Hitting a roadbloack during treatment. Have you been where I am at?

Hi everyone! Thanks or taking the time to read my post.

I feel I have hit a roadblock with my treatment. As many of you have experienced yourself I am sure.


My journey began when I went to a Naturopath and tried treating my thyroid in several different ways and it was not working. I ended up in the ER because I went Hyperthyroid. When my levels were tested again, it showed within reference range, but all my symptoms were hyperthyroid related and my eyes started to bulge. I thought all my symptoms the past few years were Thyroid related. But when I tried treating my thyroid it just made everything worse.
I presented her with my thoughts on Lyme and when she started me out on a mild herb, I got very ill and all my symptoms peaked (my first herx). I then found a good LLMD in the Bay Area and started to see him in October 2013. (this is the EXTREME short version, I have been to HUNDREDS of doctors, naturopaths etc throughout the years.)

Upon seeing this Dr, he started me on the Shoemaker protocol and a mild dose of doxy (100mg twice a day) and did full blood work testing as well. He also tried to address my Thyroid and all of my labs showed everything else was healthy. I was still gaining weight, having rashes and ravenous hunger issues and sick every night from 5-11pm like clockwork.

When I got all my labs back, it was a case of "likely lyme."

Lyme IgG Western Blot (Igenix)
18 kDa +
39 kDa IND
41 kDa ++

Lyme IgM Western Blot (Igenix)
23-25 kDa IND
31 kDa IND
34 kDa IND
39 kDa +
41 kDa IND

He just ran another test our last visit that will hopefully show more bands now since we began treatment. Or not, since I have had the disease for so long.

Along with this testing, he did a test for parasites through Genova Diagnostics and I tested positive.

Another test that came back showed that I have the MTHFR gene A1298C mutation and have almost all of the HLA DR-DQ numbers as well.

My body is NOT a fan of detoxing.

I tolerated the 200mg of doxy and the shoemaker protocol fairly well for the first two and a half months. I do not have too many normal cycles of menstruation, but they came back recently, but very sporadically. Before I started to see my Dr, I hadn't had a cycle in over two years, so something was working.The problem started when I began the antiparasitic drugs. The first round hit me like a brick wall and I had a bad fever and I was throwing up and sick for about a week, but AFTER I took the medication for two weeks. I still had the ravenous hunger though. The second round, I started to see a heavy load of worms in my stool. Very large and some had blood in their mouths. During the break between the first and second round of medications is when the trouble began. I started feeling very off one night then BAM! I got very sick and dizzy and started having a seizure. Ended up in the ER and they told me they ran a Lyme test for me and it was negative (ER Drs have no idea how Lyme works.) I stopped all medications and went to my LLMD as soon as he could take me (about a week.) He said I wasn't detoxing fast enough and gave me a few pointers. I went home and toughed out the seizures, dizziness, panic and paranoia attacks and such until about a month later when they started to peak again and I just had to stop. It got to the point where I knew if I took my medicine one more day it was going to kill me. I woke up two nights ago in convulsions.
By this point, I barely go to the bathroom, have to use an enema either once of twice daily and I had to stop my antibiotics and pharmaceutical anti-parasitics. I am still taking the Nystantin and the Cholestramine part of the shoemaker protocol and all the herbs I am on for the parasites until I see my Dr on Friday.

Here is where I pose my question.
Every medication that I try to take makes me worse. The thyroid medication, the antiparasitic and the antibiotics. Tried coffee enemas and made it worse, tried taking Betaine HCL for my stomach and it made it worse. I feel like anything other than herbs that I put into my body right now is just making me worse. It isn't just feeling sick and flu like with a raise in symptoms either, it is like I am going to pass away sick. It just got worse and worse and worse until I had no other option but to stop all medications. I am terrified that if I take them I will black out into a seizure again and if I don't, I will just be sick for the rest of my life. I feel very backed into a corner.

Currently I am able to tolerate all my herbs, my antifungal (Nystantin) and the Cholestyramine two times a day. The rest of my medications are herbs and tinctures.

I know you have to feel worse before you feel better is the phrase, but really? I cannot have another night where I don't sleep, have convulsions and tremors all night and panic attacks. Is there any way to tackle this in a more gentle manner?

I have a feeling my body is just so depleted that adding anything to the mix just doesn't work. I want to approach this a bit more gentle, but I have had Lyme for so long now that I know the treatment needs to be aggressive.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I see my LLMD on Friday.

It said "taxonomy unavailable." I took the 2115 GI Effects Parasitology Profile - Stool

Yes, there is a way to tackle these infections in a more gentle way - I had to as well for the same reasons.

We may have to feel worse to feel better, but there is another saying in the Lyme world as well: don't kill yourself trying to kill the Lyme.

My belief is that some of us can't detox well enough and must use something gentle, although I'm not sure what dictates this other than just the individual.

So why not try using just herbs? I did & healed, and others here are using herbs only and are making progress too. There's no book to follow for these infections and how to treat them, only suggestions and those are to be widely interpreted depending on how your body reacts.

Why not talk with your boyfriend's father and ask him how he would suggest you transition from all the things you are taking now over to what he suggests? Take each med and each condition one at a time, write it all down so that you can look it all over many times, do some research (we can help) and then decide?

I'm so so sorry that you are in this position, but hang in there!! There is hope! I too was dealing with the many things you have listed, and others have as well, so I know that there is a way out for you as well. It's just a matter of finding it.

so you have an unidentified parasite that you are presumably hitting with some blend of herbs? It really sounds like some type of yeast or you have no bacteria left in your gut (Cholestramine is incredibly constipating for some people) You mention no probiotics, are you taking them?


It would be best to identify the specific parasite instead of shooting in a barrel like you are doing. If you have actual bowel movements with worms you can send the specimens in directly to a couple labs who will id them. However, yeast can look alot like worm pieces. Metametrix was not helpful to me in this (I also had parasite present taxonomy unknown) but Diagnostechs has been. You could also try arizona parasitology (ive only heard of them, no direct experience)