When does this get better?

I'm starting to get confused about how much herxing is too much herxing, or whether that's even what's going on. I'm have been basically bed-ridden for months, with a few days here and there where I can get up, go out shortly, exercise a little, but really nothing beyond that.

I've been on 1 of my abx for 10 weeks and the other for 5 weeks. Before that I was on a too-low dose of doxy. I have had new symptoms crop up in the last 5 weeks from the new abx so I know some of this is definitely a herx. I know I am still early in treatment, but should I have felt some improvement by now? The muscle and joint aches/pains, weakness, racing heart, fatigue are my main symptoms, but some days they are a lot more pronounced than others. All I ever want to do is lay down.

I detox every day, I follow a strict diet, and I'm starting acupuncture again tomorrow. It feels like I'm doing everything right with no results.

Any insight or words of encouragement would be great!

Oh, yogilyme,

These are dark days for you, aren't they?

Can't really say when it will get better, but it will. One day soon you will notice a big difference. It sounds like you are getting some pretty big work done.

Glad to hear that you are getting up and around when you can. Being ill and inactive can become a habit in and of itself.

Good for you for doing everything right -- I know what it takes to do all that, so pat yourself on the back. You may not look a lot like a superhero right now, but you really are one!!!

The acupuncture is going to give you a good boost, I'm sure.

Of course, you'll want to tell your doctor on your next visit about your symptoms and progress (or lack thereof).

Hold on -- you are doing really well!

i feel ya...i have been in a herx since first of october.....and sometimes it gets so bad i jus lay in my bed and cry...but i know that my body is trying to let go of something that has been apart of it for so long.....and most days i welcome the herx because i know my body is fighting...but sometimes i get so fed up with feeling the same way all the time....all week i have been on board and ready to kick some lyme butt and today i feel like...."cant something, anything improve for me".....and when i got still and actually focused....i realized that i didnt have an earache and i can move my right arm a little better.....and there are other little improvements that i had noticed......so sometimes and i believe this that when we are so overwhelmed with where we are hurting....we have missed the little things that have corrected itself....i had an earache for close to 20 years.....but i didnt know it didnt hurt because my lymphs hurt...even if u have new symptoms...i believe those r places those little boogers have hid but hadnt caused u to notice them yet....so yes i even welcome new symptoms because i know that doxy found a hiding place....i know its hard to stay positive...and i even thought about this the other day...having lyme is like having about 50 illnesses at once since all of our systems have been affected....i can list 20 diseases right now that i could be diagnosed with....and where as people who just one illness is bad...we are fighting multiple illnesses all at once.....dont short yourself...people with lyme are the strongest people i know...and our bodies are remarkable......just remember...your body is warring so hard....and i know it doesnt feel good....but hang in there.....

Good Yogi!
Please do be sure to let us know what s/he says!!

Have you been sick for a very long time? When I first started treatment after 10+ years of being sick, the first couple of months I hardly got out of bed. I'd get small breaks of "relief" (I was still so miserable, but less miserable than usual!)...I'm not 100% sure when it changed...but somewhere between 3 and 7 months it got better for me. Now I spend parts of my day bedridden, but other parts I go at life with full force! I'm definitely starting to get better...even though for a while it didn't seem like I ever would.

It's really tough, hang in there. The beginning is the worst but at least as you progress you learn to appreciate the littlest of reliefs. Years ago I would not be jumping up and down happy to feel this sick, but having the old misery to compare it to makes this seem great!

I know how you feel having to rely on your parents...I'm 24 and my self-esteem is in the gutter from having to depend on them. I'm very lucky, but I still hate it. I'm normally so independent...so this is way too humbling for me.

Just a word of advice though...I'd be careful about going on thyroid meds. I'm on them and will be for life. My mother is too, and one of her newer doctors said that she never would've put her on thyroid meds with her levels only being slightly sluggish...and my mother says she hasn't felt right since she started them. It's just one more thing you have to worry about, probably forever, so I'd just say if you can avoid it, or wait it out and see if it gets better...that might be a good idea. I wish I could've done that because I really don't think medicating my thyroid condition was necessary either. (I was 14...my hormones were supposed to be crazy!)

Good luck, and just remember IT DOES GET BETTER!!

border: the first real Lyme-like symptoms I remember having were in April of this year, but it's possible I was already sick for months before that. I also prided myself on being independent and doing everything on my own. It's tough, but this is what our parents are for, right? What helps me is thinking about the future, and what life will be like when I'm back in my own apartment and less dependent. Beats dwelling on how much my current situation feels like high school all over again!

Thanks for your input on the thyroid meds. I have to say, my gut is also telling me I should not go that direction right now. My acupuncturist doesn't think thyroid meds are the answer either since it's only very slightly hypoactive. I can't imagine it's a major contributor to how I'm feeling. I do want to continue to monitor it during lyme treatment and see if it eventually corrects itself.

peacesoul: It's hard to figure out at what point to stop searching. I'd like to think that trying herbs with my acupuncturist will be that missing piece that brings me to healing. But if I'm actually herxing then technically I've already found what works and just have to push through. Only time will tell.

My emotions are tough. I'm looking into seeing a counselor to help with that aspect, but the thought of going to someone's office once a week feels overwhelming!

thanks yazzer. wise words and a great outlook! and I felt tingly during my acu session, which I took as a good sign.

This just leaves me more confused about what to do.

I am taking milk thistle twice a day for my liver.