HI Alaskah!
Welcome to our forum! I am so sorry that you have a need to be here, but I'm sure glad you found us!!
If you haven't already, it would be beneficial for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,
"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of relevant information, symptom lists and informative links that have been put together by our members here! Most of those who have read through it have said that it was very helpful!! We also have a pretty good search function on this forum to help you narrow down your search for information from past posts. We must be our own health advocates now and the best thing to arm yourself with is knowledge!
I would suggest that you start taking notes whenever you talk with your doc!! Even stress like that is not a friend to those with Lyme and other TBI's (tick-borne infections).
It's a real good thing that your doc has you starting your abx only 1 at a time! Please do the same thing with the natural products he/she wants you to start as well. They may be natural products, but they pack a punch too!
In the "New to Lyme?" Thread you will find that the second post there is all about
detoxing. This is something that is
very beneficial for those of us with TBI's. Usually our detoxing pathways are compromised at least slightly (depending on how long you have been ill), so when the bacteria dies off from both natural ways and from abx, the toxins stay in our bodies and make our symptoms worse! Please be careful to start those slowly as well -only use warm water and only stay in for about
7 - 10 minutes the first time to see how you react. Here is a link to an article that explains about
toxins and why they are so important for us to rid our bodies of:
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_285/ai_n19170382/?tag=content;col1 I hate to be the one to say it, but your diet does need to change - just do it slowly, and don't punish yourself. There are many camps on what one should eat while dealing with Lyme. I am of the camp that says eating healthy is most important, and only leave out the foods that you discover you react to. For me that meant lowering the amount of carbs I eat, being sure I have a really high protein (but not all from meat), really high fiber diet, with tons of vegis. Some have to leave dairy alone, some have to go without gluten, and others have to go completely organic.
I do have to say that sugar is a no-no though, as that actually does 'feed' the bacteria. Lots of us use Agave or Stevia for sweeteners. And soda is one of the worst things you can drink - but please don't switch to diet soda, as that's even worse for your health. Start by drinking 8 ounces of lemon water at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Work in a glass (or cup) of herbal tea from time to time if you like. We were discussing coffee drinking in another thread - I can't live without my caffeine, but coffee is much better than soda.
LOL! Stick around - we can give you all kind of suggestions - giggle!
Whatever you do, don't let it overwhelm you! Just take everything one step at a time! We all are here and will be here to help you find the answers you need, to share our experiences and to learn from you too!
Glad to have you with us!
