What am I doing wrong?!

I don't think you are doing anything wrong.

you will see from reading here that these are simply difficult diseases to recover from and many people take several years even when they are doing everything right.

the fact that you have made progress already is a good sign and evidence that you can continue to improve - so that's worth celebrating and a source for hope for the future.

however, its a learning process involving some trial and error because everyone is different.

the good news is it sounds like you have already taken a proactive approach to your situation and this is a great asset going forward.

my own experience is that a few supplements seem to help a little - but none are life-changing.

the buhner herbs have helped me - but similar to your experiences - often symptoms get worse before they get better - and so careful dosing and persistence is required.
I have gradually added more of the ones that seem to help the immune system one at a time over the last few months and that has seemed to help me move forward.
Chinese skullcap
Cordyceps
Salvia M. ( gau Teng )
Uncaria Rhynchophila
Licorice

Diet change was a big step forward for me - I changed to a fully keto paleo style diet around 2 years ago now and started to gradually improve from that point. energy much improved, gut issues reduced, headaches/pressure reduced.

sleep is also a big factor in recovery - if your sleep is disturbed - focus on that will certainly help recovery.
my partner and I got ill at the same time - my sleep was disturbed - but she was able to sleep 8-9hrs a night - she is now back working full time - while my progress is slow - but the better I sleep - the more good days i have. this can be cheap to improve.

exercise - many prominent LLMD's advocates this is necessary for recovery - usually strength training. i do this even if it feels horrible and i do think it helps. its like the muscles and connective tissue are all part of the immune system. again - this is not challenging from a financial perspective. no equipment or gym memberships are required.

stress management - another key factor in controlling inflammation and achieving health is managing our mental wellness and stress levels - meditation is a key tool here - but also walks in nature or anything else you do that relaxes you are ideal. you could do everything right - but if you are stressed to the hilt due to worries over illness or money - or relationships it will be hard to move forward.

i was very reluctant to use antibiotics - having been health-conscious all my life and then after becoming ill - finding functional medicine as one of the key places to get useful information. regarded them as things of last resort.

however, i found the actual experience of them milder than many of the herbs I had tried - like houttuynia and sida - and made another step forward after around 9months on a combination of Doxycycline, azithromycin and Rifampicin.
most Lyme MD's recommend the use of multiple antibiotic combinations for Lyme and especially with Lyme and Bart/Babs coinfections as these are known to be hardest to treat.
Babesia requires different abx than Lyme as its a single-celled parasite - not a bacteria - typically an antiparasitic or antimalarial combination is used.
clindamycin with something else typically i think.
some have some success with a plant-based anti-malaria drug called artemisinin

so i would say first - look at lifestyle changes you can make that help recovery
diet, sleep, exercise etc
gradually step us buhner herbs / or add to them depending on symptoms
consider another course of antibiotics if the above is not moving you forward.
this need not be expensive if you are willing to buy them from reputable online pharmacies ( its what i did )

Szabo,

I understand the worry. The specific symptoms you mentioned (rashes, sweats, dizziness, headaches, IBS, anxiety) can be caused by a lot of things. Mold is one of them.

I can’t remember if you ever had mold issues or looked into that. Of course, mold issues can crop up any time. All it takes is some water damage. A small leak inside a wall, under a floor, in an attic, basement or crawlspace can grow mold before it’s discovered. Same with an air conditioning system and duct system.

I would make sure there’s no mold, leaks, or past or present water damage upfront. If there is, get it taken care of right away and re-evaluate symptoms. If all is clear on that front, would you consider seeing an LLMD or LLND who might be able to help you get to the finish line?

I do understand about money. Mold issues drained all mine away.

I would just echo what Garzie said -- stress and diet are two major factors that can suppress the immune system, and for the most part they are pretty easy to control on your own. I would cut out gluten and dairy at the minimum for 90 days and see if you feel better. I feel like that's how long it took before I noticed a big difference.

Szabo, have you looked into mast cell activation syndrome yet (MCAS)? Most of us with MCAS feel better when we aren't treating (because we're prone to reactions and constant herxing) and feel very out-of-it on lion's mane (because it's high in histamine). Plus rashes, headaches, IBS (particularly diarrhea), dizziness, and sweats can be MCAS symptoms. It might be worth researching MCAS triggers (including diet) and avoiding them for a while to see how you feel. There are lots of treatment options, and people with MCAS often make progress with Lyme once the MCAS is under control.

The answers to your question are yes and no. There are tests but they miss most cases because they only detect high histamine levels and related enzymes if the test samples are taken when you are reacting to something you very recently were exposed to (within hours). Knowledgeable doctors will diagnose MCAS clinically. You're right that diet is one way to tell - for me, diet is the primary driver - but that's not true for everyone. You may not react to most high-histamine foods, herbs, probiotics, etc. and your triggers might be something else - pollen, mold, heat, exercise, stress, artificial fragrances, cleaning products, etc. But every trigger matters because it can be cumulative.

For years, I had daily MCAS issues (mainly brain fog and reactions to every single thing I ingested) because I ate a lot of fermented foods, which I was doing because they're good for my microbiome, with no idea that I was reacting to their high histamine levels! I switched to a low-histamine diet, started taking quercetin and curcumin, and started doing DNRS limbic system retraining. I have not had brain fog since except for once when I got "histamined" because my partner made a smoothie with a too-ripe (fermented!) banana. That was a year and a half ago. Usually if triggers have been managed well, then I can handle a little histamine here and there now. It's definitely improved my quality of life.

In his book Toxic, Neil Nathan talks a great deal about this. Many of the sensitive patients he sees have to address MCAS-related hyper-reactivity before they can tolerate other types of treatment for infections or mold. He says that he suspects MCAS in people who say that they feel better when they aren't treating antimicrobially and in people who seem to react to everything they ingest.