only seem to be getting worse

I've posted a few threads before about my tick bite a month ago. I had no rash but a fever, loss of appetite and painful lymph nodes a week after. This stopped after a week or two, and I'm still on 200mg doxy twice a day, but some weird stuff is happening. My lymph nodes still kind of sting occasionally, I'm getting bizarre pains that come and go, both in joints and muscles. Some days my hip hurts, some day my knees, or the muscles in my thigh or arm will ache. Also fleeting sharp pains in the little joints in my fingers and pains in my feet, not to mention toothache that comes and goes. Now and again one of my eyes hurts too. It could be my imagination, but I think my left leg (where I got bitten) has less feeling than the right.
I'm still taking my doxy every day but it seems to be getting worse.

Luckily I managed to get an appointment with a lyme literate doctor but that's a few weeks away. Does anyone have any idea whats going on with me?

Post Edited (newtothiss) : 8/17/2009 3:50:02 PM (GMT-6)

haven't been tested yet, getting blood tests in a few weeks - doctor says it can take that long for certain things to show up.

i'm just surprised that these symptoms have came on so soon, especially since I thought I was treating whatever I caught from the tick appropriately. I guess I probably could have coinfection(s) that the doxy isn't treating.

other than that maybe its some kind of auto-immune response. actually i have no idea, i just want to get back to my normal life, this sucks :(

Martha's Vineyard,

Why would you say that Lyme is resistant to antibiotics? I understand that some people take natural routes to get better but saying Lyme is resistant to antibiotics is just not true. Everyone heals different ways. Your way may have worked for you and that is awesome but others may not get better. The clinic you went to is a little expensive. I wish it was more affordable. Either way, in my opnion, I do think antibiotics work.

I agree that Vitamin C should be started but one should start off at 1000mg or less and work their way up to 3000mg. It can cause severe diarrhea.

I have heard that colloidal silver was good to take, but have not tried it yet.

Hi Newtothis,
Sorry you are feeling lousy. You have a lot of folks here that can relate. I would just keep taking the Doxy until your LLMD appointment. After they run labs, they might switch up your antibiotics. Just try and push fluids and rest when you can. As far as Collidal Silver, the verdict is still out on that one. You have to be extremely careful with what you take.

NewToThis,

You have gotten great information here. I agree that you should be very careful with what you take even if it is a natural supplement. Some supplements do interact with prescription medication and others can affect the liver if you have liver problems. Always do research before taking anything or come here and ask. There are many knowledgeable members here.

I agree with Nicky too about detoxing. It is extremely important to get those toxins out. They can cause all kinds of symptoms. If you have a picc line, you should ask your doctor first what you can do.

i agree, we are made to feel as tho we committed a crime by getting lyme, when if fact it is most Dr who are committing the crime of not treating us.

to me its like why go to med school and not learn. by this they in turn do us great harm.even leading some to die from lyme disease.

this is not only a crime to them and there families, but to the oath they took to start with.

i think if they have no clue, then go back to school. JMHO

It is very common to get worse before you get better. It is called a herxheimer reaction and we talk about having those all the time. When the abx kills off the bacteria, it releases a lot of toxins which can overload your system causing inflammation and pain. It is actually a good thing and means that the abx is doing it's job. You can take quercetin, a supplement you get at the health food store and it will help with inflammation. I buy the kind that is combined with vitamin C and a mineral (forgot which one). You need to supplement magnesium and B vitamins as these are depleted by lyme and your symptoms worsen when you do not have it. Many of the symptoms of low B12 are similar to lyme.
I believe you need to knock the infections way back before you attempt healing with herbs. Taking enough herbs to actually heal you is very expensive. I am spending $500 a month on them. I took 9 months of abx and then started having too many side effects.
You were so lucky to have a doctor correctly diagnose lyme, know how to treat it (you are taking the correct strength of doxy) and to get you started right away. You should stay on doxy for 3-4 months or until you are symptom free for two months. The lyme bacteria reproduction cycle is about 28 days and you can expect a herx reaction that often.
Then there are the co-infections. . . . and many of these diseases do not test! There are over 30 strains of bartonella but the labs only test for 3. So you need to read up on symptoms to be aware of what is what. Babesia usually has drenching sweats with fever while bartonella has hot flashes with elevated morning temperature. With lyme your temperature is always subnormal - shouldn't say always, I guess, as it is such a strange disease.
Good luck