Alxander said...
Hi Dude.
Your reply really gave me some motivation. Thank you so much.
1- I am definitely a compulsive person when it comes to diseases, and right now I’m definitely being over vigilant about everything. At the same time I’m writing down all symptoms. Hopefully it will help the professional I see, if I can find a good one.
2- What gave me a mental relieve is when I got the doc I saw to prescribe me 3 weeks of doxy (with what I already had, I have 4 weeks of 2x200mg) right now. I feel like the clock is ticking like you said, i’ll do my best to extend my treatment to symptoms clear + 4 weeks.
That point brings me to an additional 2 worries tho:
1- i feel like it’ll be hard for me to really pinpoint when I’m symptoms free. I feel like a few symptoms I’m having right now are from the doxy (but I’ll admit they could be from herxing, which make it so complicated!).
The symptoms that started soon after doxy:
- physical: Occasional joint pain, pressure in head
- mental: sense of panic, extreme anxiety, dizziness, major confusion.
The mental one seem like the most related to the doxy, as they tend to wear off a bit during the last 6 hours of one dose.
Do you understand what I mean? So complicated to see clearly in this.
2nd thing that got me worried is all the co-infections, and the fact that doxy don’t clear them. I even read on forums that having a single antibiotic is useless, as you need several at the same time to get rid of most bacterias. What if the reason I don’t see improvement is the fact that a co-infection is protecting lyme? 
Alxander,
Hello, friend. Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad if anything I wrote was helpful.
In reading your posts, I felt like they could have written by me, as I was also very obsessed about
Health/Lyme, after my tick bite in late 2014. I'm sure the same could be said for most of the members of this forum. So, it's natural to be concerned.
The trick, however, is to remain focused on going forward and do your best to release thoughts about
the things that have already happened. Maybe this isn't an issue for you, but I went through a period where I had a lot of negative thoughts about
the many things that happened prior to my tick bite.
* "If only I had been eating better, maybe I wouldn't have gotten sick."
* "I was exercising too much and not spending enough time recovering."
* "It's my fault for staying-up too late and not getting enough sleep. I wore-down my body."
* "I let my job cause me too much stress. I should have quit or not been so emotionally involved."
And on and on.
But, those things already happened and there was no way for me to time-travel to the past and change them. So, it was a waste of my time and limited energy to focus on them. Eventually, I recognized this and stopped. It took some time, though, because I'm a slow learner.
Right after a tick bite is a critical period of time, as you know. If a person is going to go on antibiotics, then the sooner the better. Because, as previously noted, this is a window of opportunity that will never be available again.
However...
Right after the tick bite is also the time that many people are trying to learn everything they can about
Lyme Disease. In addition to listening to what their doctor tells them, they go online and end-up on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website and/or the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) website. But, then they find forums like this and read lots of conflicting personal stories. Next, they are directed to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) website where there is information that conflicts with the CDC and IDSA websites.
At this point, you're left thinking something like:
"Who the hell is right? There are experts (MDs, PhDs, Researchers, and Scientists) on BOTH sides of the debate. Some say 21 days of Doxycycline @ 100 mg x 2 is all that's needed. Yet, others say 200 mg of Doxycycline twice daily with a six-week minimum and until symptom-free for at least one month. Then, some people say antibiotics will cause problems and to use herbs. But, others say they tried herbs it didn't work for them. Then, there are people who used antibiotics AND herbs. To whom do I listen?!?"Meanwhile, the clock is still ticking.
This leads some (like myself) to "analysis paralysis." That is, they have so much information that they're frozen with either fear, indecision, or overwhelm, and make no decision. They do nothing, hoping they will "figure it out." They just need to read a little bit more. Just another day should do it.
"Another day won't make much difference." But, sometimes, one day can turn into a few. Then, into weeks.
Know this: With Lyme Disease, not everything is black-and-white, unfortunately. Rather, there are many shades of gray.
You make the best decisions you can, based on what information you're able to gather. Do the best you can in the beginning to minimize the possibility of complications later. Have a plan, execute the plan, and reevaluate as needed or as things change.
I know it's easier said than done, but try to stay present and not live in the future. Visit, but don't dwell. Most of the things people worry about
(because we tend to worry about
so many possibilities) never actually happen. I like this quote by Dr. Richard Schulze:
"Tomorrow is what you believe and do today."You don't have to do it alone. Learn from folks here. Get help finding a competent doctor. Participate in creating a wellness plan with your provider and make sure you feel confident with it. Advocate for yourself, but know when you don't know and give the plan a try.
It's a tough balancing act. No doubt about
it.
And, the only certainty is uncertainty. If you can learn to embrace this, it will make this journey - and, the rest of your life - much easier.
Stay connected and keep us updated!
Sincerely,
Dude
Post Edited (The Dude Abides) : 6/24/2018 4:09:25 PM (GMT-6)