Balance Problems- Bart or Bab?

I was on mino and Rifampin for bart for over a year... and it got rid of many symptoms.

I doubt that 6-8 weeks is long enough - you’d need at least 4 months from what I’ve read and heard.

If you plateau on Rifampin - you can switch to Rifabutin.

My first thoughts are mold, the need to detox, deconditioning, neurological issues, and/or imbalance in one or more of the hormonal systems (hypothalamus, thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, etc.). These can all stick around even after infections aren't active anymore. Dizziness, balance and coordination issues, and wonkiness with proprioception are big issues for me, too.

You probably know all this, but just in case one of those possibilities resonates with you, my understanding is ....

Mold susceptibility can arise after prolonged Lyme and co-infections even if you didn't have issues before, and no amount of treating the infections will fix it once you're sensitive to it. Ditto for other environmental toxins. Systemic candida also would be something to watch out for after any amount of pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Detoxing ability varies a lot among people, and many months on antibiotics (and probably also supplements) can overload your detoxing pathways. People also develop mast cell activation issues that can cause dizziness after prolonged inflammation, like from infections or from ongoing herxing.

Deconditioning (if you have been restricted physically by these infections) and the infections themselves can mess with your proprioception and autonomic nervous system, and the ANS can develop bad habits, but you can re-train it! There are YouTube videos, online or DVD-based ANS learning systems, mind-body approach apps like Curable, tapping (EFT), and of course lots of yoga and qi gong exercises that can help to re-train those systems and restore more balance and steadiness.

Hormonal changes (which happen constantly) are involved with how we sense our bodies in space as well. If you are concerned about this, then maybe have your doctor check your thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, pregnenelone, cortisol, ACTH, DHEA, and testosterone to make sure things are in balance. Lots of people with Lyme are off-kilter in at least one of those. The fix can be as simple as managing sleep, stress, food, and exercise; some need adaptogens; others need supplemented hormones for a time. (Look up HPA axis dysfunction as well, if you're curious how an imbalance in one hormone, like cortisol, can create an imbalance in all the other ones!)

Another thing that messes with my balance is drops in barometric pressure and high winds. This time of year in New England is a woozy time for me. :-/ People say negative ions help with this (tourmaline, negative ion generator machines, pine forests and essential oils, beaches, waterfalls, showers) but I have not found a good fix yet.

Hope one of those things is helpful! And good luck! Balance issues are one of the most maddening symptoms, to me!

Did your balance problems resolve?

Yes!!! That's exactly how I feel. I always say it's like my brain is too slow to process my vision. Can you tell me your story? Your treatment and how long it took to get well?

Thank you for your reply. So much ❤

Zimica - Hi! I almost never find people who understand mal de debarquement. The constant sensation of movement is maddening, especially at first when you have not experienced it before and don't know what it portends. The few websites about it have suicide hotline numbers on them because people find this symptom so upsetting! I think overload of toxins plays into it for me, too. Also barometric pressure issues, and other neurological issues like dysautonomias seem to coincide. The "#1 Dizziness Doc" in Boston assured me I had no inner ear problems, and sent me to a neurologist, who assured me I had no neurological issues causing the sensation. And then they were finished with me! There's one doctor at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City who treats MDDS by "mapping" someone's wave sensation pattern, and placing them on a moving platform that mimics it, which apparently jolts the brain out of its pattern. I know one person who was cured by him in two sessions, but I don't know the cause of her MDDS, so who knows if it would work for us, with toxicity involved. Some people find relief while riding in a car. I never ride on boats or trains (where people more commonly acquire MDDS) but I wonder if that could help.

I am interested in saunas, but worry they'd be too much for me! At least for now. Thanks for the tip.

yes i feel it was bart on the nerves to the inner ear . some of it may have been ammonia toxicity however when i treated with garlic oil and gse eardrops and treated area topically with ooo and bee venom it went away. 9 months of boat spinning was exhausting