Lyme/Herx/Other Symptom Correlation

Hi all:

Being a very ANALytical person, I have been trying to see how symptoms come-and-go and how they might correspond to meds, supps, diet, exercise and all other kinds of things! For instance, with me, I had the following days this week (I use a subjective % of feeling well for both physical and mental functionality):

MON: 80% physical, 65% mental

TUES: 90% P, 70% M

WEDS: 90% P, 45% M

TODAY: 95% P, 75% M

80-100% on either is what I would consider "normal" feeling due to just everyday life - below that there is some level of extra impairment. Note, that yesterday was a challenging day with my neuro symptoms. Also, note that my physical symptoms are pretty much very manageable where the neuro is much more erratic and sometimes very troublesome. This has been typical of my lifetime experience with Lyme when I have had my "episodes".

I imagine my physical score is always high due to my diet and exercise regimen. However the neuro symptoms are somewhat of a mystery and that's what I am trying to get a handle on. Maybe, by being physically fit, I am driven the disease into hiding into my CNS? Or maybe, the physical fitness only addresses the physical symptoms and I need to do other things to help with the neuro stuff (better detox, treatment of the disease itself, etc.)? I imagine it might be the latter.

Back to yesterday - I was really distressed with light-headed, dizzy, memory and spaced-out feeling. This began from the time I awoke around 6:00 am and lasted until about 7:45 pm last evening. At that time, my head began to clear and I am feeling pretty daggone good today! Here's what I think MAY have contributed to my "down" day:

DIET - I only ate a very little yesterday until I had a nice salmon/brussel sprouts dinner at abt 6:30p. One theory is that I somehow unbalanced my system by not eating correctly - it might be significant that my symptoms cleared within an hour of having a good, wholesome meal.

DETOX/HERX - I worked out hard yesterday at noon and it was my 7th day into my abx regimen. I do not think the workout caused the symptoms as I had them earlier in the day anyway - in fact, I felt better immediately following the workout only to fall back into the symptoms about an hour later. However, I may have just been herxing due to systematic effect of the abx actions. 

WEATHER - I'd love feedback on this one! Yesterday was very hot and humid with an unsettled atmosphere that ended the day with a front moving throughand storms. The storms cleared out abt 7:00p last evening and today is a beautiful sunny and low humidity day! Coincidence that this corresponded to my symptom relief?

Or maybe, all these are just coincidences and the symptoms rise-and-fall are simply random in nature. Thoughts anyone?

 

Yes, SG! My wife really wants to go to the beach but, even with a Lyme flare-up, I do not like the bright sun and heat very much! So, it looks like we are going to try and go Saturday in the late afternoon and evening! Here' we can drive on to the beach with 4WD and build a fire and the like. Plus, this weekend there will be a nice full moon rising over the ocean in the evening!

You are right too about stress - I failed to mention that this was my back-to-work week after a week of vacation last week - maybe yesterday's symptoms were at least partially manifested by being back at work. On one hand, it HELPS me to be at work so I can get out of my own head and stop focusing on the Lyme. BUT, it also indeed does cause more stress PLUS, with my neuro symptoms, I find I have to mentally work much harder to do 'normal' tasks since my cognitions are impaired. Good catch!

Hi Yazzer,

I have noticed on my really bad head days that after a good healthy meal, I seem to clear up a little. I really need to get back to my healthy eating. I was working ot regularly until my doc switched my meds to Rifampin and Zithromax. Now I am experiencing a lot of dizziness and everything I tilt my head or bend over, I have to stabilize myself so that I don't fall....so no working out for right now..

Yazzer,

Good for you for being so analytical ! I wish I could do the same....

.... and contribute something on this thread. But I just can't make heads or tails of all that goes on with me-- it's so up and down and all over the place.

One day is so different than the next---- no matter what I try to do about it!

The only thing I can say for sure, is that just when I start to feel I'm nearing 100%...... I get knocked down.

The knock downs do seem to come whenever I apparently reach a plateau on whatever ABX I'm currrently on. So says my LLMD.

I hope you make great progress in understanding the causes of your own percentages.

I sure can't when it comes to myself. My Lyme has a serious mind of its own-- without rhyme or reason. Grrrrrrr.

Hi folks ! And I have been tracking things closely through a spreadsheet for a while now. And nothing really correlates to anything sensical. I go through ups and downs like crazy. Brain fog rules but not a lot of physical symptoms. Iget very depressed and anxious at times but still forge forward. O get to work most days and work from home others. My stress tolerance is very low. I think I am in a constant state of my body working hard to detox. It's weird. My wife and I do get away for the weekend some and I really try to stay out and about. Staying home is miserably depressing so I fond a way to get out of the house when I cam

I guess I am no worse than o was 3 months ago but no better either. I am going to my llmd tmw to discuss correcting my methylation cycle. She thinks that's outta whack and causing toxins to build or only to slowness released from my system
I am dealing with the Lyme and the mercury toxicity now. I hate living this disease 24/7! It's very tiring literally because I cannot sleep and figuratively because I think about ways to try and get better all the time. Exhausting. On one hand it feels like forever but on the other, I feel like hey, I made it through the past 4 months and o can keep making it through until o do improve! Part of my anxiety and depression is no doubt caused by my mental constitution and because everything I so loved to do just 4 months ago was rudely taken from me (running, wine,parties social life, etc ). I am trying to learn to accept my condition for now and see what it is trying to teach me. It's hard though.

Okay. Done whining for now. I'll be back latet

Here's what I have discovered through my own travels through life with Lyme & co's - the body is an amazing thing! After 39 years of having only 1 try on abx, and discovering that it's not the path for me, I though it was over. I was going to have to learn to live my life from the inside of my house. I was devastated and ready to give up! I am very much an outdoors person and to have to give that up was just more than I could face.

Now, after finding the right treatment for me - which I only started back on March 26th, 2011 -I have a life!!! It's not nearly as much of one as I want of course, but my improvements have been amazing for me and my doc!!

I can now tolerate:
temps above 80 degrees
lots of different foods
some exercise
sweating
some detoxing
a long day
having company
being away from home for more than 2 hours
being on my feet for more than 45 minutes
taking care of pets and a few livestock

And that doesn't even mention the improvements in bodily functions!! Didn't think everyone wanted to hear about those!! Giggle!

So hang in there!! Although some will have to search for the treatment that will bring them better healing - like I did or just different combos of the protocol you are already using - once you find it, you will begin to heal.