 6/30/2017 1:23:28 AM (GMT-6)

That's good news;). Hydration is crucial. Drinking is something I often forget to do and I really feel it when I do.