Endoscopy causing relapse? Help!

Hi all. Could really use some input. I’ve had a Lyme like illness for 7 years, I think time healed the most and was about 90% functioning in early summer, despite some digestive issues. I am also microtapering off 10 years of zoloft but was going at a snails pace and wasn’t noticing many symptoms. In any case, I had an Endoscopy on 7/6 and shortly following I’ve had intense neurological symptoms, debilitating anxiety, depression, hot ears, near fainting, dizziness, and worst of all the muscle pain, twitching, and skin crawling is back full force. I’ve tried gentle detoxes with bentonite clay, charcoal, but makes symptoms worse. I am suddenly intolerant to most vitamins, can’t even handle vitamin C without a huge increase in symptoms. I am now out of work for nearly 3 weeks, am a director at a surgery center. I’m also supposed to get married in a month! This is terrible and I’m scared I won’t bounce back! I don’t even see an llmd anymore and don’t have money to see one due to being on leave. Any practical tips? Is anesthesia/ propofol known to do this? Thank you!

darlng787,

Wow! So sorry to hear that. It sounds like a relapse of bartonella and/or Lyme symptoms. Do you have an LLMD you trust that you can call for help?

Two other suggestions that you could try besides the usual re-treatment for Lyme/co:

1. Take antihistamines, Vit C, other mast cell stabilizers. I recently started taking Zyzal by breaking the pill in half and taking half in morning, half at night per the suggestion of a dermatologist. Other helpful things - quercetin, luteolin, pharma like Cromolyn sodium.

The antihistamines could calm down the immune system and possibly avert a full-blown relapse.

2. There’s another post about Ivermectin for immunomodulation. I just started that, too. I will come back and add a link to that post. Ivermectin seems to have many uses - parasites, COVID prevention and treatment, long hauler treatment, immunomodulation in Lyme/bartonella.

It has been reported to work on COVID long haulers, which is similar to chronic Lyme/co, so it could be worth a shot.

EDIT:

Here’s the link to the Ivermectin post: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=4245607

NOTE:

You had the endoscopy because you had GERD or gastritis symptoms? Maybe you should consider further treatment for bartonella and/or Lyme.

QUESTION:

You mentioned hot ears. Did you ever get red, burning earlobes? That was one of my early unusual symptoms that I rarely see mentioned.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 8/27/2021 8:48:46 AM (GMT-6)

Endoscopy sedation messed me up, for sure. I also had absolutely crushing depression from it. The endoscopy itself damaged my esophagus as well, which took a while to heal, and made it hard to eat or talk, which was stressful. But the sedation itself messes with neurotransmitters (hence so many people feeling euphoric right afterward and then depressed after that) and neurotransmitters can take a very long time to normalize, affecting so many body systems in the process. I would focus on calming your nervous system as much as possible.

Since so many of your neurotransmitters are made in the gut (90% of serotonin, for example) it's important to address whatever these long-term gut issues you have are. Do you have a sense of what's going on there - SIBO, dysbiosis, candida, IBS, IBD, etc.? Stool testing might help.

Increased sensitivities can be from mast cell activation syndrome, as WBF said. Perhaps look into mast cell stabilizers to add (quercetin, DAO, curcumin, cromolyn sodium, H1 or H1 blockers, cannabis products, etc.) and triggers that you can avoid (heat, mold, stress, allergens, toxins, overstimulation, exertion, high-histamine foods, high-histamine supplements, etc.). Which symptoms increase when you take supplements?

Sometimes also the gut just needs a break, including from supplements, especially if it's been damaged recently. Any chance you had the type of endoscopy that goes a fair way into the small intestine, that might have caused damage or irritation?

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this! Please do remember that you got better once and you will again.

Thank you all for the replies. I was having a lot of nausea and rib pain so I was convinced to have an endo to rule out anything serious. I am certain the drugs from the anesthesia caused this as this next morning is where the intense feeling of impending doom set in, followed by the physical symptoms like burning ears, dizziness, fatigue etc. I don’t know how far the endo reached. I am open to trying mast cell stabilizers but since antihistamines are known to interact with ssris, and I’m in the thick of a taper after being on for so long, I am concerned this could make things worse. I have some quercitin and may try that but I remember last year taking it and noticing a lot of detox effects (night sweats , fatigue etc.)… I definitely think my nervous system is completely fried. When the symptoms started I began to panic, being unable to work right around my wedding has also perpetuated this fight of flight response. I hope and pray I stabilize. Supplements tend to cause a toxic feeling, increase in fatigue, muscle pain and twitches. I just feel so plugged up and toxic. Tried charcoal and clay but makes things worse. Thank you all for listening.

Go for it!

Microbe Formulas gives instructions towards the bottom. https://microbeformulas.com/blogs/microbe-formulas/3-main-benefits-of-coffee-enemas-plus-1-instructional-guide

Be sure to drink water and something to replenish electrolytes.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 8/27/2021 7:33:02 PM (GMT-6)

I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this and hope you start to feel better soon. I have an endoscopy scheduled for Wednesday so am feeling a bit nervous to be honest. It’s my first and I’m most nervous about the anesthesia.